Walking Helps Back Pain

Doctors and physical therapists have long incorporated aerobic exercise into treatment programs for lower back pain. When done properly, movement can simultaneously ease the pain, while strengthening the muscles that support your back. A new study offers more evidence of the power of movement to heal pain. It found that a regular walking routine can be very effective for preventing the recurrence of back pain. The study focused on two groups of adults with a history of low back pain. One group followed a simple plan of regular easy walking. The other group had no intervention. The researchers followed both groups for three years, and those who walked regularly went nearly twice as long without their pain returning compared to the control group. While there are many different causes of lower back pain, the root cause is often having a weak base of support, according to Dr Hamza Khalid of the Cleveland Clinic for Spine Health. “Walking can strengthen the core muscle groups which help to stabilize the spine. Weakness in these core muscles can lead to fatigue, spine misalignment and pain. Exercise is the best medicine.”