Announcing National Spinal Health Day

October 16th has been designated National Spinal Health Day by the International Bone and Joint Decade – a global, multi-disciplinary initiative targeting the care of people with musculoskeletal conditions such as back pain. Its focus is on improving your quality of life as well as advancing the understanding and treatment of those conditions through research, prevention and education. National Spinal Health Day is designed to bring attention and education about exercise as a means to reduce the prevalence of severe back pain.

Spine-health.com is supporting this initiative through publishing free information about National Spinal Health Day developed by health professionals involved in the effort, and by launching our new Exercise Health Center – a resource that provides a full complement of exercise information for people with back conditions. This newsletter highlights points about back exercises that patients with back problems should know and can use.

Active Exercises for Back Pain Management

Although rest may be recommended for acute back pain, more than one or two days of rest is definitely not recommended for most back conditions. Active exercise is recommended as a back pain treatment for several reasons:

• The spine is designed to move, and lack of movement will make back pain worse
• Stretching to maintain full range of motion in key muscle groups (such as the hamstrings) minimizes stress on the low back
• Sustained exercise is needed to help most back conditions heal; active exercise increases the flow of fluids and nutrients to spinal structures (discs, joints, vertebral column, etc.).

• The core abdominal and back muscles that support and protect the spine get little exercise during everyday activities, so specific exercise is needed to target these muscle groups
• Exercise has significant mental health benefits, such as relieving anxiety and depression, which are common among patients with chronic back pain.

The Importance of a Comprehensive and Balance Exercise Program

To have the most benefit for the spine, an exercise plan should include different types of exercise to work the whole body. A comprehensive plan includes:

• Stretching, to improve flexibility and range of motion. The spine is surrounded by a host of muscles, ligaments and tendons, all of which need to be flexible to minimize stress on the back.
• Strength or weight training, sometimes called resistance training or anaerobic exercise, to increase the capacity of the spine and its supporting structures to bear weight. A strong back, as well as abdominal (stomach) and gluteus (buttock) muscles, are particularly important.
• Aerobic conditioning, to improve cardio health. Aerobic exercise will not only improve blood circulation, nourishing the spinal structures, but also releases endorphins, a biochemical produced during aerobic exercise that is a natural mood enhancer.

Learn more about exercising for back pain relief.

Effective but Painless Back Exercise Programs

While some people may like to work up a sweat every time they exercise, many people with back pain need a gentler program that doesn’t stress the back. There are several types of exercises that can help condition the back and reduce pain, rather than add to it. Some options to consider:

• Practicing yoga. Yoga is both gentle on the body and the senses, making it a soothing exercise option for many people dealing with pain. Learn more about yoga and back pain.
• Incorporating equipment in strength exercises. Free weights, resistance bands and exercise balls can aid with push-ups or squats, as can using specialized machines found in health clubs. The key is to get direction on how to use equipment safely. Learn more about these lower back pain exercises.
• Engaging in different types of low-impact aerobic exercise. Many forms of aerobic conditioning can be minimally stressful on the back, including walking, swimming or pool therapy, biking or using an elliptical trainer. See the following article for more information: Exercise walking for better back health.

Exercising as Part of Everyday Activity

While there’s no getting around the fact that it does take planning, it pays to remember that incorporating activity does not necessarily mean hitting the gym for an hour every day. Finding the time to exercise is easier if you keep in mind the following:

• Split the recommended 30-40 minutes of aerobic conditioning into 20 minute intervals. This can mean taking a brisk walk after dinner or hopping on the treadmill during a favorite TV show.
• Alternate days of strengthening and aerobic conditioning. Your muscles need a day of rest to recover from lifting weights or resistance training; finding 20 or 30 minutes for one type might be easier than finding an hour for both.
• Exercise with a friend. Teaming up with someone with the same health goals can bolster flagging commitment.
• Educate your loved ones. Since it is counterintuitive to exercise when you have back pain, it may be important to tell those who care about you that exercising will help your back problem, not make it worse.

Learn about some more specific exercise strategies.

Final Thoughts

For most back conditions, active exercise is the single most important aspect of managing the pain and helping heal. With practice and a little planning, exercise can be incorporated into your day, helping alleviate your pain and allowing you to return to your favorite activities.

Best wishes,
Peter F. Ullrich, Jr., MD, Medical Director
Stephanie Burke, President

About the Spine-health.com Newsletter: Each issue of the Spine-health.com newsletter, SpineNews Update, is written by the founders of Spine-health.com - Peter F. Ullrich, Jr., M.D., Medical Director for Spine-health.com and Stephanie Burke, President of Spine-health.com.The content in the newsletters is not peer reviewed by Spine-health.com’s Medical Advisory Board.The articles to which the Spine-health.com newsletters link have been peer reviewed by members of the Medical Advisory Board.