Regular exercise is an important part of a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately, for many people, chronic back pain makes exercise ? or almost any other type of activity ? painful and sometimes even impossible. Back pain affects each of us at some point in our lives and is one of the main reasons to see a doctor. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AMOS), approximately six million Americans see a doctor for back pain each year and nearly 500,000 require hospitalization. However, as doctors learn more about the causes and effects of chronic back pain, their treatment approach evolves. For example, fewer doctors recommend bed rest. Not only can this treatment cause muscle stiffness or weakness, but physical inactivity can also lead to more serious long-term problems such as weight gain, heart disease and diabetes. Today, patients have a variety of treatment options available to them, and most encourage at least some form of physical activity. Experts say that moderate exercise three to five times a week will not only improve your overall fitness but also reduce the risk of further back injuries. Here are some suggestions from the North American Spine Society and the Physician and Sports medicine Journal to help you return to regular physical activity: ? Use doctor-approved stretches to strengthen your lower and upper back and associated muscles, including the thigh muscles and quadriceps. .? Strengthens the muscles that support your back and improves their flexibility. ? Perform exercises with proper form to maximize benefits and minimize tension. ?We always try to provide treatments that help patients maintain or even increase their activity level.? ?For a person in good physical shape, the risk of a back injury at work or during daily activities is much lower than for an inactive one person,? says Dr. Nagy Mikhail. Physician, Director of Pain Management at the Cleveland Clinic. A healthy lifestyle means that people with back pain achieve better results. If you can't be active, it takes longer to recover.» If lower back pain interferes with daily activities and exercises, patients should see a doctor to learn more about their condition and treatment options. Some patients may benefit from nonsurgical treatments, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and physical therapy. In other cases, lower back pain may be due to the slow degeneration of the intervertebral discs, a condition called chronic low back disc pain. Cracks and tears in the disc wall can occur with age or trauma. Small nerve endings penetrate the cracks and cause chronic pain. Patients suffering from this type of pain may benefit from aggressive procedures such as spinal fusion and disc replacement surgery or minimally invasive methods such as intradermal surgery (IDEA?). Clinical studies show that 60 to 80% of patients who undergo the IDEA procedure achieve a 50% reduction in low back pain after surgery. Studies also show that patients need less pain relief medication after surgery and are more likely to return to work