05/23/2025
Back Pain: Is Rest or Exercise Better?
What to Do About Back Pain? Lying down with your back straight is the recommended way to relieve back pain. But according to Canadian experts, doing so will only make your back pain worse.
Instead, the best way to relieve pain and improve the “stiffness” of your back is to exercise regularly 4 times a week.
In the latest study, Canadian researchers followed 240 patients with chronic back pain. These people were divided into 4 groups and were continuously monitored for 16 weeks. One group did not exercise at all while the other groups did weight training for 2, 3 and 4 days a week, respectively.
Pain levels decreased by 28% in the group that exercised 4 days a week, 18% in the group that exercised 3 days a week and 14% in the group that exercised 2 days a week. In terms of quality of life, depending on the level of exercise, there was an increase of 28%, 22% and 16%. Meanwhile, the group that did not exercise at all had no change.
Assistant Professor Robert Kell, University of Alberta (Canada), said: "If someone has back pain, they will often do less physical activity because they are advised to do so. However, the results often do not show any progress. Their back still hurts even though they rest as instructed. That is because their back muscles are getting weaker when they lie down to rest. Frankly, resting only makes back pain worse.
Our study shows that you should do the opposite and exercise is an effective way to relieve back pain."
However, the study was only for patients with chronic back pain. These people have very clear symptoms (such as a slipped disc) so they often have to follow the doctor's instructions, which usually include rest and physical therapy.
Previous research has also shown that back pain gets worse with continued rest. The study was presented at the American College of Sports Medicine Conference in Seattle.
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