Active Therapy

Patients who suffer from back or neck pain become experts at preventing movement of the painful area. They naturally look for ways to “guard” the painful area and begin to reduce their physical activities as a protective mechanism. Unfortunately, when you stop using your back or neck because it hurts, the spine loses function (i.e. muscular strength, endurance, range of motion). This is why so many people suffering from back or neck pain have recurrences of pain. It is also why the pain becomes progressively worse.

When a muscle is not used, it begins to undergo a process called atrophy. Muscle atrophy refers to the wasting or loss of muscle tissue resulting from lack of use. As a muscle atrophies, it becomes smaller in size and is less able to produce maximum force. This makes the muscle less capable of producing enough force to respond to the demands of everyday life.

In addition to muscle atrophy, there are other physiological changes that occur in the spine when it is not being actively used because of pain. The bones of the spine can lose their density, which makes them much more susceptible to fracture.

Passive physical therapy treatment programs fail to provide lasting relief because they fail to reverse the negative physiological changes that occur with long-term pain.

Active therapy reverses the negative changes that occur with pain. Getting the body moving again increases strength and endurance, stabilizing the spine.

Lumbar Exercise Without Stabilization

• Without stabilization, the pelvis rotates as the gluteal and hamstring muscles contract.
• Muscle contraction is NOT occurring in the lumbar muscles.
• Over time, the lumbar muscles atrophy because they are not actively being exercised.
• Muscle atrophy leads to weakness, dysfunction and pain.
• People with weak and atrophied low back muscles are more likely to have recurrence of pain. Lumbar Exercise With Stabilization
• To effectively strengthen the lumbar muscles to restore normal function, the pelvis must be stabilized.
• Pelvic stabilization prevents the involvement of the gluteal and hamstring muscles during exercise.
• Patients often experience increase in isolated lumbar extension strength as a result of pelvic stabilization.
• Increases in isolated lumbar strength, endurance and range of motion are strongly associated with significant reductions in chronic spinal pain and dysfunction.
• People with stronger low back muscles are less likely to have recurrence of pain.