A study by Macquarie University has discovered that adults with a history of low back pain can significantly extend the periods between pain recurrences by engaging in regular walking. The research involved 701 adults who participated in a walking program, showing a median delay of 208 days before experiencing pain again, compared to 112 days for those not in the program. The findings, which highlight the cost-effectiveness and accessibility of walking as a preventive measure, could influence future back pain management strategies. The team is now looking to integrate these findings into routine patient care.
New research has revealed that regular walking significantly extended pain-free periods for adults with low back pain, proving its effectiveness and affordability as a preventive measure.
A groundbreaking study has found that adults with a history of low back pain experienced nearly twice the duration without a recurrence when they walked regularly. Low back pain affects approximately 800 million people globally and is a leading cause of disability and reduced quality of life.
Repeated episodes of low back pain are also very common, with seven in 10 people who recover from an episode going on to have a recurrence within a year. Current best practice for back pain management and prevention suggests a combination of exercise and education. However, some forms of exercise are not accessible or affordable to many people due to their high cost, complexity, and need for supervision.
Macquarie University’s Clinical Trial
A clinical trial by Macquarie University’s Spinal Pain Research Group has looked at whether walking could be an effective, cost-effective, and accessible intervention.
The trial followed 701 adults who had recently recovered from an episode of low back pain, randomly allocating participants to either an individualized walking program and six physiotherapist-guided education sessions over six months, or to a control group. Researchers followed the participants for between one and three years, depending on when they joined, and the results have now been published in the latest edition of The Lancet.
Macquarie University spinal pain researchers Professor Mark Hancock and Dr Natasha Pocovi. Credit: Macquarie University
The paper’s senior author, Macquarie University Professor of Physiotherapy, Mark Hancock, says the findings could have a profound impact on how low back pain is managed.
“The intervention group had fewer occurrences of activity limiting pain compared to the control group, and a longer average period before they had a recurrence, with a median of 208 days compared to 112 days,” Professor Hancock says. “Walking is a low-cost, widely accessible, and simple exercise that almost anyone can engage in, regardless of geographic location, age or socio-economic status. We don’t know exactly why walking is so good for preventing back pain, but it is likely to include the combination of the gentle oscillatory movements, loading and strengthening the spinal structures and muscles, relaxation and stress relief, and release of ‘feel-good’ endorphins. And of course, we also know that walking comes with many other health benefits, including cardiovascular health, bone density, healthy weight, and improved mental health.”
Cost-Effectiveness and Accessibility of Walking
Lead author Dr Natasha Pocovi says in addition to providing participants with longer pain-free periods, the program was very cost-effective.
“It not only improved people’s quality of life, but it reduced their need both to seek healthcare support and the amount of time taken off work by approximately half,” she says. “The exercise-based interventions to prevent back pain that have been explored previously are typically group-based and need close clinical supervision and expensive equipment, so they are much less accessible to the majority of patients. Our study has shown that this effective and accessible means of exercise has the potential to be successfully implemented at a much larger scale than other forms of exercise.”
To build on these findings, the team now hopes to explore how they can integrate the preventive approach into the routine care of patients who experience recurrent low back pain.
Reference: “Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an individualised, progressive walking and education intervention for the prevention of low back pain recurrence in Australia (WalkBack): a randomised controlled trial” by Natasha C Pocovi, Chung-Wei Christine Lin, Simon D French, Petra L Graham, Johanna M van Dongen, Jane Latimer, Dafna Merom, Anne Tiedemann, Christopher G Maher, Ornella Clavisi, Shuk Yin Kate Tong and Mark J Hancock, 19 June 2024, The Lancet.
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00755-4
The study was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council.
