Limited Bed Rest - Conservative Measures: Back Pain

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Limited bed rest

Bed rest was once a mainstay of treatment for low back pain, but no longer. Bed rest can be useful, particularly if you are in severe pain while sitting and standing, but limit it to a few hours at a time, for a couple of days.

You can lie down on a bed or sofa, in any comfortable position. To ease the strain on your back, try putting pillows under your head and between your knees when lying on your side, under your knees when lying on your back, or under your hips when lying on your stomach. These positions reduce forces that sitting or standing impose on the back — especially on the disks, ligaments, and muscles. There is even some evidence that the time-honored hard bed is more comfortable. If you don't have a good, firm mattress, consider adding a bed board.

An extended period of bed rest is not appropriate for moderate back strain at any stage of therapy. Why? Although lying in bed does minimize stress on the lumbar spine, extended bed rest creates other problems. For example, muscles lose conditioning and tone. You may also develop gastrointestinal problems, such as constipation. There is some risk of blood clotting in the veins of your pelvis and legs and thus of pulmonary embolism (a serious medical condition where a blood clot, usually dislodged from the veins of your pelvis and legs, blocks the arteries in your lungs). Depression, as well as an increased sense of physical weakness and malaise, is common.

For these reasons, most physicians believe that it's far better to engage in a limited amount of activity rather than lie in bed. Many doctors also suggest that an early return to work — with some restrictions or light duty, if necessary — is preferable to staying out of work for an extended period.

Last updated:	January 23, 2007