Exercise

28%

Improve with treatment

40%

Improve with control

32%

Do not Improve

What does improve mean?

An example of a 30% reduction in pain scores is a decrease from 6 to 4 on a 10 point pain scale

0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

How many people will improve?

68%

Improvement by treatment or placebo

32%

No Improvement

Exercise Harms

Increased Pain (Physio led Exercise vs Rest)
6.1%
9.8% (placebo)
Mild Muscle Soreness (Stretching vs Education)
11.8%
8.6% (placebo)
Joint Pain (Yoga vs Education)
3.1%
0% (placebo)

Other Considerations

  • Consider pedometers with specific exercise goals. Type of activity is not important. Approximate cost (CAD) varies
  • Approximate cost (CAD) varies on types of exercise and equipment involved.

Looking for further details?

Low Back Pain

Why doesn’t this calculator cover all treatment options available?

This online calculator does not cover all treatment options available for low back pain. We only included the medication treatments that had the highest quality evidence. A healthcare provider may consider other options not listed in this calculator to manage symptoms, depending on specific needs.

Where can I find the evidence used to create this calculator?

The data used for this calculator can be found within the Chronic Back Pain Systematic Review

Additional tools created with this data can be found at Chronic Low Back Pain Decision Aid