Back in Shape: Call to join study on treatments for back pain

If you have low back pain a new study by sports scientists at the University of Western Sydney, looking at the effectiveness of exercise, could provide you with some relief. 

Participants in the 8 week trial at the UWS Campbelltown campus will be required to attend between 1-2 supervised sessions per week, and will be prescribed a training program to also be performed at home. 

"While exercise is one of the first-choice recommendations for chronic low back pain, there is no consensus on the best exercise to use," says Dr Paul Marshall, from the UWS School of Science and Health. 

"This new study will help us understand how an exercise program works, and design more effective exercise programs in the future." 

In rehabilitation programs, targeting and changing the behaviour of the nervous system's use of abdominal muscles and control of the trunk muscles is important. But, Dr Marshall says there is currently limited research on whether or not training programs that help patients with chronic low back pain actually improve any impaired muscle use patterns. 

Low back pain has a tremendous impact on the quality of life for individuals and the health of the national economy. 

The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports almost 14 percent of people experience long-term back pain. It's estimated the cost each year to the Australian economy is over $9 billion. 

Low back pain is the second most frequent reason, after respiratory tract infections, for visits to the doctor. It is the main cause for limiting activity in adults. 

Dr Marshall says all participants in this study will make significant improvements in their whole body functional capacity, as well as their reported levels of low back pain. 

"While the exercises we will prescribe have a strong focus on the trunk region, the movements typically involve arm and leg actions as well, which is likely to cause muscles in these regions to receive benefits from training," he says. 

Participants in the study must:
  • Be 18-45 years of age
  • Have back pain longer than 12-weeks
  • Not have a history of back surgery
  • Not have a history of diagnosed mental illness (i.e. clinical depression)
  • Not have any metabolic or neuromuscular disease

If you would like to participate in this study or find out more, please contact PhD candidates Mrs Suzanne Kennedy (02 9852 5910 or s.kennedy@uws.edu.au) or Mrs Cristy Brooks (02 4620 3917 or c.brooks@uws.edu.au). 

This study has been approved by the University of Western Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee. The approval number is H9540.