Research published in medical journals Lancet This week, they recommend regular walks as a cheap and easy way to potentially prevent it. Recurrent back pain.
The trial showed that patients who went for a 30-minute walk five times a week and were supervised by a physiotherapist had less recurrence of symptoms than a control group.
Researchers said patients reported feeling an improved quality of life and cutting their time off work by almost half.
A cheap and easy activity suitable for almost anyone
The authors expressed hope that these cheap, simple measures could have a “profound impact” on a condition that is a leading cause of disability worldwide.
“Walking is a low-cost, widely available and easy exercise that almost anyone can do, regardless of geographic location, age or socio-economic status,” said Mark Hancock, a professor of physiotherapy at Macquarie University in Australia and co-author of the paper.
Around 800 million people worldwide are thought to suffer from back pain, and seven in 10 people who recover from back pain report a recurrence within a year.
How was this study conducted?
The study followed 700 adults who had recently recovered from back pain for up to three years.
Half of the subjects were randomly selected to receive a customized walking program and support from a physiotherapist, while the rest were placed in a control group where each participant took whatever personal or medical measures they deemed appropriate.
“The intervention group experienced less activity-limiting pain than the control group and the mean time to recurrence was longer, a median of 208 days compared with 112 days in the control group,” Hancock said.
Why is walking good for your back?
“We don’t know exactly why walking is good for preventing back pain, but it’s likely a combination of gentle vibration exercise, loading and strengthening spinal structures and muscles, relaxation and stress relief, and the release of feel-good endorphins,” Hancock theorized.
Walking also has many other notable health benefits, including improved cardiovascular health, bone density, weight loss and mental health, he added.
The study authors noted that lower back pain is becoming an increasingly common health complaint worldwide due to longer life expectancies and increasingly sedentary work and leisure habits.
He also said that given the increasing strain on healthcare systems around the world, disproportionately few resources are allocated to research, prevention and care in this area.
msh/sms (dpa, lancet)
