Consistent walking program reduced the need for back pain care by half in new study.
Consider adding a walking program into the routine of clients coping with low back pain (LBP) as an effective method to reduce pain episodes by as much as 50%. Fit pros can individualize progressive walking programs for clients based on current fitness levels, like those provided for subjects during a study published in the The Lancet.
Macquarie University researchers in Sydney, Australia, randomly assigned 701 adults who had experienced a LBP episode into either an individualized walking and education program that included 6 sessions with a physical therapist over 6 months, or into a “no treatment” control group. Researchers followed subjects for one to three years and reviewed monthly self-reports that noted when the first recurrence of an activity-limiting episode of LBP occurred. Those in the walking group experienced fewer LBP recurrences.
“The risk of having a recurrence that required seeking care was nearly halved in the intervention group,” says study author and principal, Mark Hancock, PhD, professor of physiotherapy in the Department of Health Sciences. “We don’t know exactly why walking is so good for preventing back pain, but it is likely to include the combination of gentle oscillatory movements, loading and strengthening the spinal structures and muscles, relaxation and stress relief, and the release of ‘feel-good’ endorphins.”
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA
Shirley Eichenberger-Archer, JD, MA, is an internationally acknowledged integrative health and mindfulness specialist, best-selling author of 16 fitness and wellness books translated into multiple languages and sold worldwide, award-winning health journalist, contributing editor to Fitness Journal, media spokesperson, and IDEA's 2008 Fitness Instructor of the Year. She's a 25-year industry veteran and former health and fitness educator at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, who has served on multiple industry committees and co-authored trade books and manuals for ACE, ACSM and YMCA of the USA. She has appeared on TV worldwide and was a featured trainer on America's Next Top Model.
