In a new study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, daily walking volume and walking intensity were inversely associated with the risk of chronic low back pain. The findings suggest that walking volume may have a more pronounced benefit than walking intensity.
People who walk a lot have less back pain than people who do not walk much — and the volume is what matters most, not the intensity. Image credit: Tung Lam.
Low back pain affects people of all ages and is the leading cause of functional health loss, estimated to account for 7.7% of all years lived with disability.
In the United States, back pain is the most common type of chronic pain, and low back pain accounts for the highest health care spending along with neck pain.
The burden of low back pain is projected to increase in the coming decades, posing a substantial challenge to the sustainability of health care systems.
To reduce this burden, it is essential to identify modifiable factors that can be targeted through policy and preventive actions.
Guidelines for managing chronic low back pain recommend remaining physically active.
However, there are no explicit recommendations regarding physical activity for the primary prevention of chronic low back pain.
Walking, the most common form of leisure-time physical activity among adults, is associated with a lower risk of various non-communicable diseases and conditions.
However, the association between walking and the risk of chronic low back pain remains largely unexplored.
“People who walk more than 100 minutes every day have a 23 per cent lower risk of lower back problems than those who walk 78 minutes or less,” said Rayane Haddadj, a Ph.D. candidate at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
“It probably comes as no surprise that physical activity is good for your back, but until now we have not actually known whether the amount of low-intensity walking we do also helps.”
“Intensity also plays a role in the risk of long-term back problems, but not as much as the daily amount of walking.”
The authors involved a total of 11,194 people as part of the Trøndelag Health Study (The HUNT Study).
What makes this study unique is that the volume and intensity of daily walking were measured using two sensors that participants wore on their thigh and back for up to a week.
“The findings highlight the importance of finding time to be physically active — to prevent both chronic back problems and a number of other diseases,” said Professor Paul Jarle Mork, also from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
“Over time, this could lead to major savings for society.”
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Rayane Haddadj et al. 2025. Volume and Intensity of Walking and Risk of Chronic Low Back Pain. JAMA Netw Open 8 (6): e2515592; doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.15592
