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What is the role of an Exercise Physiologist in maintaining and promoting a healthy spine?

As an allied health professional, an Exercise Physiologist specialises in the management, rehabilitation and prevention of acute and chronic spine injuries by prescribing patient specific exercise interventions as an active based treatment.

Evidence based practice

To optimise treatment response and adaptations to maximise patient outcomes; exercise interventions are prescribed using evidence based practice which incorporates:

• Clinical expertise
• Patient values
• Best and latest available research

What does the research say about exercise and spine health?

• Improving global flexibility and strength is shown to significantly reduce chronic low back pain by up to 61.6%
• Strengthening core muscles to stabilise the trunk has been shown to reduce chronic low back pain by 39%-76.8%
• Moderate intensity aerobic exercise programs of 20-30 minutes can reduce chronic lower back pain by 20%
• Incorporating functional training into a rehabilitation program can reduce chronic lower back pain by 52.5% (Gordon & Bloxham. 2016)

The Exercise Physiology treatment process

• Assessment
• Developing treatment goals
• Developing active coping strategies
• Exercise prescription and delivery
• Reassessment

Exercise Physiology treatment goals

Specific goals will vary depending on the circumstances of the patient and the nature of their injury, along with any additional treatment interventions.

• Pain/fatigue management
• Increase strength, range of motion and mobility
• Enhance functional capacity and tolerance
• Improve general health status
• Injury prevention
• Create long term independence with injury management

Exercise prescription

Mobility, release and stretching

• Muscle trigger
  • Provide stimulus to release muscle fibres
  • Reduce acute muscle tightness that may exacerbate symptoms
• Foam rolling
  • Enhance blood flow into the muscle tissue
  • Prepare for movement and aid recovery
• Stretching
  • Muscular – static or dynamic
  • Neural gliding to relieve tension

Resistance training – Strength development

• Muscle activation
  • Reduce/manage symptoms
  • Prepare for movement
• Isolated strengthening
  • Lumbo-pelvic stability
  • Joint specific
• Global strengthening
  • Functional strengthening to enhance capacity
  • Reverse deconditioning

Aerobic conditioning

• Reverse deconditioning
• Enhance tolerance of functional tasks and physical activity
• Improve general health status

Article written by Exercise Physiologist Chris Hughes from Sydney Sports and Exercise Physiology