Exercise for the Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Prevention of Low Back Pain in the Workplace: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Only two out of the 15 studies reviewed were high in methodological quality and showed significant reductions in LBP intensity with exercise. Future research is needed to clarify which exercises are effective and the dose-response relationships regarding exercise and outcomes.

A Web-Based Intervention to Improve and Prevent Low Back Pain Among Office Workers: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…14,22 Therefore, it has been suggested that exercise programs of short duration are most appropriate for employees who work long shifts. 4 A high level of adherence to the exercise program was observed in the intervention group. This is consistent with previous studies that achieved a high level of adherence to activities designed to promote healthy lifestyles in asymptomatic office workers through the use of intervention e-mails at the workplace.…”

“…4 However, it is unclear which specific exercise program would be most effective for the secondary prevention of LBP. 29 Because poor lumbar and abdominal muscle endurance (factors associated with postural stability) may contribute to functional disability in patients with NLBP, 18 exercises to improve trunk muscle endurance may improve function in patients with chronic LBP.…”

“…Chok et al 6 investigated the effectiveness of trunk muscle endurance training in this population and reported a weak association between improvement in trunk muscle endurance scores and functional status. 6 A recent systematic review 4 suggested that exercise programs consisting of sessions of short duration are preferable for employees who work long shifts, and that exercises over an extended period may be needed to prevent LBP. However, the review also clearly established that further trials are warranted.…”

“…37 Implementation of an exercise program as a low-cost strategy to reduce and prevent LBP among office workers has therefore been proposed. 4 Although convincing data show that multidisciplinary interventions can improve physical function and psychosocial factors, their effectiveness in terms of reducing LBP has not been proven. 16 Exercise is usually a component of a multidisciplinary intervention for individuals with LBP and holds promise in LBP management.…”

Healthy lifestyle interventions in general practice: Part 15: Lifestyle and lower back pain

“…4,25,26 The majority of these studies have been conducted in the workplace environment and there is considerable variation between studies with respect to the study populations, the frequency and duration of the exercise intervention programmes, and the type of exercise interventions. The results show that exercise interventions are widely used to prevent LBP in the workplace, but the evidence that these programmes reduce the incidence of LBP is inconsistent.…”