“If you have a bad back pain episode, your instinct might be to lie down and rest, but that may be making things worse!” – Rebecca
Walking to Manage Low Back Pain
Low back pain (LBP) can interfere with our ability to function and enjoy our everyday lives. It’s one of the conditions we treat frequently at Wickford & Woodbridge Chiropractic Clinics, so let’s look at how something as simple as walking and movement can be part of your treatment plan.
According to research published in The Lancet medical journal last month, low back pain is one of the leading causes of ‘years lived with disability’, estimated to affect over 600 million people globally in 2020.[i] The research they cite supports the view that walking can be of real benefit. In a study of adults assigned to a walking programme, the walking group had an average of 208 days pain-free days compared with the non-walking group, who had an average of 112 pain-free days.
What is Low Back Pain?
LBP is pain between the lower ribs and the buttocks. The three main types of LBP are:
- Non-specific LBP
- Sciatica (root nerve pain)
- Serious spinal pathology
Causes vary but a range of health conditions can contribute, from low cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, flexibility or stiffness, leading to low levels of activity. Posture, weight and emotional wellbeing (stress) can all have their own impact. Poor sleep may also affect how we manage our pain and past experiences of pain can have a very real effect on how our body interprets new pain and how we respond to it. The way we experience pain can be very individual.
Managing LBP with Walking & Active Rest
If you have a bad back pain episode, your instinct might be to lie down and rest, but that may be making things worse! Inactivity can make your spine and back muscles tight and stiff, increasing your pain and potentially lengthening your recovery time.
If you have any concerns, book an assessment at either the Wickford or Woodbridge clinic, to assess your condition and check for more serious causes. If the pain is severe, getting worse over time or you have any symptom from the section below, then it’s important to seek urgent medical advice.
Part of your treatment plan may include us recommending “active rest”, avoiding lying down or sitting for too long and carefully introducing gentle movement. Walking may be particularly helpful for longer term LBP. Even moderate exercise can help the body to release endorphins, which can lessen our experience of pain. Walking will also increase blood flow to the relevant muscles, helping with the healing process. We can discuss the right level and duration of walks and how to address any concerns about mobility, so that you can build up your activity in a safe and comfortable way. We also can work with you to assess any potential issues with footwear or walking cadence to see if there is anything holding you back from walking comfortably.
I try to keep my daily activity levels up with long walks on the country tracks and in the forests around Woodbridge, but you needn’t venture far, especially if your LBP episode is still acute. You can begin by walking gently around the house or garden. A mindful walking meditation like this one from Bangor University’s Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice might help, to slowly build confidence and re-establish a healthy connection with your body and how it moves.
Patients often raise time pressures as an obstacle, but results can be achieved with a surprisingly quickly. The study cited in the Lancet found that over 12 weeks, the participants who benefited walked from 80 to 130 minutes per week, so even 15 minutes per day can make a difference!
As a longer-term strategy for managing non-specific LBP, building up to longer brisk walks can have the multiple advantages of improving muscle condition and flexibility, lowering stress levels and helping with sleep, particularly if your usual work is at a desk or in a sitting position, or spend a long time behind the wheel of a vehicle. If you have any concerns or questions about building walking in to your routine, please let me know and we can discuss it at your next appointment.
Rebecca Willard
Remember: If you experience any of the following symptoms alongside your back pain, you should call 999 or going to A&E:
pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs
numbness or tingling around your genitals or buttocks
difficulty peeing; loss of bladder or bowel control
chest pain
…or if the pain started after a serious accident, such as a car accident.
[i] The Lancet, Volume 4040 Issue 10448 P134-144 Juley 13 2024 https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)00755-4/fulltext
