A daily gesture, simple and free as walking can become the key to protecting back health. This is demonstrated by a research published on Jama Network Open which analyzed the data of the Trøndelag Health (Hunt) Study, a large study of Norwegian population. The researchers followed over 11 thousand adults with an average age of around 55 years of age, none of which had chronic pain at the beginning of the investigation. Participants were asked to wear accelerometers applied on the thigh and low part of the back for at least a week, so as to record time and intensity of daily walking accurately.
The results speak clearly: who walked more than one hundred minutes a day had a 23% lower risk of developing chronic back pain compared to those who stopped under 78 minutes. A benefit, albeit more contained, was also recorded in the intermediate group, which ranged between 78 and 100 minutes, with one risk reduction of 13%. The most interesting aspect emerged from the research concerns the relative weight of the intensity: The overall duration of the movement compared to the supported step or speed counted much more.
It should be emphasized that it is an observational study, and therefore – as we know well – not able to establish a cause -effect link. It is possible, in fact, that people who walk the most are already healthier or who adopt life lifestyles also favorable on other fronts. In addition, the participants’ motor habits may have changed over time, influencing the collected data. However, the consistency of the results with other investigations somehow strengthen the validity of the conclusions.
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Walking is considered a beneficial activity because it increases blood flow, strengthens the postural musculature and improves the mobility of the spine, reducing rigidity and tension. An accessible, free and scalable activity like this therefore represents one potential public health strategy. It is no coincidence that another research conducted in Australia and published on The Lancet confirmed the same direction. The study, Batetizzato Walkback Intervention and published in 2024, included a progressive path program of thirty minutes a day five times a week for six months, followed by people who had already suffered from episodes of low back pain. In this case, the risk of relapse seemed to have reduced by 28%.
Overall, therefore, a coherent picture emerges: the more time he devoted himself to the daily path, the greater the protection towards chronic lumbar pain. You don’t need to run or force the rhythms – when scientists have analyzed together time and speedthe benefits related to speed have almost disappeared, while those related to the time remained solid – if anything, accumulate minutes of movement during the day until they reach the goal of the one hundred minutes, also distributed in short sessions. A simple strategy that, in the face of a constant commitment, can really significantly reduce the probability of living with one of the most popular musculoskeletal disorders in the world.
Scientific sources mentioned in this article:
Volume and Intensity of Walking and Risk of Chronic Low Back Pain
Source: Vanity Fair
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