Video: Why is Exercise Important for Lower Back Pain?

Proper exercise is the foundation of almost all low back pain rehabilitation programs.

The three key areas of exercise used for lower back pain include stretching, strengthening, and aerobic conditioning. Today I’ll explain to you how each of these types of exercise specifically lessens lower back pain.

Stretching improves flexibility of the muscles, tendons and ligaments in the low back and hips. This in turn increases the range of motion and movement, including activities of daily living that require complex biomechanical movements involved in lifting, twisting, and bending.

Stretching also decreases muscle stiffness associated with lower back pain, and decreasing stiffness then lessens pain.

Strong and well-conditioned low back and deep abdominal muscles are needed to support the lumbar spine. Strengthening these muscles reduces back pain by reducing stress across the spinal structures.

As with stretching, the optimal strengthening program must be tailored to you, based on your individual diagnosis and situation. The goal of an exercise program is to improve spinal stability and reduce the stress placed on painful spinal structures.

For example, some people will do best with spinal stabilization exercises in a neutral position while others may best benefit from a flexion or extension bias—depending on the source of their pain.

Aerobic exercise is also important, since it increases the blood flow and nutrients to the soft tissues in the back. That improves the healing process and reduces stiffness that results in back pain.

In addition, longer periods of aerobic exercise increase the body’s production of endorphins, which is a brain chemical that acts as a natural pain killer.

Regular physical therapy and exercise is an ideal way to help the body heal, both reducing pain in the short term and over the longer term, reducing the odds of a recurrence or worsening of pain.