‘This finding has potential to transform preventive care’ – study shows walking can delay back pain problems

Dr Athalie Redwood-Brown, senior lecturer in physical activity and health at Nottingham Trent University’s Department of Sport Science, said: “Walking helps alleviate mechanical back pain by improving muscle strength, flexibility, and circulation, which are crucial for spinal health.

“This finding has the potential to transform preventive care.”

Taking regular steps also improved patients’ quality of life and the amount of time they had to take off work almost halved, the researchers said.

Mark Hancock, professor of physiotherapy at Macquarie University in Australia, said: “Walking is a simple exercise that almost anyone can engage in, regardless of geographic location, age or socio-economic status.”

About 800 million people around the world have low back pain, and seven in 10 who recover from an episode have flare-ups within a year.

Currently, back pain management and prevention involves a combination of exercise, therapy and, in some cases, surgery.

But researchers said some forms of exercise are not accessible or affordable, and often need supervision.

Scientists followed more than 700 adults who had recently recovered from an episode of low back pain for up to three years.

Half of them were randomly allocated a tailored walking programme and education sessions from a physiotherapist, while the rest were assigned to a control group who were not provided with any specific intervention but could seek treatment if symptoms returned.

Prof Hancock said: “The intervention group had fewer occurrences of activity limiting pain compared to the control group, and a longer average period before they had a recurrence, with a median of 208 days compared to 112 days.”

Commenting on the study, Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, said: “We always welcome research into a condition that can be so debilitating, and it’s important this is taken on board as clinical guidance is developed and updated.

“We also know it can have other benefits, for example, for people’s mental health and well-being, which is often impacted for those living with pain.”​