Lower back pain is a chronic condition that affects hundreds of millions of people around the world. A simple exercise could be a big help. And the best thing? You don't even have to get up to do it.
Metal rods, screws and bone grafts have long been the backbone of spinal fusion surgeries — a fix for fractured spines, worn-out discs or bones that refuse to heal on their own. The hardware works. But it’s also rigid and invasive, and often leaves patients with lingering pain, stiffness and the need for follow-up surgeries down the road.
Nonsurgical treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, exercise and multidisciplinary care may offer long-term relief for patients with chronic low back pain, according to data published in The Lancet Rheumatology.
Chronic primary musculoskeletal pain is prevalent and often the cause of medico-legal dispute. Pain with an unknown etiology that occurs in the absence of substantial tissue abnormality has challenged the health care community for decades. The World Health Organization now recognizes chronic primary pain (CPP) conditions as valid conditions that are prevalent and a cause of considerable suffering.
Back pain affects as many as 4 out of 5 Americans, and relief can be elusive. That's because it may be caused by multiple overlapping factors that cannot always be visualized on a scan. On the flipside, the scan of a healthy individual may be riddled with spinal abnormalities, none of which require treatment.
