Living Well with Back Pain
Activity Pacing — Move by the Clock, Not by Pain
People with chronic low back pain often fall into a common cycle:
[!note] The "boom-and-bust" cycle Good day → Overdo it → Next day: too sore to move → Wait to recover → Feel a bit better → Overdo it again → Pain flares up again...
This is called the "boom-and-bust" cycle.
The Solution: Time-Based Activity
| Pain-Based (Unhelpful) | Time-Based (Recommended) |
|---|---|
| "Walk until it hurts" | "Walk for 15 minutes" — then stop, regardless of how you feel |
| "Skip activity on bad days" | "Walk for 5 minutes even on bad days" |
| "Do more on good days" | "Stick to my planned 30 minutes today" |
Build Up Gradually
- Find an activity level you can maintain without increasing your pain
- Hold that level steady for one week
- The following week, increase by 10–20%
- Repeat
The key principle: consistency over intensity. Whether it's a good day or a bad day, keep your activity level steady. Progress comes from doing a little every day, not from pushing hard on good days.