Lower back pain: think again!

Myth: Bed rest helps get rid of back pain.

Fact: Refraining from certain activities immediately after an injury may alleviate pain. However, moderate exercise and a gradual return to activity help you recover and return to normal function.

Myth: Strengthening core muscles prevents lower back pain.

Fact: Weakness of the core muscles does not cause lower back pain. Studies show that doing specific exercises to strengthen core muscles offers no advantages over other exercise such as walking or aerobics when it comes to improving intensity of pain and limitations.

Myth: Strong lower back pain indicates a serious injury.

Fact: Severe pain does not necessarily indicate serious injury. People with similar spinal problems can experience different levels of pain. While back pain can be scary, it is rarely related to damage to tissue or to a life-threatening disease.

Myth: X-rays / MRI / CT are required to diagnose the source of the pain.

Fact: Imaging only reveals the cause of lower back pain in rare cases. Scans reveal “abnormal findings” such as a herniated disk, degenerative changes in discs and arthritis. These are common and normal conditions among most of the population, who do not experience any pain, particularly as people get older.

Myth: Bending and lifting heavy objects is bad for your back.

Fact: Your back is not worn down by daily lifting and bending. Gradual strengthening of the back should enable us to lift increasingly heavy weights.

Strength training for the lower back under the guidance of a physical therapist at Hillel Yaffe

Myth: If you experience pain during physical activity, it means that you have injured yourself.

Fact: Your back actually becomes healthier due to movement and exercise. A strong spinal column can move and safely handle a heavy load. It is, however, important to progress gradually with exercise and physical activity.

Myth: As we age, we suffer from more lower back pain.

Fact: Aging is not the main cause of lower back pain. However, loss of muscle strength can contribute to it and, therefore, it is important to continue to exercise even as we age.

In short, there are quite a few common myths about back pain, particularly lower back pain, and it is important to have the right information in order to relieve pain.

Lower back pain affects quality of life and our general health, and the longer we suffer, the greater the risk of experiencing restricted movement. If you suffer from lower back pain for two-three weeks without any improvement or, if it exacerbates and you are more limited in performance of everyday activities, you should consult a physical therapist in order to receive personalized care and education regarding the types of exercise that are right for you and, no less important - that you enjoy.

So... Get moving!