Physiotherapy exercises for lower back pain

Requirements

• 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.
• This course is made for people who suffer from non-specific lower back pain. If any neurological or structural problems are present, it is advised to first consult a healthcare provider. If step 1 gives any discomfort already from the beginning on, it is also advised to first consult a doctor, osteopath, manual therapist or chiropractor before going on with the exercises. So that any articular problems are already solved before training on them. The exercises are at your own risk, so be careful not to progress to fast and if any problems are present it might be better to consult a healthcare provider. 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. I can’t promise you no accidents will happen, because I don’t have any control on how you are performing at home and I’m not up to date about your specific medical history. You also have to be careful not to go too fast. If only the exercises go without any difficulty, you can progress to the next step. Except for step number 2, this one you always have to do for two weeks. As I 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. Even though I had to mention the safety issues, this course is an ideal way for most people suffering from lower back pain. Not every back problem can be fixed with these exercises, but a lot of the can. It is well-known in the medical world that exercise therapy is an excellent way to get rid of back pain. The most important thing that I ask you guys is to be driven doing these exercises and you might be surprised of what your body is capable off.
• A basic motor control is an advantage in this course. The only things you need to fulfill this course is an exercise mat, 2 small towels, a mini band, an elastic band, a tennis ball, an exercise band, a soccer ball (or basketball or volleyball), a stick and a foam roller (or water bottle).