Walking Can Prevent Lower Back Pain

It's easy for someone who has back pain to become "someone with a bad back."

That's likely because 70% of people who recover from lower back pain will have another episode within a year.

A new study found that a walking program could break this cycle.

Back patients who started a regular walking program were less likely to have a recurrence of their lower back pain within a year or longer. In those whose lower back pain returned, regular walking seemed to extend the period between episodes.

Movement is medicine

When you're in pain, your first instinct is to lie down--that used to be the advice for people with back pain.

We become afraid to move.

Not moving can make things worse, leading us to get stiff and suffer more pain. Some people become afraid to move even when the pain isn't there!

Walking stimulates blood flow to the spine, which helps with healing by delivering more oxygen and nutrients. The mild impact of walking loads and strengthens the lower back muscles, vertebrae, and discs.

In the study, one group had individualized walking programs designed for them to work up to walking 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. They were coached on how to make walking part of their lives, whether it was walking to work or creating a practice of walking at a certain time every day. They eased into the program at a suitable pace for them.

A control group received no treatment.

The group that received advice on walking was 28% less likely to report a recurring episode of lower back pain, compared to those who had not received treatment.

Those in the walking group whose lower back pain returned went an average of 208 days between recurrences, while the group that did no walking reported an average of 112 days between recurrences.

When I strained my back, it hurt to walk--or move much at all.

I decided to break my "no anti-inflammatory" vow and took ibuprofen to dull the pain enough that I could move more freely.

It was amazing how being able to move more made my back improve dramatically.

If you can't take anti-inflammatories, try hot baths, the Theragun (it helped me a lot!), mobility exercises, or whatever works for you to keep moving!