Need another reason to get your steps in? According to new research, the more you walk (and the faster you walk), the lower your risk of chronic low back pain.
The study, published in JAMA Network Open on June 13, found that people who walked between 101 and 124 minutes every day had a 23% reduction in chronic low back pain (CLBP) risk as compared to those who walked less than 78 minutes per day.
Walking at a moderate or brisk pace was also linked with a lower chance of CLBP. However, the risk reduction from walking intensity wasn’t as pronounced as it was with time spent walking.
CLBP—usually defined as pain lasting for at least three consecutive months—is quite common in the U.S., affecting an estimated 28% of adults. Globally, we may see as many as 843 million cases of low back pain by 2050, according to the World Health Organization.
“This is an important finding because walking is a simple, low-cost, and accessible activity that can be promoted widely to reduce the burden of low back pain,” study author Rayane Haddadj, MS, a PhD candidate in the department of public health and nursing at Norwegian University of Science and Technology, told Health.
This study included 11,194 adults living in Norway who were 55 years old on average. When the study started, none of the participants had CLBP.
Participants wore accelerometers to track their movement and walking intensity for a week, which provided “more robust and detailed data on walking behavior than self-reported questionnaires,” Haddadj explained.
Researchers gathered that walking data from 2017 to 2019, and then followed up from 2021 to 2023 to ask participants whether they experienced any chronic “pain or stiffness” in their low back.
Essentially, “they’re looking at the association between walking and staying free of chronic low back pain,” Will Haas, MD, MBA, integrative medicine and family medicine physician and founder of VYVE Wellness, told Health.
Walking less than 78 minutes per day was considered the baseline risk for CLBP. From there, the researchers found that:
- Walking between 78 and 100 minutes per day was linked to a 13% lower CLBP risk.
- Walking between 101 and 124 minutes per day was linked to a 23% lower CLBP risk.
- Walking over 125 minutes per day was linked to a 24% lower CLBP risk.
Haddadj and his team also found that walking with a moderate or brisk intensity—at least 2.8 miles per hour or 4.1 kilometers per hour—reduced CLBP risk by as much as 18%.
This latest research aligns with the medical community’s assertion that “movement is medicine,” Mohammed Faraz Khan, MD, a neurosurgeon at New Jersey Brain and Spine, told Health.
And there are a few reasons why walking, specifically, may be good for your back.
For one, walking promotes mobility and reduces stiffness. It stimulates your muscles by creating an extension of your lower spine, activating the glutes, spine stabilizers, and core, said Milica McDowell, PT, DPT, a physical therapist, exercise physiologist, and vice-president of operations at Gait Happens.
It also loosens your fascia, the layers of tissue between your muscles, tendons, and ligaments, Haas added.
“That’s going to reduce stiffness and support range of motion in the joints,” he said. “The more flexibility and tissue mobility you have, the less stiffness and pain that’s developing.”
Walking is also good for blood circulation. The rhythmic movement brings oxygenated blood to your back, which reduces inflammation, McDowell told Health.
All of these factors—coupled with walking’s ability to help control weight—explain why the activity can “reduce stress on the lower back,” Khan said.
But there’s a mental component, too. Exercise stimulates the release of endorphins and dopamine, two “feel-good” neurotransmitters that can improve mood and feelings of well-being. “That can assist in reducing psychological stresses associated with low back pain symptoms,” McDowell added.
Adults should aim to walk for more than 100 minutes per day for a significant reduction in their CLBP risk, according to this new study.
However, this may not be feasible for everyone, including those who work full-time, have physical limitations, or don’t live in a walkable neighborhood.
People shouldn’t feel discouraged, though, McDowell said.
“Cumulative walking throughout the day counts,” she said. “So you could work up to 100 minutes by taking smaller, shorter walks throughout the day, and [you’ll] likely receive very similar benefits.”
To level up your walking routine (even if you have CLBP), here’s what experts recommend:
- Start small. Begin with just five or 10 minutes at a moderate pace, and build up gradually. That will lessen the risk of any pain flare-ups, Jen Uschold, PT, a physical therapist and wellness coach at iRise For Me, told Health.
- Be consistent. “If you’re doing 30 minutes every day, seven days a week, I think we can infer from the study [that] that might be better than two days a week at 100 minutes,” Haas said.
- Walks on a flat, even surface first. If you’re new to walking, choose a treadmill or outdoor track rather than elevated or uneven terrain.
- Invest in quality footwear. Wear shoes that are made for walking, with a wide toe box, low cushion, and flexible sole, McDowell recommended. And, of course, size matters. “Over 60% of adults are wearing the wrong shoe size,” she said. “Get your feet measured every year at a shoe shop.”
- Slowly build up your speed and distance. After taking a few walks at the same pace and distance, note how your body feels and consider increasing either metric by about 10%, Uschold said.
“Physical activity is essential for long-term health,” Haddadj added. “Even modest increases can make a difference, or, as the World Health Organization puts it, ‘Every move counts towards better health’.”
