Dr. Michal Katz-Leurer at Tel Aviv University’s Stanley Steyer School of Health Professions at the Sackler faculty of medicine and colleague Ilana Shnayderman, As a graduate student at the physical therapy department and a practicing physiotherapist at Maccabi Health Care, I discovered in a small-scale study that daily aerobic exercise for 20 minutes gradually increased to 40 minutes as endurance was built was just as effective as the twice-weekly exercise routine typical of physical therapy clinics for back pain.
The walking in the above trial was “aerobic,” meaning that participants were not just strolling along. A slow walk, while not as damaging as high-impact activities such as running, compresses the low back at a steady, constant rate and does not flex the spine.
Faster walking allows more movement and motion in the spine, especially when swinging arms are added. This ups the aerobic ante, too, allowing not only for therapeutic relief of back pain but also cardiovascular benefits.