Dr. Mrugen M. Mody

Patients experiencing low back pain are regularly recommended to a physiotherapist for exercise based recovery. This is done before a patient considers other aggressive options like back surgery. The objectives of exercise based recovery are to eliminate back pain, increase functioning and educate the patient about a regular pain prevention program for back pain in the future.

Low back stiffness is to a great extent dependent on the abdomen and lower back muscles. The abdominal muscles give support by putting pressure on the abdomen, which is then exerted, on the spine. This provides an external support column from the front of the spine. The low back muscles balance out the spine. Simply put, the hard spine and circles are surrounded by muscles, and the stronger these particular muscles are, the less strain is put on the plates and joints of the spine. The patient needs to develop a belt of muscles around the spine.

Most physiotherapy methods that are intended to treat low back pain and some radicular pain (pain extending down the leg), include a number of the following kinds of activities:

1. Stretching: Appropriate stretching of the muscles alongside dynamic activity will keep up the usual scope of movement and give alleviation to muscles. These are the muscles that are gradually shrinking or are an ill fit from wrong stance or nerve aggravation. For some patients it is best to follow a stretching schedule that has been exclusively made for them by their physiotherapist.
2. Dynamic exercises: These activities include the use of a number of activities that might include exercising balls, adjusting machines or particular balancing out activities. The purpose of stabilization activity is to strengthen the muscles of the spine and backing the spine through different scopes of movement.
3. Core strengthening exercises: These are particular activities to strengthen the abs and low back muscles (erector spinae) to give the previously mentioned 'belt of muscle' around the spine.
4. Abdominal strengthening: These kinds of exercises include sit-ups, crunches, stomach machines, and leg raises.
5. Hyperextensions: These can be performed on machines or by lying on the stomach and gradually raising the stomach off the ground. This activity uses the lower back muscles to "hyperextend" the spine. Make sure not to do it with sudden jerks. The stretch should be slow and gradual to prevent ligament tear from happening.
6. Lumbar traction: With lumbar traction, the patient lies on his back and is secured on a special table with a link or cable coming from the foot-end of the table that joins to a strap that has been set around the patient's hips. The link or cable is connected to weights at the foot-end of the table that gives a consistent and soft pulling power on the hips toward the foot-end of the table.