If you suffer from lower back pain, your daily walk might just be the remedy you need. A new study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that walking for even a little more than an hour each day could significantly reduce your chances of developing chronic low back pain.
The study, led by Rayane Haddadj, a doctoral student at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, found that people who walked at least 78 minutes a day were less likely to report long-term back pain. In fact, those who walked over 100 minutes daily had a 23 per cent lower risk, while walking between 78 to 100 minutes reduced the risk by 13 per cent.
The research analyzed data from nearly 11,200 participants, with an average age of 55, who were part of a large Norwegian health study conducted between 2017 and 2019. Each participant wore an activity tracker for a week to record their walking habits. They were followed up on after about four years.
During the follow-up, around 15 per cent of participants reported experiencing lower back pain that lasted for three or more months in the past year. However, the people who had been consistently walking more were less likely to be part of this group.
Interestingly, walking speed also mattered. Participants who walked faster—referred to in the study as “power walkers”—had a 15 per cent to 18 per cent reduced risk of chronic back pain. However, the study noted that while speed helped, the total amount of walking had a stronger impact.
“These findings suggest that policies and public health strategies promoting walking could help to reduce the occurrence of chronic low back pain,” Haddadj and team wrote.
Back pain is one of the most common types of chronic pain worldwide, especially in the United States. It’s also a major reason why people miss work or reduce physical activity. While physical exercise is often recommended for managing pain, it’s usually not considered a top strategy for prevention. This study may shift that thinking.
“The potential role of walking could be further promoted owing to its ease of implementation, accessibility, and numerous health benefits beyond reducing the risk of chronic low back pain,” the researchers added.
Experts caution, however, that more research is needed to confirm a direct cause-and-effect relationship. But if you’re looking for an easy, low-cost way to protect your back—and your overall health—adding a daily walk to your routine might be a good start.
