Relieving Chronic Lower Back Pain with Movement Therapies
80 Percent of adults in the US report having lower back pain, 30 percent report Chronic Lower Back Pain (cLBP). (NPR.org November 12, 2024 R. Cohen)
Movement Therapies, labeled “CIM-ACT”, CIM- Complimentary Integrative Medicine, and ACT-Active Self-Care Techniques, such as Yoga, Thai Chi, and Qi Gong, reportedly reduced pain levels in participants of research studies as much as 50 percent.
These separate ultrasound photos show the contrast in the fascia around the lower back in patients with and without chronic lower back pain. The cloudiness in the second photo shows how the fascia gets “cluttered” and creates more friction and less mobility. This can lead to tissue swelling, nerve compression, and other complications. Movement therapies and breathing techniques help to clear the fascia and create more ease of movement and better mobility, and decrease inflammation and pain symptoms. Stretching the fascia reduces inflammatory changes in the body that can lead to decreased stride length and increased sensitivity of the back.
These trials consisted of 12, weekly, 60 minute virtual or in-person gentle yoga and breathing sessions. Not only did participants report having less pain and impairment, but also reported taking less analgesics (pain relievers) and better sleep quality.
In mindfulness and relaxation session studies in older adults with cLBP, research showed that these practices consistently reduced severe lower back pain.
1 Tankha H, Gaskins D, Shallcross A, Rothberg M, Hu B, Guo N, Roseen EJ, Dombrowski S, Bar J, Warren R, Wilgus H, Tate P, Goldfarb J, Drago VG, Saper R. Effectiveness of Virtual Yoga for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 Nov 4;7(11):e2442339. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.42339. PMID: 39485352; PMCID: PMC11530940.2 Morone NE, Greco CM, Moore CG, Rollman BL, Lane B, Morrow LA, Glynn NW, Weiner DK. A Mind-Body Program for Older Adults With Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2016 Mar;176(3):329-37. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.8033. PMID: 26903081; PMCID: PMC6361386.Further Studies: Courtney Lee, Cindy Crawford, Eric Schoomaker, Active Self-Care Therapies for Pain (PACT) Working Group, Movement Therapies for the Self-Management of Chronic Pain Symptoms, Pain Medicine, Volume 15, Issue S1, April 2014, Pages S40–S53, https://doi.org/10.1111/pme.12411Phuphanich ME, Droessler J, Altman L, Eapen BC. Movement-Based Therapies in Rehabilitation. Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am. 2020 Nov;31(4):577-591. doi: 10.1016/j.pmr.2020.07.002. Epub 2020 Sep 7. PMID: 32981580; PMCID: PMC7476461. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7476461/