The exercises
that you do
should be back
specificCaution No. 3
A key issue to be considered in assessing the possible efficacy of exercises for the
treatment of low back pain is whether the training effects are back specific particularly
when extending the spine. Walking, swimming, aerobics or yoga are good to keep you fit
and flexible but do not specifically target the key muscles of the abdomen, hip and
thighs that are essential to support the back and relieve you of back pain.
The exercises mentioned in this book are back specific. The key difference
between back specific and nonspecific exercises is that in the former, the loading and
thereby the effect can be targeted in an isolated and safe way to the muscles that act on
the spine. The result will be stronger and suppler abdomen, back and thighs and a
considerable reduction if not complete elimination of back pain.
There are numerous back exercise machines available in the market, some at
astronomical prices! Some of them use a pelvic stabilization technique with devices that
employ a hip-lock mechanism. The lock system aims at preventing movement of the hip
and thereby the movement of the hip muscles – gluteus maximus and
hamstrings. By excluding these strong muscles, back specific
exercise machines train the paraspinal muscles.
There is no evidence to indicate that back specific
exercise machines are more effective than the simple
stretching and strengthening exercises detailed in this
book for treating acute low back pain.
The only question that I have is that when there are simple back specific
exercises available, do you really need to spend all that money to buy a
back exercise machine? Secondly, using these machines at home can lead
to further damage to the spinal column and worsening of pain if there is
no trained physiotherapist around to offer guidance and advice. There is
always the danger of overdoing the exercises too early instead of a
gradual increase. This puts additional strain on the back muscles which
are just now recovering their strength and can reactivate muscle spasm.