BACK PAIN, EXERCISE, AND COMMON MISTAKES

The biggest mistake made by people with back pain is to not exercise at all, even after a course of physical therapy. Immediately after the therapy ends, so does any attempt at exercise. This is often the result of the underlying approach to exercise in which people with persistent back pain try to strengthen their back with exercise, increase their pain dramatically, and then stop exercising altogether, having learned that exercise hurts. The years pass with episodic attempts at exercising the injured back, usually in physical therapy, with only increased pain to show for their efforts.

The second biggest mistake people in pain make is to focus all their exercise efforts on their painful back or legs and ignore the rest of their body, which gets as weak as their back over time. With persistent pain, focus on your noninjured body parts first and only months later your injured back. Get some aerobic exercise through a stationary bike or in the pool - not so much that your pain increases. Then focus on strengthening your noninjured, non-back body parts so they can compensate for your injured back - not so much that your pain increases. Only then should you exercise your with the main goal of maintaining range of motion through gentle stretching - not so much that your pain increases. This is the most effective strategy for rehabilitating a persistently painful back. You should be doing some type of exercise 1-2 times every day. Are you?