Three minute exercise plan 'to prevent back problems'

The British Chiropractic Association (BCA) warned that younger people, particularly those aged between 16 and 24 years, were suffering from back pain more than ever before, with bad posture and sitting too long at computers often to blame.

As a result it has launched a new campaign - Straighten Up UK - which encourages people to incorporate the simple 3 minute exercise routine into their daily lives to help strengthen the spine and improve posture.

As well as running clinics across the country this week, the BCA has produced an online video to guide people through the exercises - which can be downloaded from its website. In addition, people can request a leaflet describing the routine from the BCA via email.

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), around 5 million working days are lost each year because of back problems.

'Serious concern'

Chiropractors believe that so-called "sedentary PC posture" is much more likely to lead to back problems than manual tasks at work such lifting and carrying.

Now the BCA has highlighted how young people, particularly women, appear to be suffering earlier in their lives from back problems.

The BCA's Tim Hutchful commented: "We are concerned that the incidence of back pain has grown so dramatically amongst young people. In 2004, under one in five young people were suffering, now that figure has risen so that every other young person in the UK has some form of back pain - which is of serious concern.

“We need to educate people about the harm that can be caused by poor posture and work towards reducing the incidence of back pain. By making just a few lifestyle changes, people can help to improve their posture, take care of their spine and help them look and feel their best."

This research was commissioned by the BCA to coincide with Chiropractic Awareness Week. The BCA said its Straighten Up UK exercise programme was designed for people of all ages, including children.

Back pain studies

In 2004, researchers from the University of Queensland in Australia found that if certain muscles in the back were not used frequently enough they could effectively be "switched off", leading to the kind of problems more readily associated with heavy lifting.

They warned that spending too much time sitting in front of a computer could be one reason behind previously "inexplicable" lower back-problems.

A separate study by Dr Waseem Amir Bashir, outlined last November, suggested that sitting up straight could actually put unnecessary strain on the spine. He controversially suggested that people might be better off adopting a more "slouched" position when seated.

Overall there is little medical research offering conclusive evidence that exercise is effective for the treatment of acute (short-term) low back pain. However, studies have concluded that general exercise may be help chronic (longer-term) lower back pain patients to return to normal daily activities and work more quickly.