low back pain: Recreational physical activity better than targeted exercising

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Recreational physical activity better than targeted exercising for

alleviating low back pain

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=31802

A study of hundreds of people suffering from low back pain found that

general physical activity was better than specific back exercises for

alleviating their pain.

In fact, according to the study, back exercises often made a

patient's back pain worse. Researchers studied about 700 low back

pain patients for 18 months and found those who participated in

recreational physical activity had the best pain relief results. By

contrast, those patients who performed specific back exercises were

most likely to continue to suffer from back pain and disability.

" These results suggest that individuals with low back pain should

refrain from specific back exercises and instead focus on nonspecific

physical activities to reduce pain and improve psychological health, "

the study's authors wrote.

(From: " Effects of Recreational Physical Activity and Back Exercises

on Low Back Pain and Psychological Distress: Findings from the UCLA

Low Back Pain Study. " L. Hurwitz, DC, PhD, University of

California School of Public Health, Los Angeles)

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