ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology analyzed data from over 11,000.

A recent large-scale Norwegian study found that daily walking reduces the risk of chronic lower back pain, with the length of walking being a decisive factor. Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology analyzed data from over 11,000 adults who had no chronic back pain at the start of the study between 2017 and 2019. All participants wore movement sensors on their thigh and lower back for several days, allowing the research team to objectively measure their walking patterns and intensity.
The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, was part of the HUNT health survey, which was repeated between 2021 and 2023. During the follow-up period, participants were asked about their experiences with back pain. In the approximately four years after the initial survey, about 15.5 percent, or over 1,600 participants, reported chronic back pain, defined as complaints lasting at least three consecutive months in the previous year.
Findings revealed that the risk of chronic back pain decreased with increasing walking time. The risk was 23 percent lower among people who walked more than 100 minutes daily compared to those who walked less than 78 minutes per day. A 24 percent reduction was observed for those walking over 125 minutes daily. "The more steps the participants took, the less frequently they experienced back pain," noted the researchers. They concluded that for back health, the duration of walking is more important than the walking speed in reducing back pain.