Time is a great healer, so they say. And rest can allow the body to make the best use of its powers of recuperation, but it can have side effects too.
Bed rest can be useful to relieve pressure of standing upright, on the discs and the postural muscles. The main risks are that rest leads quickly to muscle wasting, thus making your back more vulnerable to subsequent injury. It also hampers circulation, so slowing down the healing process and encouraging the formation of scar tissue. The latter is a particular problem because if joints are in use when the scar tissue forms, then it tends to form along the lines of stress in the area. At rest the new tissue forms haphazardly and can make connections between tissues that subsequently make joints stiff, restricted and painful.
Put simply, an injured back is best subjected to as much gentle, frequent movement as it can stand, while avoiding positions that aggravate the pain. Use pain as your guide. If you’re comfortable standing – stand – if you’re out of pain sitting – then it’s best to sit.
Take advice from a chiropractor on the best way to exercise your back.
