Walk More, Hurt Less: How Daily Steps Protect Against Chronic Back Pain (2025)

Study Finds 100 Minutes of Walking Per Day Reduces Risk of Chronic Low Back Pain

Back pain is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. For years, the link between physical activity and chronic low back pain has been known. However, there has been little effort in finding exactly how much walking is enough to make a difference.

A new 2025 study in JAMA Network Open provides some answers. Unlike earlier research that relied on self-reported activity, this study tracked participants with accelerometers, giving a precise read on their daily walking habits. They 

The Study: Volume and Intensity of Walking and Risk of Chronic Low Back Pain (2025)

Are daily walking volume and walking intensity associated with the risk of chronic low back pain? That's the question these researchers sought to answer.

To do this, they used data from the Trøndelag Health (HUNT) Study, a well-respected population-based cohort study of the adult population in Trøndelag County, Norway. This study employs various methods to monitor multiple health indicators, including interviews, clinical examinations, laboratory tests, and questionnaires.

Researchers looked at the data of 11,194 Norwegian adults (average age ~52). 

• Baseline Data taken from 2017 to 2019 
• Follow-up took place from 2021 to 2023
• Data included at least a valid day of device-measured walking

As the researchers examined both walking duration and walking intensity, they tracked both variables.

• Volume: minutes spent walking per day
• Intensity: average pace measured in metabolic equivalents (METs)

At follow-up, participants reported whether they had developed chronic low back pain. This was defined as having pain or stiffness in the lower back for 3 months.

The team then analyzed the relationship between walking volume and intensity and future risk.

Researchers Found: 100 Minutes of Walking a Day Can Reduce Back Pain Risk

The researchers discovered that both daily walking and mean intensity had an inverse correlation with chronic lower back pain. However, this only occurred with smaller amounts of walking volume, when the number of steps remained the greatest indicator.

Still, the relationship was clearest when examining walking volume and the duration of daily walks, rather than the speed at which people walked.

• Volume was king: Walking longer each day consistently lowered risk.
• 100 minutes/day sweet spot: Around 100 minutes of walking per day was linked to a 23% lower risk of developing chronic low back pain compared to walking less than ~78 minutes/day.
• Diminishing returns after 100 minutes: Beyond 100 minutes, benefits leveled off — walking more still helped, but gains were smaller.
• Intensity was more effective to a point: Faster walking was effective once researchers accounted for total time walked, and speed had little added value.
• Older adults gained the most: The association was strongest in adults over 65, suggesting walking may be especially beneficial later in life.

How To Use Walking To Prevent Chronic Back Pain

The therapeutic benefits of walking for chronic back pain have been recognized for years. It's believed to occur through several mechanisms, as walking can

• Strengthens spinal stabilizers 
• Boosts circulation to transport more oxygen and nutrients
• Counteracts the stiffness caused by sitting
• Preserves mobility and prevents deconditioning

The fact that duration mattered more than speed suggests it's the accumulated movement that makes the difference, not intensity. This further provides evidence for the benefits of a daily walking habit.

How Daily Walking Improves Back Pain and Overall Health

We have spoken about the importance of walking numerous times in the past; this is a testament to how powerful this simple exercise can be.

This study suggests that for back pain, you should aim for around 100 minutes a day. This generally comes out to about 6,000–8,000 steps. Keep in mind that these steps aren't necessarily from exercise, which is why the volume is a bit lower than you'd expect.

Again, this is a good example of how it's not the intensity that matters, but rather the duration. However, it's good not to get too caught up in specific numbers. Realize that 100 minutes a day is for back pain. Other numbers include;

• 12,500+ steps per day = greatest drop in all-cause mortality (Rodriguez-Gutierrez et al., 2024).
• 3,143 steps/day = minimum threshold for protection against all-cause mortality (Rodriguez-Gutierrez et al., 2024).
• 1,000 extra steps/day = 15% lower risk of all-cause mortality; every 500 steps lowered CVD risk by 7% (Maciej et al., 2023).
• 3,867 steps/day = significant reduction in all-cause mortality (Maciej et al., 2023).
• 2,337 steps/day = reduced cardiovascular complications (Maciej et al., 2023).
• Below 10,000 steps/day = still strong health benefits (Hall et al., 2020).

Regardless, if you're dealing with chronic low back pain, hitting 100 minutes of daily walking is a great target. It's free, brings a host of other benefits, and appears to be effective in reducing the long-term risk of chronic low back pain. 

Combine walking with a few of these lower back exercises, and you'll be feeling better and stronger soon.

References

1. Bjørn Olav Åsvold et. al, Cohort Profile Update: The HUNT Study, Norway, International Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 52, Issue 1, February 2023, Pages e80–e91, https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyac095
2. Haddadj J, et al. Volume and Intensity of Walking and Risk of Chronic Low Back Pain. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(9):e2435269 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2835297 
3. Hall, K.S., Hyde, E.T., Bassett, D.R. et al. Systematic review of the prospective association of daily step counts with risk of mortality, cardiovascular disease, and dysglycemia. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 17, 78 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-020-00978-9 
4. Maciej Banach et. al, Lipid and Blood Pressure Meta-analysis Collaboration (LBPMC) Group and the International Lipid Expert Panel (ILEP), The association between daily step count and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: a meta-analysis, European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, Volume 30, Issue 18, December 2023, Pages 1975–1985, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwad229 
5. Rodríguez-Gutiérrez, E., Torres-Costoso, A., Del Pozo Cruz, B., de Arenas-Arroyo, S. N., Pascual-Morena, C., Bizzozero-Peroni, B., & Martínez-Vizcaíno, V. (2024). Daily steps and all-cause mortality: An umbrella review and meta-analysis. Preventive medicine, 185, 108047. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2024.108047