How Lifting Weights Can Help Manage Pain

Got chronic back pain? If you do, you’re not alone: About 80 per cent of North Americans suffer from lower back pain at some point in their lifetimes. But back pain shouldn't deter you from hitting the gym and lifting weights. Here's why.

A University of Alberta study found that weight training eases lower back pain more than aerobic training.

In the study, people with chronic backache took part in a 16-week resistance training program that incorporated dumbbells, barbells and other load-bearing exercise equipment. The participants showed a 60 percent improvement in pain and function levels.

Participants who chose aerobic exercise such as jogging, walking on a treadmill or using an elliptical machine, meanwhile, only experienced a 12 percent improvement.

"Any activity that makes you feel better is something you should pursue, but the research indicates that we get better pain management results from resistance training," Robert Kell, assistant professor of exercise physiology at the University of Alberta, said. ""We tried to strengthen the entire body and by doing that, we decreased the fatigue people felt throughout the day. They were better able to perform their activities of daily living."

Why does this matter to you? Because now you have another reason to lift weights! While cardio exercise is great for your ticker and endurance athletes, it generally works just the lower body. A total-body resistance training program works all your major muscle groups--and eases back pain in the process.