A Review of the Possible Effects of Physical Activity on Low-Back Pain

Abstract

Objective: Low back pain (LBP) represents the most prevalent and costly repercussion from musculoskeletal injury in the work place. This review examines the earlier and current research reported on the significance of physical activity on musculoskeletal injuries and LBP, the benefits and limitations of therapeutic exercise, and the potential features of various exercise modalities that may contribute to the secondary and tertiary prevention of low-back pain. Methods:A search was performed using MEDLINE to identify original studies published in English from January 1990 to December 2013. Physical activity in the form of aerobic, muscle strengthening, flexibility, and occupational (labor) activities among working adults (18 -65 years of age) alone and with other non-surgical therapies were selected. A hand-searched collection from a personal literature library also was used.Results: Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria, addressing aerobic exercise (n=4), muscle strengthening exercise (n=3), combination of aerobic, muscle strengthening, and flexibility exercises (n=5), and occupational labor/exercise (n=3). The investigations generally supported the benefits of programmed and structured exercise alone and with other therapies for the treatment of LBP. Conclusions:Given the physical and financial burden to treat LBP, this issue remains a great public health importance. With the burden on society from LBP and the prevalence of the disorder among populations, research from physical activity on LBP has produced varied results without a specific type of exercise that results in resolved LBP better than most. Most agree that some activity is better than none, but no one activity is better than the others when the multifactorial etiology of LBP remains inconsistent. Isolating the vertebrae that causes the LBP would be beneficial for participant selection with future research. Different forms of pathological evidence or combinations of pathological measurements may help to establish proof of beneficial exercise or a combination of exercise therapies.Physical activity has been used as a form of primary prevention for musculoskeletal injuries from exercise. Therefore, it follows that physical activity may be a potential factor in treatment or prevention of low-back pain and injury in the work place as well. With the increased awareness in health promotion and injury/ illness prevention, the increased importance of physical activity has been recognized in the public health literature as a crucial element for optimal health. The health benefits of physical activity can be categorized as physical (e.g., cardiovascular, orthopedic, flexibility, and musculoskeletal), psychological, and perhaps, economical.The primary, longitudinal purpose of physical activity has been to improve physical health. For the 2020 Healthy People objectives, the target uses an increase in adults engaged in regular moderate (unknown metabolic equivalent) physical activity above 43.7% (the base year of 2008) and an increase in adolescents e...

Effectiveness of Non-Pharmacological Nursing Intervention Program on Female Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

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