A new study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology has found that people who walk more than 100 minutes a day have a lower risk of developing chronic low back pain. The research suggests that simply walking more each day could be a powerful, low-cost way to prevent one of the world’s most common and disabling health problems.
Low back pain affects people of all ages and is a leading cause of disability worldwide. In fact, it accounts for about 7.7% of all years people live with a disability. In countries like the United States, it’s also one of the top reasons for spending on healthcare.
Because of this, doctors and public health experts have long recommended staying physically active as a way to manage or avoid back pain. However, until now, there hasn’t been clear advice on exactly how much walking is needed.
In this study, researchers wanted to know if there was a link between how much and how fast people walk and their chances of developing long-term low back pain.
To do this, they followed over 11,000 adults aged 20 and older who did not have chronic low back pain at the start of the study. The participants came from the Trøndelag Health Study in Norway, and the research took place between 2017 and 2023.
Each participant wore two small devices called accelerometers on their body for a week. These devices measured how much they walked each day and how intense or brisk their walking was.
Then, a few years later, the researchers followed up with the participants to see who had developed chronic low back pain, which they defined as pain lasting three months or more over the past year.
The results were clear: people who walked between 101 and 124 minutes per day had a 23% lower risk of developing chronic low back pain compared to people who walked less. This group had a risk ratio of 0.77, which means their chances were significantly lower. Those who walked even more—125 minutes or more per day—had a similar risk ratio of 0.76.
The study also found that walking at a higher intensity (faster or more vigorous walking) was linked to a lower risk, but the amount of walking seemed to matter even more than how hard people walked.
These findings are important because they suggest that encouraging people to walk more every day could help prevent long-term back problems. Walking is a simple, free, and easy exercise that many people can do, regardless of age or income.
And since chronic back pain can cause serious problems in people’s daily lives, reducing the risk through something as easy as walking could have a big impact on public health.
The study also highlights a gap in current health guidelines. While experts recommend staying active to avoid back pain, there are no clear targets for how much walking is enough. This research suggests that walking around 100 minutes or more per day might be a good goal to aim for, especially for people who want to protect their back health as they age.
In conclusion, walking more than 100 minutes a day could significantly reduce your chances of developing chronic low back pain. The study’s authors believe that promoting this kind of daily physical activity—especially walking volume—should be a key part of public health efforts to prevent long-term back issues.
As one of the simplest and most accessible forms of exercise, walking may be the best first step toward a pain-free back.
If you care about pain, please read studies about vitamin K deficiency linked to hip fractures in old people, and these vitamins could help reduce bone fracture risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that Krill oil could improve muscle health in older people, and eating yogurt linked to lower frailty in older people.
The research findings can be found in JAMA Network Open.
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