Researchers at Macquarie University found that regular walking can reduce the return of low back pain. Their study showed that adults who walked often went almost twice as long without back pain.

About 800 million people worldwide suffer from low back pain. This condition causes disability and lowers the quality of life. Even after recovery, seven in ten people have back pain again within a year.

Experts suggest combining exercise and education to manage and prevent back pain. But many exercises are expensive, complicated, and require supervision.

Macquarie University's Spinal Pain Research Group tested if walking could be a simple and cheap solution. The trial included 701 adults who had recently recovered from back pain. People were split into two groups. Over six months, one group followed a walking program and attended six physiotherapist-led education sessions. The other group did not.

According to the study, those in the walking program had fewer severe pain episodes and took longer to get back pain. They averaged 208 days without pain, compared to 112 days for the control group.

Professor Mark Hancock, senior author and professor of physiotherapy, said the findings could change how we manage low back pain. "Walking is a low-cost, easy exercise that benefits spinal health, reduces stress, and makes people feel good," he said.

Dr. Natasha Pocovi, the lead author, said that the walking program extended pain-free periods and cut healthcare visits and time off work by about half. "Unlike other exercise programmes that need expensive equipment and supervision, walking is something almost everyone can do," she said.

The team hopes to use this approach on a regular basis for patients with back pain, which could change back pain treatment.