You can walk off your lower back pain, according to a new Australian study, published in The Lancet. According to research, people who walk thrice a week have less than half an episode of back pain. According to experts, walking is a cost-effective and easy-to-access therapy for lower back pain. Read on to know more.
More than 800 million people worldwide suffer from lower back pain – a common condition that affects the muscles, nerves, and bones of the back
Walking at least three times a week can significantly ease your lower back pain – almost half the risk of its recurrence, according to a new study that was published in The Lancet. Researchers from the University of Australia, which conducted the research said walking has a “profound impact” on this leading cause of disability across the world.
According to statistics, more than 800 million people worldwide suffer from lower back pain, also known as lumbago – a common condition that affects the muscles, nerves, and bones of the back. Experts say seven out of 10 people who recover from pain experience flare-ups within a year. “You don’t need to be walking 5 or 10km every day to get these benefits,” Mark Hancock, the study’s senior author and a professor of physiotherapy at Macquarie University in Australia wrote in the research paper.
“The important thing to remember is to start with short walks then gradually increase the distance and intensity as your fitness increases. Walking is a low-cost, widely accessible, and simple exercise that almost anyone can engage in, regardless of geographic location, age, or socioeconomic status,” he added.
According to the researchers, those who walked at least three to five times a week, for an average of 130 minutes a week – remained pain-free for nearly twice as long compared with those who did not receive any treatment. Walking regularly can improve your quality of life, and even reduce the number of days you may spend taking off from work, the study said.
The study is said to be the world’s first randomized controlled trial assessing the effectiveness of walking to prevent low back pain recurrence. For this, scientists followed more than 700 adults suffering from low back pain for nearly three years.
Around 350 of them were assigned to a walking scheme and education sessions by a physiotherapist, while the rest were assigned to a control group and not provided with any specific intervention. According to the results, the intervention group had fewer occurrences of activity-limiting pain compared to the control group.
“They also had a longer average period before they had a recurrence, with a median of 208 days compared to 112 days,” said Hancock. Researchers also noted that the risk of having a recurrence that required seeking care was nearly halved in those in the intervention group.
“We gave them a rough guide of building up to 30 minutes, five times a week, over six months. After three months, most of the people who took part were walking three to five days a week for an average total of 130 minutes.”
Why is walking good for your back?
According to Hancock, even though the researchers do not exactly know why walking helps prevent back pain, it can be the combination of the gentle oscillatory movements, loading and strengthening the spinal structures and muscles, relaxation and stress relief, and release of ‘feel-good’ endorphins.
Doctors say endorphins – hormones that the brain releases in response to pain or stress, act as natural painkillers. They are also known as “endogenous morphine” because they mimic the actions of the opioid painkiller morphine.
“And of course, we also know that walking comes with many other health benefits, including cardiovascular health, bone density, healthy weight, and improved mental health.”
