A groundbreaking study has uncovered that adults who have experienced low back pain can significantly prolong the period before a recurrence by engaging in regular walking. This study, a first of its kind globally, involves nearly 800 million people worldwide who suffer from this common ailment, which is a significant contributor to disability and diminished quality of life.
Low back pain often recurs, with statistics showing that 70% of those who recover from an initial episode will experience a relapse within a year. The recommended approach for managing and preventing back pain includes physical activity and educational strategies. However, many exercise regimens can be prohibitive due to their costs, complexity, and the need for professional oversight.
Researchers at Macquarie University’s Spinal Pain Research Group conducted a clinical trial to investigate whether walking could be a practical, affordable, and accessible treatment option. The study involved 701 adults who had recently recovered from low back pain. These participants were either enrolled in a tailored walking programme complemented by six sessions of physiotherapist-led education over six months or placed in a control group.
The follow-up period for these participants ranged from one to three years, based on their entry into the study, with the findings recently published in a new issue of The Lancet. Professor Mark Hancock, a senior author of the paper and a professor of physiotherapy at Macquarie University, highlighted the significant impact these findings could have on managing low back pain. According to the research, the group that followed the walking programme experienced fewer episodes of activity-limiting pain and enjoyed a median pain-free period of 208 days, in contrast to 112 days in the control group.
Walking is praised for its low cost, universal accessibility, and simplicity, making it an ideal exercise for people of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds. The specific benefits of walking for preventing back pain are believed to include a variety of factors, such as gentle repetitive movements that strengthen spinal structures, muscle relaxation, stress reduction, and the release of endorphins, which enhance mood and well-being. Walking offers numerous other advantages, including better cardiovascular health, increased bone density, weight management, and improved mental health.
Dr Natasha Pocovi, the study’s lead author, pointed out that the walking programme not only extended the participants’ pain-free periods but also proved to be highly cost-effective. It significantly improved the participants’ quality of life, halved their healthcare consultations, and reduced their time off work. Unlike many conventional exercise-based interventions for back pain, which often require group participation, close clinical supervision, and expensive equipment, walking is much more accessible.
The study demonstrates that walking could be scaled up as a preventive measure far more successfully than other exercise forms. With these positive results, the research team is exploring further how this preventive approach could be integrated into routine care for patients with recurrent low back pain, potentially transforming how this everyday health issue is managed globally.
More information: Natasha Pocovi et al, Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an individualised, progressive walking and education intervention for the prevention of low back pain recurrence in Australia (WalkBack): a randomised controlled trial, The Lancet. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00755-4
Journal information: The Lancet Provided by Macquarie University
