Preventing low back pain
Me pēhea e karo i te hokinga mai a te mamae ā-tuarā o raro
Low back pain is very common and if you've had it once, it may happen again. Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet to totally prevent it. But there are two simple measures that can help to reduce the rate and impact of any future back pain.
1. Keep active
It doesn't matter what exercise you do. Just do something you enjoy. Research shows that doing strengthening exercises specifically for your spine and abdomen doesn't prevent back pain, but regular general exercise and activity can.
2. Do 10 modified push-ups once or twice a day
- Lie face-down on the floor with your arms bent and your hands under your shoulders.
- Push up with your arms and arch your back, leaving your hips on the floor.
- Relax your stomach muscles and let your back sag for a second.
- Slowly return to the floor.
Repeat this exercise 10 times. Do it every day.
Other measures to help prevent back pain
- Sleep well.
- Manage your stress and anxiety levels.
- Do not smoke because nicotine decreases blood flow to your back. Back pain is more common, and recovery is slower in smokers.
- Aim to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
- Avoid slouching when sitting for long periods of time. If sitting with a correct posture helped to get rid of your back pain last time, it makes sense to make sitting correctly a lifetime habit.
- If your previous low back pain was caused by bending forward, make sure you arch backwards every now and then whenever you're in a situation where you're bending a lot (for example, gardening).
- Use correct lifting techniques. It makes sense to try to reduce the strain on your back when picking up a load. Try these simple steps:
- Use your legs more than your back – bend your knees to crouch by the object and straighten your legs to lift it.
- Crouch like a weightlifter with more of your weight on your heels rather than your toes. This makes you more stable.
- Move your feet rather than twisting your body to turn around.
- Bend your knees again to lower the object to its new spot.
- If you're straining to lift something, stop immediately and get help, or work out another way of doing it.
If your low back pain does come back and doesn't go away within one to two days, make an appointment to see your GP, chiropractor, osteopath, or physiotherapist.
On the next page: Self-care for low back pain
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed May 2022.
Sources
The information in this section comes from the following sources, some of which may be clinically complex or not available to the general public
ACC – Non-specific acute low back pain, part 3 – return to work (http://www.acc.co.nz/PRD_EXT_CSMP/groups/external_providers/documents/guide/prd_ctrb113162.pdf), retrieved March 2017
Bell J.A., & Burnett A. (2009). Exercise for the primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of low back pain in the workplace: a systematic review. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 19:8-24. DOI: 10.1007/s10926-009-9164-5
Choi B.K.L., Verbeek J.H., Tam Wai-San, Jiang J.Y. (2010) Exercises for prevention of recurrences of low-back pain. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD006555. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006555.pub2
Christiansen D., Larsen K., Kudsk J.O., Vinther N.C. Pain responses in repeated end-range spinal movements and psychological factors in sick-listed patients with low back pain: is there an association? J Rehabil Med 2009; 41: 545-49.
Wong J.J., Coté P., Sutton D.A. et al. Clinical practice guidelines for the noninvasive management of low back pain: A systematic review by the Ontario Protocol for Traffic Injury Management (OPTIMa) Collaboration. Eur J Pain 2016; 21: 201-16.
Hides J., Jull G., Richardson C. Long-term effects of specific stabilizing exercises for first-episode low back pain. Spine 2001; 11: e243-e248
Larsen K., Weidick F., & Leboeuf-Yde C. (2002) Can passive prone extensions of the back prevent back problems? Spine. 27(24):2747-52
Martimo et al (2008) Effect of training and lifting equipment for preventing back pain in lifting and handling: systematic review. British Medical Journal published online 31 Jan 2008; doi:10.1136/bmj.39463.418380.BE
Muller et al (1999) The influence of previous low back trouble, general health, and working conditions on future sick-listing because of low back trouble. Spine. 24(15):1562-1570
Roffey D.M., Wai E.K., Bishop P., Kwon B.K., Dagenais S. Causal assessment of occupational sitting and low back pain: results of a systematic review. Spine J 2010; 10: 252-261
Stanton T.R. et al (2008). After an episode of acute low back pain, recurrence is unpredictable and not as common as previously thought. Spine . 33(26):2923-2928
Williams M.M. & Grant R.N. A comparison of low back and referred pain responses to end range lumbar movement and position. 1992
Image and embedded video sources
Arching back image – From iStock (image ID 20844690). January 2016.
Manual therapy image – From Shutterstock (image ID 1202838715). May 2022.
Modified push-up, back bend lying, back bend standing, sitting, lifting images – Provided by Richard Hopkins physiotherapist. January 2017.
Normal spine image – From Shutterstock (image ID 65496961). Image labels added. July 2014.
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Review key: HILBP-103167
