Walking for longer periods lowers risk of back pain

October 2025 – A new study published in JAMA Network Open finds 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.

Low back pain (LBP) 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 US, back pain is the most common type of chronic pain, and LBP accounts for the highest health care spending along with neck pain. […] . To reduce this burden, it is essential to identify modifiable factors that can be targeted through policy and preventive actions.

Guidelines for managing chronic LBP recommend remaining physically active. […] . Walking, the most common form of leisure-time physical activity among adults, is associated with a lower risk of various noncommunicable diseases and conditions. However, the association between walking and the risk of chronic LBP remains largely unexplored.

[Study findings:] This population-based cohort study including 11,194 participants found an inverse and nonlinear association between walking volume and the risk of chronic low back pain. Walking for more than 100 minutes per day was associated with a 23% lower risk of chronic low back pain compared with walking less than 78 minutes per day; walking intensity was also associated with risk of chronic low back pain but to a lesser degree than walking volume. The findings suggest that walking volume may have a more pronounced benefit than walking intensity.