Physiotherapy exercises for lower back pain

This is a course for people who want to learn how to self-treat their non-specific lower back pain doing physical therapy exercises.

My name is Mathias Van Den Broeck, I achieved my master’s degree in physical therapy at the Belgian University of Leuven and afterwards I also achieved my master’s degree in osteopathy at Buckinghamshire New University. As a physical therapist I’ve worked with many patients suffering from lower back pain. And exercise therapy is the key to long-term success.

The course is build up in a 10 step protocol going from easy to difficult exercises. The steps build up from mobility exercises combined with basic stability exercises. As the steps progress, the exercises will increase the difficulty in stability and also strength will be added to it.

You can choose your own pace in the rehabilitation protocol. You start with step 1 and then progress to the next step, if only you feel that the step became too easy for you. So if only you don’t get any muscle soreness, articular pain or any other type of discomfort doing the exercises from that step, you can progress to the next step. Some people might get from step 1 to step 10 in 10 weeks, others will progress a little slower and might, for example, take half a year to progress to step 10. For most people the back pain should already be gone when step 8 is reached, they might prefer to stop in an earlier step. This is possible of course, but the actual target is to fulfill step 10 with ease.

Guidelines, safety warning and general terms and conditions.

1. Guidelines and safety warning:

This is a course for people who want to learn how to self-treat their non-specific lower back pain doing physical therapy exercises. The name of the teacher is Mathias Van Den Broeck, he achieved his master’s degree in physical therapy at the Belgian University of Leuven and afterwards he also achieved a master’s degree in osteopathy at Buckinghamshire New University. As a physical therapist he has worked with many patients suffering from lower back problems; exercise therapy is the key to long-term success.

The course is build up in a 10-step protocol going from easy to difficult exercises. The steps consist of mobility exercises combined with basic stability exercises. As the steps progress, the exercises will increase the difficulty in stability and strength will be added. You can choose your own pace in the rehabilitation protocol. You start with step 1 and then progress to the next step, only if you feel that the current step became too easy for you. So only if you don’t get any muscle soreness, articular pain or any other type of discomfort doing the exercises from that step, you can progress to the next step. Some people might get from step 1 to step 10 in 10 weeks, others will progress a little slower and might, for example, take half a year to progress to step 10. For most people the non-specific lower back pain should already be gone when step 8 is reached, they might prefer to stop in an earlier step. This is possible of course, but the actual target is to fulfill step 10 with ease. If step 1 gives any discomfort already from the beginning on, it is advised to first consult a doctor, osteopath, manual therapist or chiropractor before going on with the next exercises, so that any articular problems are already solved before training on them.

To prevent accidents during the exercises, it is advised to ask someone to stay close to you while doing (difficult) exercises for the first time. There is no guarantee that accidents will not happen because the teacher doesn’t has any control on how you are performing at home and is also not up to date about your specific medical history. You also have to be careful not to go too fast. Only if the exercises go without any difficulty, you can progress to the next step. As the teacher, Mathias Van Den Broeck, can’t see if you are doing a good job performing these exercises, it is advised to work with a mirror or let someone check your performance while doing them.

The teacher, Mathias Van Den Broeck, recommends you, the student, to do the exercises in the safest conditions. The exercises are, in general, built in such a way that they become progressively harder and heavier. It is the intention that after each step you only move on to the next step if you do not experience muscle stiffness, joint pain or any other kind of discomfort. If you move on to the next step too quickly, you will develop a risk of an overuse injury. If you have any neurological, structural, or pathological problems, it is also recommended that you consult a physician before beginning this series of exercises and let him/her evaluate whether you should begin them.

2. General terms and conditions:

Given that it is impossible for the teacher to be aware of your physical background, Mathias Van Den Broeck and/or his company cannot be held responsible should any injuries or other inconveniences occur. It is advisable to consult a medical specialist beforehand and ask him/her whether your physical condition allows you to carry out this course in a safe manner.

The exercises in this course are designed for the majority of non-specific lower back pain patients and are therefore not individually tailored. This means that a small percentage of patients may have little improvement in their pain, although they will likely gain a health benefit anyway. Therefore, no refund can be made if you have not achieved the desired effect from this course. In this case, your goals may not correspond to the effect that you have obtained, however, this does not mean that you have not obtained any effect.

No personal data is requested, stored or processed by Mathias Van Den Broeck and/or his company so that he is not under any obligation in this regard.

Copyright of this course remains the property of Mathias Van Den Broeck and/or his company. Copying teaching materials (including audiovisual recordings and/or other media techniques) without the prior written permission of Mathias Van Den Broeck and/or his company, will be prosecuted.

By starting this course you, the student, agree to the above guidelines, safety warning and general terms and conditions. In case of dispute with Mathias Van Den Broeck and/or his company, Belgian law applies and the court in Turnhout (Belgium) has jurisdiction.