Prevention is the key to keeping many health problems from getting out of control. Effective prevention strategies for back and neck problems could help many people avoid pain and disability. But which types of prevention really work?
These authors reviewed medical research to find high-quality studies that focused on preventing back and neck pain. This was a tall order. Not many studies deal with preventing pain in healthy individuals. The articles found by the authors focused on lumbar supports, education, and exercise. Only exercise was found to have any effect on preventing neck and back pain. No studies meeting the authors’ standards were found on ergonomics or behavior changes (such as quitting smoking or losing weight).
The authors note huge gaps in the research. They suggest that studies should look at a bigger pool of people and should be done over a longer period of time. This would take into consideration the fact that people tend to develop spine pain as they age, and that back pain flares up from time to time. There is a glaring need for studies on ergonomics and behavior changes. And future research should address the lack of compliance the authors noted in these studies. Often, the subjects had stopped using the preventive strategy even before the study was over.
The authors also suggest that future research should look at the combined effects of several different prevention strategies, rather than just one at a time. They also feel that future studies should focus on prevention strategies tailored better for the individual’s risk factors. Until then, exercise has the best track record for actually preventing neck and back pain.