The health benefits of walking are nearly endless. It has physical benefits just like other forms of physical activity, but is much more relaxing and enjoyable for many people. It can even be used for a meditative practice. It is also much more accessible than many types of physical activity, because it can be done nearly any time, anywhere, and for any length of time. 

Walking will increase your heart rate, and may increase your cardiorespiratory fitness if you walk fast enough or uphill. The movement and loading is good for your bones and joints. It burns calories and can help you maintain a healthy body weight, blood glucose levels and blood lipids. 

The LBPfix program has modifications for common instigating movements and postures, including walking, and has several different types of exercises to get you back to doing all the things you want to do with confidence! Click here to learn more about the program.

Study Summaries

In a systematic review published in the Journal of Pain and Disability in 2017, walking led to similar improvements as other exercises in chronic lower back pain patients. The authors evaluated 5 studies that compared walking to other exercises for chronic lower back pain. There was no statistically significant difference between groups in any of the studies. 

One of the studies, however, looked at what would happen if you added a walking program to an exercise program, and this was also found to be no different. So essentially this study found that any exercise helps with chronic lower back pain. 

This finding is in line with the current understanding of chronic lower back pain being more complex than it may seem. It is often not a simple case of a structure in your spine being damaged and thus needing time to heal. There can be a large degree of maladaptation involved, whereby there is more sensitivity than usual in the back, and other neurological/psychiatric changes that perpetuate pain after the damage has healed. Exercise helps to decrease sensitivity to movement and load, and decreases apprehension or fear of movement and maybe other psychological co-morbidities.

A second systematic review, in the Journal of Orthopaedic Physiotherapy found walking to be less effective for pain and disability than things like stabilization exercises and general exercise programs. This was another systematic review that looked at studies comparing walking with other types of interventions, but this included 16 studies to that effect. They also examined 10 studies that compared walking to no/minimal treatment for short term pain reduction, and 6 studies for medium term pain reduction. No surprise – walking proved more effective than no treatment for both.

They also looked at seven trials for short term disability, and four for medium term disability. Walking was better for short term disability, but no difference was found for medium term disability compared to no/minimal intervention.

A third study, this time a controlled trial,  looked primarily at how walking technique changes when those with acute lower back pain walk faster versus slower. They found that those in pain used different strategies to increase speed than those without pain. They also found that the group that 10 minutes of walking led to a reduction in lower back pain.

So, is walking good for lower back pain? 

Yes. To be a little more specific; walking is better than doing nothing, but probably not as good as doing more difficult, varied exercise for chronic lower back pain. With resistance exercise and other more challenging exercises you get the pain relief benefits shared with walking, and much more. But don’t worry, you do not have to choose one, you can do both! The benefits of an active lifestyle reach far beyond pain relief. 

Note:

If you have had a traumatic injury or have some serious health condition that may be the cause of your back pain you should seek medical help urgently.