Daily Walks of 100+ Minutes Linked to Substantially Lower Risk of Chronic Back Pain, New Study Finds
New York, NY – A study published in JAMA Network Open reveals a strong correlation between daily walking duration and reduced risk of chronic lower pain/basics/causes/sym-20050878″ title=”Back …: Symptom Causes – Mayo Clinic”>back pain. Researchers found that exceeding 100 minutes of walking each day resulted in a substantial decrease in risk – approximately 30% lower than a baseline – with benefits sustained beyond 120 minutes, though data beyond that point showed increased uncertainty due to smaller sample sizes.
The research, led by Rayane Haddadj, demonstrates that even low-intensity walking can be protective against back pain, provided it’s performed for a sufficient duration. “We knew exercise was good for the back, but this was the first time that even low-intensity walking could be protective as long as it was enough,” Haddadj stated. While increased walking intensity also showed a risk reduction, the effect was less pronounced than that achieved through longer walking times.
Co-author Professor Paul Jarle Mork emphasized the broader public health implications of the findings. “The data show the importance of ’finding time and activity more,’ not only to prevent back pain, but also to reduce the risk of multiple chronic diseases at the same time,” he saeid. Researchers suggest promoting walking through public health policies could yield critically important long-term benefits for both individual health and the healthcare system.
The study analyzed the volume and intensity of walking using both minutes walked and metabolic equivalents (MET-min). The research paper,titled “Volume and Intensity of Walking and Risk of Chronic Low Back Pain,” is available on the JAMA website. Further information can be found at Tomorrow Science Network: http://www.tomorrowsci.com.
