Chronic Low Back Pain

Exercise therapy is the treatment with the most consistently proven effectiveness for chronic lower back pain. Comparative studies show no absolute superiority of any specific type of exercise; sustainability is the deciding factor in effectiveness. However, the stage is important. It is safe to start with low-load exercises such as swimming, aqua walking, or walking on flat ground during periods of severe pain, and then move on to core stabilization and glute strengthening exercises like bird dogs, side planks, and hip hinges once the pain subsides. It is advisable to avoid bending at the waist immediately after waking up in the morning and performing sit-ups while enduring pain. Perspective of a Korean Medicine Clinic In Korean medicine, exercise is a means of circulating Qi and blood. Since immobility causes Qi to become blocked and blockage leads to pain, walking is the most fundamental pain treatment that allows Qi and blood to flow along the lumbar meridians. Meanwhile, muscle exercises aid digestive function and liver energy, while lower body training nourishes kidney energy, strengthening the foundation of the lower back. At Dongjedang, we tailor exercise to the treatment stages. We guide patients to temporarily reduce strenuous exercise during the period when adhesions and inflammation are cleared using needle acupuncture and pharmacopuncture, and to begin in earnest incorporating core exercises starting from the recovery phase when ligaments are strengthened with thread lifting. When combined with constitution-specific herbal medicine that clears dampness and replenishes Qi and blood, a state is created where the effects of exercise are effectively absorbed by the body.