Put your back into it: Does exercise actually ease chronic back pain?

New research suggests the benefits of exercise for chronic muscle pain may be mainly in the mind.  Regardless, experts say it's essential to keep moving

DEEP STRETCH: Yoga can be helpful for people with back pain. Picture: iStock

About 80% of adults experience back pain at some point in their lifetimes and, according to the Irish Health Survey conducted by the Central Statistics Office, it is the most commonly reported chronic health condition in the country. 

Of all the remedies and treatments that promise to ease it, exercise is considered among the most helpful. But while there’s little doubt that physical activity will improve back mobility and core strength, the authors of a new paper published in the journal Sports Medicine suggest that many of the pain-relieving effects of exercise induces are largely in the mind.