Conservative Treatment A Preferred Method to Treat Back Pain? ~by Legal Pub

Dr. Patrick Roth, M.D. recently shared an article on back pain.  (See September 5, 2014 Bottom Line.)  Dr. Roth opines: "In any three-month period, 25% of adults will suffer at least one day of back pain. Over the course of a lifetime, about 85% of us will experience back pain at some point."
Despite being a spinal surgeon, Dr. Roth advocates conservative treatment such as exercise prior to considering pain medication or surgery. Dr. Roth advocates three basic exercises for the treatment and prevention of back pain:  1. Front Plank  2.  Side Plank and 3. Bird dog extension of arm and opposite leg.  Dr. Roth also advocates walking and/or jogging.  He opines that higher impact exercises end to stimulate bones to become more dense and the discs in the spine to become "fuller."
Consequently, Dr. Roth recommends such exercise as long as the patient does not experience hip or knee pain.

Dr. Patrick Roth, M.D., FACS, is the founder of the North Jersey Brain & Spine Center in Oradell, New Jersey, and the author of The End of Back Pain (HarperOne).