Approximately 8 out of 10 people will experience the symptoms of back pain at least one time in their life. Bed rest used to be recommended immediately after a back injury, however this is no longer recommended. Now it is suggested that you resume your daily activities as soon as possible after an injury. A few weeks later, gentle stretching and strengthening of the back muscles is recommended.

A comprehensive back rehabilitation program should consist of both stretching as well as strengthening. The abdominal muscles should also be included as they play an important role in back rehabilitation by assisting in stabilization of the spine.

One of the main developments in treating lower back pain has been the understanding that the abdominal muscle group plays an important role in supporting the spine, and that strengthening this region is valuable in all prevention and treatment programmes for lower back pain. In particular, the transversus muscle has received a great deal of research attention.

For these reasons, abdominal-strengthening exercises and transversus abdominis co-ordination exercises are now becoming standard practice for lower back pain prevention and treatment programmes.

The most effective lower back programmes need to take into consideration all the muscles of the spine, how they move and function and in which positions these movements occur.

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