Experts say exercise underutilized as treatment for back, neck pain Exercise has shown significant promise in improving physical function, decreasing symptoms and minimizing disability caused by chronic low back and neck pain. However, according to a study, exercise remains an underutilized treatment.
Researchers from the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina conducted a survey of nearly 700 individuals with chronic back or neck pain who saw a physician, chiropractor and/or physical therapist during the previous 12 months. They asked participants whether they were prescribed exercise, the amount of supervision received, and the type, duration and frequency of the prescribed exercise.
Less than 50 percent of the subjects in our sample were prescribed exercise, one of the few moderately effective therapies for the highly disabling illness of chronic back and neck pain, said Timothy S. Carey and Janet K. Freburger, lead researchers of the study.
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The authors suggested that future studies explore barriers to prescription of exercise treatments, such as practitioner knowledge, organizational aspects of the practice, and poor reimbursement for exercise instruction compared with other types of treatment.
Second study supports exercise. In a second unrelated study published in The Spine Journal, researchers found that exercise in the workplace is effective in preventing new episodes of low-back problems.
"Strong and consistent evidence finds many popular prevention methods fail while exercise has a significant impact, both in terms of preventing symptoms and reducing back pain-related work loss," said Dr. Stanley J. Bigos, University of Washington professor emeritus of orthopedic surgery and environmental health.
