Vigorous act ivit y low ers chances of severe LBP, says st udy

The more time you spend on moderate to vigorous physical activity, the less likely you are to have persistent, severe lower back pain. There can be two reasons for this: (1) physical activity protects against developing severe back pain; (2) people at risk of severe back pain have low physical activity because they have had back pain before Therefore, clinicians should encourage patients with low back pain to be physically active at a high level and help them find ways to be active

The probability of a patient's low back pain developing into severe pain over the course of a year decreases by 2 8%for every minute the patient increases their physical activity level, especially if the intensity of the activity level is moderate to high Regular activity or sedentary activity seems to have no influence on the development of low back pain This is shown by a new study carried out by researchers from Australia and Denmark, which supports recommendations for physical activity that is adapted to the individual patient.

The researchers base their conclusion on an analysis of data from 329 participants aged 18 or over from the Australian AUTBACK (Australian Twin low BACK pain) registry.

They conducted the study because some previous studies have shown that differences in amount and intensity of physical activity affect low back pain differently. Other studies have shown that sedentary activity is associated with a threefold increase in the risk of having recurrent nonspecific low back pain

Although this study indicates that more is better, it is important that patients know that even very short-term high-intensity activity has positive effects on health. A very large study from the UK has recently shown that just three short (1-2 minute) "sprint activities" during the day significantly reduce the risk of mortality

Reference: Stamatakis, E, Ahmadi, M N , Gill, J M R, Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C, Gibala, M J, Doherty, A , & Hamer, M (2022) Association of wearable device-measured vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity with mortality. Nature Medicine, 28, 2521-2529 https://doi org/10 1038/s41591-022-02100-x

Aust ralia publishes clinical care st andard for LBP

A team of Australian experts, including chiropractors, have introduced the 2022 Australian Committee on Safety and Quality in Health Care Low Back Pain

Clinical Care Standard Endorsed by 19 professional associations, the standard covers the early management of people who present with acute low back pain.

The Standard calls for a change in clinicians' behavior, including stopping or reducing some traditionally used interventions

The Standard sets out 8 quality statements covering assessment, management and review/refer. These include reserving imaging for suspected serious pathology only, assessment for psychosocial factors and the provision of self-help and exercise advice. It recommends only judicious use of pain medications and avoidance of benzodiazepines, anticonvulsants and antidepressants

Finally, the Standard calls for an updating of curricula relevant to low back pain to reflect best evidence