Walking 100 minutes per day may help lower risk of chronic back pain

• For many people, low back pain is chronic, meaning it is constant for at least three months.
• There are several risk factors for chronic low back pain, such as not getting enough physical activity. 
• A new study found that increasing the length of time and intensity of one’s walks may help lower the risk of experiencing chronic low back pain.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 619 million peoplearound the world were living with low back pain in 2020. This number is expected to hit 843 million by 2050. 

For many people, their low back pain is chronic, meaning it is constant for at least three months. And the pain is moderate to intense, affecting their daily lives. 

There are a number of risk factors for chronic low back pain. Some are not modifiable, such as age, genetics, and underlying medical conditions such as arthritis, spinal infections, spinal stenosis, osteoporosis, and fibromyalgia. 

However, several risk factors are modifiable, including obesity, improving lifting techniques, smoking, stress, and a sedentary lifestyle.

“Low back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide and accounts for the highest healthcare spending in the U.S.,” Rayane Haddadj, MS, a PhD candidate in the Department of Public Health and Nursing at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Norway, told GMHCN. “Identifying modifiable risk factors that can be targeted and easily implemented through public health policy and interventions is therefore of great importance.”

Haddadj is the first author of a new study recently published in the journal JAMA Network Open that says increasing the length of time you walk, and its intensity, may help lower your risk for chronic low back pain.