A recent study conducted by Macurian University in Australia revealed that regular walking has proven effective in reducing lower back pain. The research was published in the British Medical Journal The scalpel.
Researchers from the Spinal Pain Research Group came to this conclusion by observing 701 people who had recently suffered from lower back pain.
They were separated into two groups. The former received an individualized walking program and six educational sessions guided by physiotherapists over a period of six months. The second did not receive any recommendation and merely observed.
Participants spent between one and three years under supervision by the research group, and this duration varied depending on entry into the program. The aim of the research was to understand what benefits walking could bring in the fight against low back pain, and whether it would be an effective, economical and accessible intervention to treat this condition.
Low back pain is one of the most common pain problems in society, according to the World Health Organization (Photo: EBC/Agência Brasil)
According to the senior author of the research and professor of physical therapy at the university where the study was conducted, Mark Hancock, the discovery could have a significant impact on the treatment of pain in the area.
“The intervention group had fewer instances of activity-limiting pain than the control group, and an average longer period before pain recurred, with an average of 208 days compared to 112 days,” says Hancock.
However, the researcher still does not know the specific reason why walking helps prevent lower back pain, but he believes that the most likely is that the combination of gentle oscillatory movements, loading and strengthening the structures and muscles of the spine, leads to relaxation. It relieves stress and causes the release of endorphins that make you feel happy.
Solution for pain
Low back pain is a problem that affects most people. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 7 out of 10 people will experience this at some point in their lives.
The discovery by the Macurian University research group shows that the solution is simpler than many imagine. The answer to this question was a low-impact, low-cost, and widely accessible practice.
According to the study's lead author, Natasha Bukovi, walking not only improved people's quality of life, but also reduced the need to seek medical support by almost half. There was also a decrease in absences from work.
“Exercise-based interventions for back pain prevention previously explored are typically group-based and need close clinical supervision and expensive equipment; therefore, they are much less accessible for most patients,” said Natasha Bukovi.
The next phase of research is to explore how to incorporate a preventive approach into routine care for patients with recurrent low back pain.
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