Exercise associated with prevention of low back pain finds large international study

Exercise, either alone or in combination with education, may reduce the risk of low back pain, according to a review of the medical literature published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Experts looked at 23 reports including over 30,000 people and found that:

• Moderate-quality evidence suggests exercise with education reduces the risk of an episode of low back pain;
• Low- to very low-quality evidence suggests exercise alone may reduce the risk of both a low back pain episode and the use of sick leave;
• Other interventions, including education alone, back belts and shoe inserts do not appear to be associated with the prevention of low back pain.

“Although our review found evidence for both exercise alone (35% risk reduction for an low back pain episode and 78% risk reduction for sick leave) and for exercise and education (45% risk reduction for an low back pain episode) for the prevention of low back pain up to one year, we also found the effect size reduced (exercise and education) or disappeared (exercise alone) in the longer term (over one year),” the study authors conclude.

So for exercise to remain protective against future low back pain, it is likely that ongoing exercise is required.

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