For people who can’t get rid of their back pain, swimming can be a lasting solution.
- Nine out of ten French people have already suffered from back pain, according to an OpinionWay survey for Vexim.
- Of those affected, 38% say they have back pain more than 10 times in the past five years.
According to a new studyswimming can be remarkably effective against recurring back pain.
“Aquatic exercise is frequently offered to patients with chronic low back pain*, but the long-term benefits of this therapy have so far not been clearly established”, explain the researchers in the introduction.
One hour of swimming twice a week
To overcome this lack of data, they formed a cohort of 113 people with persistent back pain. Some have been swimming for three months, while others have benefited from transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and infrared heat therapy. “Both interventions were performed for 60 minutes twice a week,” say the scientists.
Visible results one year later
After collecting and analyzing the data, they found that at the end of the experiment, swimming improved the sleep, mental state and overall quality of life of back sufferers more than the other therapy. Swimming also allowed patients to suffer less, up to a year after the implementation of the aquatic cure.
“These findings should prompt clinicians to recommend active exercise to patients with chronic low back pain rather than relying on passive relaxation,” conclude the researchers.
*scientific term for back pain.
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