Walking three times a week ‘nearly halves’ recurrence of low back pain

‘You don’t need to be walking 5 or 10km every day to get the benefits,’ said the study’s senior author. ‘Start with short walks.’ Photograph: Halfpoint Images/Getty Images

Walking three times a week to ease back pain almost halves the risk of its recurrence, according to the first study of its kind.

About 800 million people worldwide have low back pain, and seven in 10 who recover experience flare-ups within a year.