People suffering from chronic lower back pains might have believed until now that getting lesser exercise was ideal for their condition, but they will certainly change their mind when they learn of the findings of a new study. According to researchers, working out four times a week provides the best pain relief possible in such cases of backaches, as physorg informs.

The study, conducted at the University of Alberta, included 240 men and women suffering from chronic lower back pains, divided into two groups. One group was told to exercise regularly four times a week, while the other two or three times, or not at all during the course of a week. When researchers analyzed the data, they found the rate of improvement in terms of the underlining condition was considerably higher in members of the first group.

Speaking strictly numbers, volunteers in the first group recorded 28 per cent less pain and 36 per cent less disability, whereas those who worked out only twice, three times or not at all did not show the same level of change. The researchers’ conclusion was, understandably, but one: those who suffer from lower back pains should actually up the number of hours they spend in the gym working out instead of cutting them down because, this way, they will actually get to see some improvement.

“While it could be assumed that someone with back pain should not be exercising frequently, our findings show that working with weights four days a week provides the greatest amount of pain relief and quality of life.” Robert Kell, lead author of the study and an assistant professor of exercise physiology at the University of Alberta, Augustana Campus, says for pshysorg.

Nevertheless, weight training is not the only sport that successfully alleviates chronic back pain, since Pilates have also been proved to work in such cases. Because these exercises usually imply special equipment, but also due to the fact that they focus on building strength from within and increasing flexibility, Pilates lovers who suffer from lower back pains experience a heightened sense of relief after a year of following the “treatment,” as previous research indicates.