Can Daily Walking Reduce or Prevent Lower Back Pain?

28 Sep Can Daily Walking Reduce or Prevent Lower Back Pain?

Modern medicine has access to all sorts of treatments for lower back pain. Also known as lumbar pain, lower back pain is one of the most common complaints heard by doctors across the country. So yes, it is good that we have access to so many treatments. At least one of those treatments doesn’t involve drugs or invasive procedures. It is so simple that anyone can do it at home.

What is the treatment? Daily walking. Believe it or not, a plethora of studies have shown that regular walking can be an effective intervention for both preventing and minimizing lower back pain. Let us discuss some of the research as well as how walking helps.

Preventing and Mitigating Lumbar Pain

Preventing lower back pain is a good place to start for the simple fact that prevention is always preferred over addressing pain after the fact. A 2024 study recently published in The Lancet reveals that a combination of regular walking and patient education prevents new lumbar pain in people who have previously experienced it.

Simply put, the recurrence of lower back pain is cut in half when back pain patients commit to regular exercise and are educated about what causes their pain. Though the study enrolled patients with previous back pain experience, there is no reason to believe that the same walking and education would not apply to people with no previous experience.

The 2024 study adds credence to another study conducted way back in 2010. The previous study was a systematic review of literature looking at evidence in support of walking as a back pain intervention. The researchers concluded at the time that there was low to moderate evidence in support of walking. Now we know that the evidence is considerably stronger.

How Walking Helps

Walking is exceptionally good exercise for people of all ages. It is low impact, requires little to no investment, and can be done without leaving the neighborhood. There are very few barriers to walking for exercise among people who normally walk for other purposes.

Regular walking can help prevent and mitigate lumbar pain by:

• Strengthening the core.
• Strengthening leg muscles.
• Helping to control weight.
• Improving bone density.
• Releasing endorphins that promote pain relief.

Practically speaking, strengthening one’s core and leg muscles helps by giving the body more muscle mass to support itself. This takes pressure off the lumbar spine. In addition, strong core muscles actually provide additional support to the lower back.

Meanwhile, controlling weight also takes pressure off the spine. Bone density increases spinal support while pain-relieving endorphins just make a person feel better.

Walking Over Medications

Walking is so good for the back that it is amazing more doctors don’t recommend it. It offers a lot of advantages over pain medications. This is not to say pain medications are never appropriate as back pain therapy. It is simply to say that walking can help enough to either reduce or eliminate one’s need for pain medications.

General recommendations for walking as exercise are as follows:

• Start slowly and gradually increase time and distance.
• Aim to eventually achieve a 30-minute walk five times per week.
• Make a point of only walking on flat surfaces.
• Stay in touch with your doctor so you can track progress and modify your walking if necessary.

Lone Star Pain Medicine doctors are on board with walking as a way to address lumbar pain. It is a great exercise that most people can do. If you have any questions about whether walking is appropriate for you, don’t be afraid to ask on your next visit.