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Two Words to Help Back Pain: Exercise, Exercise

It has been proven that twice-a-week supervised exercise for back pain is helpful. Would three times a week would be even better? This is an important question when trying to cut health care costs without hurting patients.

Doctors at a spine center in Boston decided to study this question. They chose patients with moderate back pain who were still working. The pain had been present for more than three months. Two groups were formed. Both groups received an intensive exercise program. One group had two sessions each week. The second group met three times a week.

Treatment sessions were two hours long. Sessions included stretching, low-impact aerobics, strengthening exercises, and exercise on endurance equipment. Patients came to their sessions for six weeks. No hands-on treatment or other physical therapy was offered.

At the end of the rehab program, there were no differences between the two groups. This type of exercise has the same result when done two or three times per week. The authors of this study report that fear of injury and change in muscle function caused by pain are the key problems in recovering from back pain. The exercise program appears to help patients overcome these problems with only two sessions each week.

Reducing treatments to twice a week is not advised for patients who are too disabled to work, however. A twice-weekly program seems best for otherwise healthy adults who are still working in spite of pain.

References: James Rainville, MD, et al. Comparison of Short- and Long-term Outcomes for Aggressive Spine Rehabilitation Delivered Two Versus Three Times Per Week. In The Spine Journal. November/December 2002. Vol. 2. No. 6. Pp. 402-407.

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