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Walking alleviates low back pain

There is certainly no shortage of information and recommendations on what to do if you have low back pain.  A lifetime could be spent sifting through the different treatment approaches and trying many of them.  After years of working with patients who suffer from low back pain, I have realized how important it is for a person to find something they can be compliant with that also helps.  I could write up the perfect program for an individual with chronic low back pain, but it doesn’t matter how perfect  the program is if the person is not going to be compliant with the program.  The key to natural, long term pain relief is consistency.  The person in pain must be consistent with postural modifications, movement modifications, and the exercise routine that is best for them to realize any lasting pain relief.

In today’s busy world it is often difficult for a person to set aside even thirty minutes of the day for him/herself.  This, for a while, frustrated me to no end.  In my mind, if you’re in pain and you actually want to do something about it, only thirty minutes a day three or four times a week is not a big deal.  I was wrong; this is a big deal to quite a few people.  What’s the solution?  The minimum effective dose.  What is the minimum amount of time and work one can do to realize a positive effect (with a positive effect being decreased low back pain and improved function)?

A recent study shows that walking for only 20 minutes twice a week decreases low back pain (1).   Walking alleviates low back Pain, Study Finds  Talk about the minimum effective dose!  40 minutes a week – start with that.  After two weeks increase each walk to 30 minutes.  After two weeks doing two thirty minute walks per week, add a third walk of thirty minutes.  That’s 90 minutes per week!  You give 40 hours a week to a job.  Give an hour and a half a week to yourself for your own well-being.  We are talking about walking to decrease low back pain.  I am not even going to get into the positive psychological benefits, decreasing heart rate, decreasing blood pressure, decreasing insulin resistance (basically reducing the effects of diabetes), and all the other health benefits that come from walking.

The bottom line is beginning a simple walking program that requires minimal time will not only decrease your back pain but will improve your overall health profile.  After two or three months of walking, you will be in better overall condition and have less pain.  You can then transition into a higher level exercise program that includes resistance exercise and higher intensity aerobic exercise.  And yes, you can still shoot for the minimally effective dose and exercise for only 90 minutes per week.

1.  Clin Rehabil. 2013 Mar;27(3):207-14. doi: 10.1177/0269215512453353. Epub 2012 Jul 31.

An aerobic walking programme versus muscle strengthening programme for chronic low back pain: a randomized controlled trial.

Shnayderman I, Katz-Leurer M.