For patients who have not been successful with treatments like surgery and narcotic pills, doctors are trying a new approach for treating back pain. In functional restoration, patients learn to manage back pain, even if it's not completely eliminated, and get back to work, sports and daily activities.
To build strength and endurance, exercises they learn to do daily include:
Chair bend. Sit in a chair with knees apart. Bend forward and reach back between your legs. Hold for 3 seconds.
Hip twist. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet together. Rotate hips to either side. Do it 10 times per session.
Peel up. Lie face down with hands beside your chest. Raise your chest up, keeping low back and legs relaxed. Repeat 10 times per session.
Side stretch. Standing beside the wall with one hand against it, slowly stretch your hips toward the wall with the other hand at the waist, supporting your body. Hold 3 seconds.
Psychological and behavioral counseling teach coping skills and help patients get over the fear of movement that comes with "pain catastrophizing," according to The Wall Street Journal.
Americans spend about $90 billion a year on tests, surgery and treatments for back pain, which is the leading cause of disability for people under age 45.
At Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., the Functional Restoration Program offers a three-week course for chronic sufferers who have had disabling back pain for more than three months.
x0516-082.txt