If you work out hard – if you hit the gym with the kind of gusto and ferocity that builds real muscle – chances are that at some point you’ll suffer from back pain. Treatment options include physiotherapy, massage therapy and chiropractic treatments. If it gets too bad, sometimes surgery is needed. But there’s another option, and many personal trainers tout it as superior to most other non-surgical methods: stabilization exercises.

A study examining the effects of stabilization exercises on low back pain reviewed the existing research – 18 studies in total. It found some evidence favoring using stabilization exercises for chronic back pain, but not much showing that they were superior to conventional medical treatments.

FUSION FACT

If you work out hard, your back is probably going to get sore, so use every tool you can to treat it. Do stabilization exercises along with whatever conventional treatments your doctor recommends. By doing this, you’ll say goodbye to the pain and be back in the gym faster than ever!