Home aerobic program as effective as clinical therapy in
treating lower back pain, finds TAU researcher
Lower back pain is a common complaint, and treatment often
requires many hours of physical therapy over multiple weekly clinic visits — a
costly commitment. Now Dr. Michal Katz-Leurer of Tel Aviv University's Stanley
Steyer School of Health Professions at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine says
that a simple aerobic walking program is as effective in alleviating lower back
pain as muscle strengthening programs that require specialized equipment in
rehabilitation clinics. The program includes walking two to three times a week
for a period of 20 to 40 minutes.
Dr. Katz-Leurer and her colleague Ilana Shnayderman, a
graduate student at the Department of Physical Therapy and a practicing
physiotherapist at Maccabi Health Care, say that their treatment option fits
easily into a daily routine and allows those with back pain to be more
responsible for their own health.
Their study was published in the journal Clinical
Rehabilitation.