Back pain can be a complicated issue, making it difficult to find relief. But new research suggests that going for regular walks can help.
That’s the major takeaway from a study published in The Lancet, which analyzed treatment options for adults with low back pain. Here’s what the researchers discovered.
Meet the expert: Neel Anand, MD, an orthopedic spine surgeon and director of the Cedars-Sinai Spine Center in Los Angeles. Gbolahan Okubadejo, MD, a spine surgeon at The Institute for Comprehensive Spine Care.
What did the study find?
The study followed participants who recently had low back pain for three years. During that time, half of the participants were asked to follow a walking program and given six educational sessions from a physiotherapist over six months. The other half weren’t given any interventions and asked to continue life as usual.
The researchers discovered that people in the walking group ended up having a lower chance of the back pain coming back—plus, more time between flares—than those who didn’t do anything differently. Specifically, the walkers had about 208 days before they had back pain again, while the other group experienced recurring back pain after 112 days.
“An individualized, progressive walking and education intervention significantly reduced low back pain recurrence,” the researchers wrote in the conclusion. “This accessible, scalable, and safe intervention could affect how low back pain is managed.”
Does walking reduce lower back pain?
This isn’t the first study that found that walking—and physical activity in general—can help with lower back pain.
A review published in 2019, for example, linked physical activity to a lowered risk of back pain. And a 2020 meta-analysis found that regular exercise (which can include walking) is the most effective way to keep back pain from coming back.
Being immobile or avoiding activity when you have back pain can actually make things worse, according to Neel Anand, MD, an orthopedic spine surgeon and director of the Cedars-Sinai Spine Center in Los Angeles. In fact, he says that lack of activity “can sometimes cause back pain to hang around longer” than it would if you did some light exercise.
“Walking strengthens the muscles supporting the spine by actively engaging and contracting the core, back and leg muscles, which all work together to stabilize the spine,” says Gbolahan Okubadejo, MD, a spine surgeon at The Institute for Comprehensive Spine Care.
With that, walking can be an easy and approachable option for people who have back pain.
How can I relieve lower back pain?
Taking up a walking habit may help. The study specifically found that walking three to five times a week was beneficial. For each walk, 30 to 60 minutes “can prove effective,” Okubadejo says.
But Anand says it’s important not to overdo it, especially if you’re currently in pain. It’s also helpful to cruise over an even surface.
When you’re not in pain, Anand suggests doing your best to strengthen your core, stretch out your hamstrings, and work your thigh and glute muscles via exercises like wall sits, so you can support your spine.
Of course, if back pain is regular for you, it’s important to be evaluated by a medical professional. They should be able to pinpoint the cause of your pain and get you on the road to recovery.
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Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.
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