What is Chronic Low Back Pain?
You are not alone if your life is affected by low back pain. Approximately two thirds of people suffer from low back pain at some time during their life. In nine out of ten people back pain resolves within a few months. However, for 7% back pain becomes a chronic condition1.
In most cases, low back pain starts as a simple strain or sprain of one of the joints in the spine. In response to joint pain, the brain tries to limit painful movements. One way it does this is by suppressing activation of the muscles that stabilize the lower back. When this happens, the spine moves more easily into painful positions. This can result in an ongoing cycle of chronic low back pain and muscle weakening.
Many studies show that reactivation of muscle control is an important step to break the vicious cycle of chronic low back pain2,3. Specific exercise programs offered by physiotherapy specialists can help you regain control of your spine stabilizing muscles4. Medical guidelines recommend a supervised exercise program.
If conventional treatment is not enough to restore control of the spine stabilizing muscles, ReActiv8 might be considered as a new option.
Once muscle control improves, your physician may recommend additional muscle strengthening exercises to reduce the risk of future recurrences of back pain.
- 1 Hall, H. & McIntosh, G. Low back pain (chronic). Clin. Evid. (Online). 2008, 1–28 (2008).
- 2 Hebert, J. J., Koppenhaver, S. L., Magel, J. S. & Fritz, J. M. The relationship of transversus abdominis and lumbar multifidus activation and prognostic factors for clinical success with a stabilization exercise program: a cross-sectional study. Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 91, 78-85 (2010).
- 3 Costa, L. O. P. et al. Motor control exercise for chronic low back pain: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Physical therapy 89, 1275-86 (2009).
- 4 Hauggaard, A. & Persson, A. L. Specific spinal stabilisation exercises in patients with low back pain - a systematic review. Physical Therapy Reviews 12, 233-248 (2007).