What’s the best remedy for an aching back? According to results from a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health, most chronic back pain sufferers don’t know the answer–in large part because their doctors aren’t telling them.

Many randomized trials show that exercise effectively eases chronic back pain, improves function, and minimizes disability. Yet when researchers at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill surveyed almost 700 individuals with chronic back pain by telephone, less than half had been prescribed exercise. Of those who were, 46 were given an exercise prescription by a physical therapist, 27 percent by a physician, and 21 percent by a chiropractor.

As the researchers note, “who you see is what you get.”

“Considering current evidence of the efficacy of exercise,” they conclude, “these findings demonstrate that exercise is being underutilized as a treatment for chronic back and neck pain.”

How effective is exercise for back pain? And what’s the best form of exercise to do? Therapeutic aquatic exercise appears to help many sufferers, according to a 2009 analysis of dozens of studies. Other research shows benefits both from resistance exercise and aerobic workouts. For more details, check out “Fitness and Low Back Pain,” by Len Kravitz and Ron Andrews of the University of New Mexico’s Department of Exercise Science. You’ll find useful practical advice from the International Fitness Professionals Association. If you need more help, ask you doctor to refer you to a physical therapist.

© 2009 PDQhealth

Tags: back pain, exercise