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- $Unique_ID{BRK00809}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{THE READERS SPEAK: Back Injury}
- $Subject{low back treatment treatments special procedure procedures
- Musculoskeletal muscle exercise strength muscles rehabilitation heat massage
- ROM range of motion exercises resistance Isometric stretching}
- $Volume{P-18}
- $Log{
- Exercise Helps Strength and Flexibility*0003204.scf
- Muscles of the Back*0005003.scf}
-
- Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
-
-
- THE READERS SPEAK: Back Injury
-
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- There was quite a bit of mail about a recent response to a reader who had
- suffered a back injury. The tradition of bed rest and pain pills as treatment
- is giving way to newer techniques using exercise to build strength in muscles
- that have been injured, and to condition them against future injury. One
- reader suggested that I was just old fashioned, while another suggested that I
- do a bit more reading. Another, a bit less damaging to my ego, suggested
- presenting the "other side" of the question, as a service to my "medical
- colleagues" who read this column. And there is evidence that early
- rehabilitation programs can be effective in restoring patients to their daily
- routines. Bed rest is not only considered less than effective, but may cause
- further deterioration in the strength of the muscles. It may take as many as
- three days of activity to make up for the physical losses that result from a
- single day of bed rest, according to one authority. The new courses of
- therapy differ, but essentially consist of three stages. At first measures to
- control pain, such as heat and massage and range of motion exercises, then
- resistance exercises that gradually build to strenuous exercise. There should
- be no bending or weight lifting during the initial stages and even sitting for
- long periods of time should be avoided. Isometric and stretching exercises
- are next before the dynamic strengthening exercises begin. It would seem that
- there is another side to the story, if the patient can be motivated to
- complete a program that involves work instead of rest.
-
- ----------------
-
- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
- the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
- doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
- problem.
-
-