Exercise and Rest Both Effective for Some Patients With Back Pain

Well, this should clear things up.

Exercise might not always be the best treatment approach for some low back pain sufferers. A new randomized trial shows no difference in pain, disability, or general health among patients with lower back pain and Modic changes (MCs) — edema or fatty degeneration in the vertebral endplate — who followed an exercise regime and those who adopted a routine of rest and load reduction.

The finding that rest results in the same small improvements as a more active treatment approach challenges the idea that exercise should be the "gold standard" for patients with low back pain and MCs, said lead author Rikke K. Jensen, MSc, from the Research Department, Spine Centre of Southern Denmark, in Middelfart. This article is part of her PhD thesis.

Still think they have any idea what they are talking about?