When you don’t get enough exercise, one way your wellbeing can be affected is with back pain. However, can fitness make any difference to spinal conditions, such as herniated lumbar disc disease? According to a recent study, published in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, there’s no link between physical fitness and the painful spinal condition, but there was an increase in herniated lumbar disc disease among those whose job required strenuous physical activity.
Led by Marie Jorgensen, PhD, of The National Research Centre for the Working Environment in Copenhagen, Denmark, researchers evaluated the data from an existing study of 5,249 Danish men between 1970 and 1971. As part of the original research, the participants were measured for height and weight, did a bicycle test to determine their physical fitness level and completed questionnaires about their medical history, working conditions, lifestyle and socioeconomic situation.
Using information from the National Hospital Register (NHR), a database of all Danish hospital admissions since 1977, the researchers determined if the men had been hospitalised for herniated lumbar disc disease between 1977 and 2003. 3833 of the men included in the study did not have a history of low back disorders, and only 64 of the men without a history of low back disorders were eventually hospitalised due to herniated lumbar disc disease.
The rate of hospitalisation for the lower back condition was the same for men who had a high level of physical fitness and those who had a low level of physical fitness at 1.7%. However, the condition was linked to strenuous activity at work, including activities such as lifting heavy objects and keeping awkward body positions. Strenuous activity may affect your wellness because it can overload tissues in your lower back.
Diane Shiao, PT, MSPT, DPT of Revive Physical Therapy and Wellness in Edison, New Jersey, commented, ‘Herniated discs can occur with a strenuous work load such as repetitive lifting with poor body mechanics but also with prolonged sitting with poor posture. Stretching exercises can help reduce overall muscle tension and core strengthening can support the spine and trunk.’ Though past studies have shown that leisure time spent in physical activity reduces your risk of low back disorders, this study made no connection between leisure time physical activity and herniated lumbar disc disease.
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