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Low Back Pain Among Older Adults

Grace Andleman

Cal State University of Channel Islands

HLTH 499 Sec 002

Dr. Ashley Winans

5 March 2021
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Introduction

Today, back pain is one of the most common medical problems that Americans in the

United States deal with. According to the American Chiropractic Association, about 31 million

adults in the United States have experienced some sort of low back pain at any given time, and is

considered one of the most disabling conditions among Americans (Back Pain Facts & Statistics,

n.d.). Many people are affected by this pain at some point in time, yet older adults can have

long-lasting detrimental effects if they do not do something to address this health issue. In order

to prevent low back pain, one must make some lifestyle changes. These lifestyle changes and

preventative measures include having to increase flexibility, exercise weekly, and build up core

strength. Other health care techniques can be used to help aid low back health and are important

to reduce the risk of the onset of low back pain.

Predictors

Understanding the anatomy of the human spine is important for one to understand

different injuries, as well as where the pain is coming from. The spine of humans consists of 3

regions; the cervical spine, the thoracic spine, and the lumbar spine. The lumbar region, also

known as the lower back, consists of five vertebrae labeled L1, L2, L3, L4, and L5 (Frost et al.,

2019). These vertebrae have an excessive inward curvature known as lordosis (Regan, n.d.). The

lower back consists of large core muscles that wrap around and help support the back, and

provide structural support for the body. Some of these front core muscles include the internal

obliques, transversus abdominis, rectus abdominis, and the external obliques. The major core

muscles attached to the back side of the body include the quadratus lumborum, paraspinals,

rotatores, erector spinae, iliocostalis thoracis, iliocostalis lumborum, latissimus dorsi, the traps,

and the serratus anterior. Since all of these core muscles allow movement in the trunk of the
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body, certain movements can cause pain or discomfort if one of these muscles is strained or has a

spasm. Other causes of low back pain can be attributed to herniated discs, arthritis, osteoporosis,

poor muscle endurance, excess body weight, poor posture, poor body mechanics, physical stress,

or skeletal irregularities (Frost et al., 2019). The strengthening of your core muscles and core

stabilization exercises can improve and prevent low back pain (Akhtar et al., 2017).

Preventative Intervention

The strengthening of one’s core muscles is crucial to low back health and should be

implemented in daily exercise. As proven by a study conducted at the Department of Physical

Therapy Orthopedic and Spine Institute by Johar Town, Lahore, it was proven that core

stabilization exercises are in fact effective in terms of reducing low back pain and preventing low

back injuries for older adults (Akhtar et al., 2017). The core stabilization exercises that were used

for older adults in this study were pressure feedback core exercises, multifidus exercises, pelvic

floor exercises, planks, wobble board with oblique twists, thera-band reverse wood chop

exercises, windshield wipers, diaphragmatic strengthening exercises, balance on an airex foam

pad, and perturbation-based balance training (Akhtar et al., 2017). Other core strengthening

exercises for the low back include dead bug draw ins, bridging, prone press ups, bird dogs,

crunches, lunges, clams, and Russian twists (Winderl, 2020). There are a handful of exercises

that can help relieve and prevent low back pain! If one of these exercises seems to irritate the low

back, modifications of exercises are recommended.

As the body gets older, it loses some of its flexibility. Unfortunately, this is part of the

aging process. A lack of flexibility through the lower extremities can contribute to low back

pain, therefore it is important to stretch on a daily basis. There are a number of physical benefits

of flexibility. The first being that it can prevent both low back pain and injuries. One must build
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up their spinal stability, so it does not put pressure on the nerves leading out from the spinal

column (Cronkleton, 2020). Next, the more you increase your flexibility, the more your posture

and balance is likely to improve (Cronkleton, 2020). Lastly, flexibility also allows the muscles to

have the perfect amount of tension so that they are able to support movement that will enable

you to improve physical performance (Cronkleton, 2020). Some popular stretches that require no

equipment are a quad stretch, lower trunk rotations, hip flexor stretch, adductor stretch,

hamstring stretch, ITBand stretch, glute stretch, butterfly stretch, child’s pose, cat camel, and a

prayer stretch. Depending on how tight your muscles are, you may feel a “hurt so good”

sensation. But all of these stretches should be pain free and get you on your way to becoming

more flexible.

It is important to find out which interventions are regarded as successful and unsuccessful

when it comes to low back pain seen in older adults. In a study done by Altınbilek and Murat,

they evaluated the effects of physical therapy modalities. The analysis of their study showed that

modalities such as hot packs, TENS, and ultrasound are effective in alleviating pain, functional

disability, and even depression (Altınbilek & Murat, 2020). Ice packs as well as hot packs help

reduce inflammation and pain. TENS units are another form of electrical stimulation that sends a

tingling sensation to your skin and helps block painful signals that are sent to the brain (Ullrich,

2014). This modality can be used at a clinic or bought online and used at home. The last

modality is ultrasound. Ultrasound warms up the tissue by sending sound waves through the

skin. This modality helps promote tissue healing and pain relief.

Conclusion

Low back pain is one of the most disabling health conditions that older adults struggle

with. In a study done by Wong, Karppinen, and Samartzis, they found support that “evidence
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suggests that prevalence rates of severe and chronic LBP increase with older age” (2017).

Although low back pain is one of the most common and disabling medical problems seen in

older adults in the United States, it can be prevented. The anatomy of the body and the way that

each part functions proves that certain preventative measures such as improving flexibility and

strengthening the core muscles can help relieve or prevent this pain. These small lifestyle

changes can make a big difference in your low back health and happiness.
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References

Akhtar, M. W., Karimi, H., & Gilani, S. A. (2017). Effectiveness of core stabilization exercises

and routine exercise therapy in management of pain in chronic non-specific low back

pain: A randomized controlled clinical trial. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 33(4),

1002–1006. https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.334.12664

Altınbilek, T., & Murat, S. (2020). A comparison of application frequency of physical therapy

modalities in patients with chronic mechanical low back pain. Turkish Journal of

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 66(2), 201–209.

https://doi.org/10.5606/tftrd.2020.4192

Back Pain Facts & Statistics. American Chiropractic Association.

https://www.acatoday.org/Patients/What-is-Chiropractic/Back-Pain-Facts-and-Statistics.

Cronkleton, E. (2020, May 13). 6 Ways That Being Flexible Benefits Your Health. Healthline.

https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-flexibility.

Frost, B. A., Camarero-Espinosa, S., & Foster, E. J. (2019). Materials for the Spine: Anatomy,

Problems, and Solutions. Materials (Basel, Switzerland), 12(2), 253.

https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12020253

Regan, J. J. A Closer Look at Lordosis. Spine Universe.

https://www.spineuniverse.com/conditions/spinal-disorders/closer-look-lordosis.

Ullrich, P. (2014, March 21). Physical Therapy: Passive PT (Modalities) for Back Pain. Spine

Health. https://www.spine-health.com/treatment/physical-therapy/physical-therapy-

passive-pt-modalities-back-pain.

Winderl, A. M. (2020, May 11). 10 Core Exercises for Lower Back Pain Relief. SELF.

https://www.self.com/gallery/core-exercises-for-lower-back-pain-relief.
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Wong, A. Y., Karppinen, J., & Samartzis, D. (2017). Low back pain in older adults: risk factors,

management options and future directions. Scoliosis and spinal disorders, 12, 14.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s13013-017-0121-3