What’s the Best Way to Prevent Lower Back Pain?

Research shows that regular exercise is key to keeping your low back strong and pain free

Lower back pain can be debilitating, especially when it keeps occurring. While about 85 percent of us experience low back pain at least once in our lifetime, nearly half of those affected see the pain returning within a year. This can have a detrimental effect on our homelife, as well as at work or school.

Research shows us how to prevent lower back pain

Fortunately, there are ways to prevent recurrent episodes of low back pain, and research shows us just how you can keep this discomfort at bay.

A study of more than 30,000 low pain pain sufferers

A 2016 systematic review that studied the prevention of low back pain, found some interesting results. The research paper examined the recurrence of low back pain in more than 30,000 individuals and compared strategies for reducing the risk of having another episode.

“We encourage you to stay active to avoid getting a ‘bad back.’ Go for more walks, learn some effective back exercises, and educate yourself on how to maintain a healthy back.”

So what is the best plan to reduce the risk of low back pain returning time and time again? According to the study, back belts, shoe insoles and ergonomic adjustments likely do not prevent a future episode of low back pain.

Exercise and learn how to keep your back healthy

The not-so-secret trick turns out to be exercise! Ideally, this is combined with learning about the dos and don’ts of keeping your back healthy. This magic combination of exercise and education has definitively been found to reduce the risk of someone experiencing repeat low back pain episodes, especially in the short term (less than one year).

For exercise to remain protective against future bouts of lower back pain, you may need to consider long-term changes to your physical activity levels. Take a look at the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines to see what types of exercise work best for you and how much you need to do. 

Matthew Thompson, Physiotherapist

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