Scientists have found a simple method to relieve lower back pain – DW – 05.07.2024

Walking may be a cheap and easy way to prevent recurring back pain, according to a study that shows patients who walk daily suffer fewer attacks.

Experts found that people who walked five times a week for an average of 30 minutes each day and received advice from a physiotherapist stayed pain-free for almost twice as long as those who received no treatment.

According to the researchers, regular exercise also improved the patients’ quality of life, and the time they spent away from work was cut almost in half.

The results were published in the journal Lancet, Research shows that walking can have a “profound impact” on a condition that affects eight in 10 people in the UK and is a leading cause of disability worldwide.

Walking is simple and effective

“Walking is a simple, inexpensive and highly accessible exercise that can be practised by almost anyone, regardless of geography, age or socioeconomic status,” said Mark Hancock, professor of physiotherapy at Macquarie University in Australia.

Around 800 million people worldwide suffer from low back pain, and seven out of 10 who recover from an episode experience another flare-up within a year.

Currently, treatment and prevention of back pain involves a combination of exercise, therapy, and, in some cases, surgery.

But the researchers noted that some forms of exercise are unavailable or uncostly and often require supervision.

Studying

Scientists followed more than 700 adults who had recently recovered from an episode of low back pain that lasted up to three years.

Half of them were randomly assigned to a personalised walking programme and educational sessions with a physiotherapist, and the rest were assigned to a control group that did not receive any specific intervention but could seek treatment if symptoms recurred.

“The intervention group had fewer episodes of activity-limiting pain compared with the control group, and a longer average time to relapse, 208 days versus 112 days,” Hancock said.

“We don’t know exactly why walking is so good for preventing back pain, but it likely involves a combination of gentle oscillating movements, loading and strengthening of the spinal structures and muscles, relaxation and the release of feel-good endorphins. And of course, we also know that walking has many other health benefits, including cardiovascular health, bone density, healthy weight and improved mental health,” he added.

A LITTLE (dpa, Lancet)