Lower Back Pain management can be tricky due to contradicting information, the plethora of approaches available and the volatile nature of the symptoms and triggers. Whether you are dealing with chronic or acute pain here are the 5 lower back pain mistakes, you need to avoid.
It is understandable that when the pain is acute movement options are limited. However refraining from all forms of exercise can be as debilitating on the long run as reinsuring yourself. Even if walking is the only thing you can do – turn walking into a workout. This may still mean no more than 20 mins of walks at a time. Do that daily. pilates props.
So assuming you have the space at home and you decide to save money buy purchasing the equipment yourself, you are looking at an investment of £3-7,000.
It may seem like an oxymoron but unless you exercise the muscles of your lower back they will not function properly again. A progressive approach is often necessary while it will help to understand the role of breathing and abdominal recruitment in the process.
A lot of people when dealing with pain enjoy stretching as it provides some relief. Stretching, similar with massage, can be useful in LBP management but will not be sufficient to heal the injury. Use stretching as palliative medicine but not treatment.
Whether the pain is experienced in the muscles, spine or in the fascia there will be a neurological component in your lower back pain. As a consequence there is a bilateral relationship between lower back pain and breathing which is why breathing exercises can be very useful.
source: Kolář P et al. 2012
The lower back has a high concentration of sympathetic nerves [ref], which explains why some patients with lower back pain report increased intensity when stressed [ref].
Whatever rehabilitation program you have been given they be updated after 4-10 weeks. Not doing so means you are wasting your time at best or risking the deterioration of the condition.
Whatever protocol you follow, if you don’t want to stay married to the pain for life, make sure you start exercising as soon as possible incorporating exercises that strengthen the lower back, address the neurological aspect of the pain and progressively make the protocol more challenging. The focus of lower back training should vary depending on the severity of the injury.
At Perola Bruta we follow a multidisciplinary approach to lower back issues.
Chou, R., & Shekelle, P. (2010). Will this patient develop persistent disabling low back pain?. Jama, 303(13), 1295-1302.
Hirsch, C., Ingelmark, B. E., & Miller, M. (1963). The anatomical basis for low back pain: studies on the presence of sensory nerve endings in ligamentous, capsular and intervertebral disc structures in the human lumbar spine. Acta orthopaedica scandinavica, 33(1-4), 1-17.
Kolář, P., Šulc, J., Kynčl, M., Šanda, J., Čakrt, O., Andel, R., … & Kobesová, A. (2012). Postural function of the diaphragm in persons with and without chronic low back pain. journal of orthopaedic & sports physical therapy, 42(4), 352-362