Looks therapeutic to me! Photo: DeonLategan
All surfers know that surfing is the best medicine, but could doctors be on the same page as well? As it turns out, doctors may very well be on the way to regularly prescribing exercise to patients. Evidence is mounting that exercise can be as effective as pharmaceutical or surgical options in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis, low back pain, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions. A recent review published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal hopes to offer the guidance health care providers need to begin prescribing exercise.
Lead author of the review, Dr. Tammy Hoffman explains that, “Many doctors and their patients aren’t aware that exercise is a treatment for these chronic conditions and can provide as much benefit as drugs or surgery, and typically with fewer harms.”
The researchers involved realized that, in part, doctors underprescribe exercise simply because they aren’t fully educated about it. They don’t necessarily understand the benefits of particular types of exercise, and additionally, the research that is available poorly explains the exercise discussed. Doctors feel more comfortable prescribing medications and surgeries simply because they understand them. They know the risks associated with prescribing them, and they can justify why they recommend them. In contrast, exercise remains a bit of an unknown.
This review hopes to resolve the education issue. The data is presented by disease types in clear, easy to read boxes. The review not only thoroughly explains the various types of exercise, but it includes what kind of health care of provider may be needed to administer it, what type of equipment may be needed to perform it, and additional relevant information for said exercise like contraindications. The review offers doctors a complete understanding of what they’re prescribing and the practice’s intended benefits.
For example, in outlining chronic lower back pain, the review might recommend 8-12 weeks of supervised physical therapy with home components as well. It might list a number of the home exercises, and it may highlight the specific skills of the therapist involved. It may also share the benefits observed in studies administering this type of exercise with this kind of pain. The review seeks to be comprehensive and accessible for practicing physicians.
The review essentially acts as a how-to guide for doctors to prescribe exercise treatments. While I’m pretty sure that surfing isn’t included in the review of exercises yet, that doesn’t mean it won’t be make the cut someday.
