Low-impact aerobic exercise
• Water therapy for back exercise
Reconditioning through low-impact
aerobic exercise is very useful for both rehabilitation
and maintenance of the lower back. Patients who regularly
undergo aerobic exercise will have fewer episodes of
low back pain, and will experience less pain when an
episode occurs. Well-conditioned patients are also
more likely to stay functional (e.g. continue working
and carry on with recreational activities), whereas
those patients with chronic low back pain who choose
not to work on low-impact aerobic exercise should
expect to experience the gradual loss of functional
capabilities.
The aerobic exercise should be continuous in order
to increase the heart rate and keep it elevated. Moreover,
it is thought that 30-40 minutes of aerobic exercise
has the added benefit of increasing the production
of endorphins, which are pain fighting molecules produced
by the body (the release of endorphins probably creates
the well-known "runner’s high" that
occurs during exercise).
There are several types of aerobic exercise that are
gentle on the back and, when done on a regular basis,
highly effective in providing conditioning.
-
Walking for exercise. In general, walking
for exercise is very gentle on the back, and walking
two to three miles three times per week is very helpful
for patients.
-
Stationary bicycling for exercise. If walking
is painful, stationary bicycling is also effective
and may be less stressful on the back.
-
Water therapy for exercise. Doing exercise
in the water provides for effective conditioning
while minimizing stress on the back (see also water
therapy below).
Water therapy for back exercise
Beginning aerobic exercises in the water has the added benefit of unweighting
the spine, which allows for more mobilization with less pain for the patient.
Sometimes as the water therapy exercise progresses, the patient may transition
to land exercises.
Water therapy exercise is especially useful for patients
in too much pain to tolerate land exercises or for
elderly patients. For patients who have osteoarthritis,
especially for elderly patients, an ongoing water therapy
exercise and aerobics program may be the most effective
treatment option.
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