For years the common treatment was rest and lack of activity to help recover from back pain. But that rest might be doing more harm than good. So how does rest cause back pain?
When people rest and aren’t moving or using there back, there muscles in the back get weaker and weaker. Consider a recent finding with astronauts. About 30% of the astronauts that go into space experience moderate to severe back pain, even though they are in excellent physical condition. The findings have shown that while in space the astronauts body is weightless so there is very little pressure on the back and very little need for muscles that support the lumbar spine to be engaged. The findings show weaker lumbar spine muscles can result in back pain, even when there is no pressure on the spine.
Reducing the risk of back pain whether here on earth or in space, requires keeping the muscles strong in you back. The Center for Total Back Care, has always used the Med-X system, as part of our rehabilitation program because it does the best job in isolating and strengthening the muscles in the lumbar spine. Maybe NASA should look into creating a similar program to help treat their astronauts?