Exercise: a Natural Reliever for Chronic Low Back Pain

People with chronic pain can peddle away some of their discomfort, according to a new study by a Medical College of Wisconsin researcher at the VA Medical Center in Milwaukee. Martin Hoffman, MD, formerly a Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Medical College, has found that people with chronic low back pain reduce their pain perception for up to thirty minutes after a moderate workout on an exercise bike. Results of the study were presented at the May 2000 meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine.

In Dr. Hoffman's study, eight people who have suffered from chronic low back pain for an average of seven years, reported feeling significantly less pain after riding an exercise bike for 25 minutes, compared with before. The subjects reported their pain level on a subjective scale in response to having a weighted plastic edge placed on their non-dominant index finger for two minutes. They indicated their pain level every 10 seconds by marking a 10-centimeter scale. The end points of the scale were "No pain" and "The worst possible pain imaginable." He did not specifically measure the subjects' back pain, because such pain is well known to be variable.

Dr. Hoffman isn't certain what the basis of the reduction in pain perception is, but he is sure that it does involve the whole body. "The exercise is done with the legs, and we found the pain alteration to affect the finger, so it's pretty safe to say it's a systemic effect. Therefore we expect the site of any chronic pain to be affected to some degree as well. If people would exercise a little bit they would likely get some relief from their pain," says Dr. Hoffman.

If you have chronic pain but don't have access to an exercise bike, not to worry, says Dr. Hoffman. "For the average person with chronic pain the advice I would give is if they can walk, and they have a place to do that, that would be ideal. If they don't live in an area where it's safe to walk or they don't like getting out in the cold or don't have a shopping mall or a treadmill, one of the indoor exercise devices would be an alternative," he says.

People with spinal nerve damage might not be able to use an exercise bike. They might find a recumbent bike or a stair-stepping machine more tolerable, says Dr. Hoffman. None of the participants in this study had such nerve damage.

Dr. Hoffman believes that a regular aerobic exercise program would also benefit people suffering from chronic back pain. There is evidence of such benefit for people with other painful disorders. "There have been a couple of studies with people with fibromyalgia that have suggested that a regular exercise program may have some benefit," he says.

Visit the website of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

MCW Health News presents up-to-date information on patient care and medical research by the physicians of the Medical College of Wisconsin.