Summary: It is well known that exercise helps lower the risk of lower back pain and has many health benefits. However, a new study shows that walking has greater benefits than imagined earlier. It may significantly lower the risk of low back pain reoccurrence. This may be due to its impacts on physical and mental health.
Low back pain is one of the most common causes of chronic pain. Not only that, the condition tends to occur in more than 70% of cases. In fact, most of those who have recovered from low back pain would experience its reoccurrence within a year.
Low back pain is a complex disorder like any other chronic pain syndrome. Vertebral cartilage damage or degeneration is just one of its causes. The condition may occur for many other reasons. Thus, there is an increased risk of low back pain in those living with depression.
Painkillers may help reduce pain, but they rarely provide complete pain relief. Moreover, medications also fail to prevent the disease’s reoccurrence in most instances. However, it appears that lifestyle changes are quite helpful in preventing lower back pain.
One such lifestyle intervention that is especially good for preventing lower back pain is exercise. But, then the question arises: what kind of exercise, and how much? Moreover, people want to know how much exercise can be helpful. One of the new studies published in the journal The Lancet shows that a simple exercise like walking is more helpful than imagined.
This new study found that it may significantly reduce the risk of low back pain reoccurrence. Of course, researchers knew that walking helps. However, what has amazed researchers is the extent of the benefits.
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Thus, in the study, researchers found that low back reoccurrence, on average, occurred after 208 days in the intervention group, whereas the pain returned just after 112 days in those who did not engage in walking. This is a massive difference.
What is good about walking is that it is easy to carry out and low-cost intervention. Walking does not require training or equipment. Anyone can engage in regular walking.
Researchers say that they are unsure of why walking is so good for those with low back pain. After all, walking is a low-intensity exercise. There could be many reasons why walking may be an ideal exercise for those living with lower back pain. It is an impact exercise and does not strain the spine.
However, it is quite likely that there are other reasons for such benefits. Walking is quite good for stress relief and relaxation. People who walk regularly are less likely to experience mood issues. Just 15 minutes of walking may elevate mood and reduce pain sensation. Of course, longer or more extended walks are associated with greater health benefits.
When one is pain-free, walking briskly is a good idea, as this would have added health benefits. Brisk walking is also good for cardiovascular health, increases bone density, promotes weight loss, and is much better for stress relief.
What is also good about this study is that it found that even walking alone may help. Researchers say that earlier studies focused on walking in groups. However, in this particular study, participants walked regularly and often alone. This means that walking can be widely used as a preventive approach to lower back pain.
Of course, finally, one must remember that in the long run, brisk walking may even help prevent metabolic disorders, lower blood pressure, and reduce the risk of most chronic ailments. It is good for preventing chronic pain syndromes, but it may also increase life expectancy and slow aging. Moreover, there are almost no health risks associated with regular walking. Still, if you are facing issues, visiting a chronic pain specialist in St. Louis is recommended.
Source:
Pocovi, N. C., Lin, C.-W. C., French, S. D., Graham, P. L., Dongen, J. M. van, Latimer, J., Merom, D., Tiedemann, A., Maher, C. G., Clavisi, O., Tong, S. Y. K., & Hancock, M. J. (2024). Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an individualized, progressive walking and education intervention for the prevention of low back pain recurrence in Australia (WalkBack): A randomized controlled trial. The Lancet, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00755-4