Dr. Michal
Katz-Leurer and her colleague Ilana Shnayderman, a graduate student at Tel Aviv
University’s department of physical therapy and a practicing physiotherapist at
Maccabi Health Fund, claim that a simple aerobic walking program is as
effective in alleviating lower back pain as muscle strengthening programs that
require specialized equipment in rehabilitation clinics. One need walk only two
to three times a week for 20 to 40 minutes to enjoy the benefit.
Lower back
pain is very common at all ages and often requires many hours of physical
therapy. But the researchers, whose study was just published in the journal
Clinical Rehabilitation, say their treatment option fits easily into a daily
routine and allows those with back pain to be more responsible for their own
health.
According to
their study, people suffering from lower back pain should not rest in bed and
be immobile. When people walk actively, abdominal and back muscles work in much
the same way as when they complete exercises that target these areas, the
researchers found. And unlike muscle-strengthening programs, which often call
for specific equipment and can involve exercises that require expert
supervision, walking is a simple activity that can be done alone.
For their
study, the researchers have recruited 52 patients with lower back pain to
participate in a randomized control trial. Through questionnaires, they were
initially assessed for pain levels, feelings of disability and avoidance of
daily activities, as well as muscle and walking endurance.
Then, half
of the participants completed a typical clinic-based muscle strengthening
program, with two to three exercise sessions a week for six weeks. The other
half completed a six-week aerobic walking program, walking two to three times
weekly. Participants started with 20 minutes of walking, and then progressed to
40 minutes as their endurance improved.
Results
showed that both groups improved significantly in all areas of assessment,
showing that the walking program was “as effective as treatment that could have
been received in the clinic,” said Katz-Leurer.