We have had excellent results treating acute back pain with the MedX Lumbar Extension Machine. The protocols for treating patients with acute pain vary to our standard lumbar spine protocols, as we are not aiming to increase strength in the acute phase.

The aim in the acute phase is getting the muscles to lightly contract, flushing the local inflammatory exudate, breaking muscle spasm, reducing patient apprehension and encouraging early movement. The patient actively moves the machine in their pain-free range with virtually no load. This may only be 10 or 20 degrees. During the session, as the muscle spasm abates and the patient’s confidence to move increases, their range of movement usually increases. Of course the patient’s pathology and degree of pain is always taken into account.

What we have observed is that our patients are able to move more freely directly afterwards and this leads to a more rapid recovery.