People can manage their back pain by increasing their daily activity and reducing their sitting time, according to a study published online Sept. 28, 2024, by BMJ Open.
Investigators looked at 64 overweight or obese adults with ongoing back pain who did moderate-to-vigorous activity less than two hours a week and were sedentary more than 10 hours a day. The participants were divided into two groups. Those in one group wore hip accelerometers (devices that measure movement) for at least 10 hours a day and were encouraged to reduce their daily sedentary time by at least one hour. The others continued their sedentary lifestyle.
Over six months, those who wore accelerometers, on average, increased their moderate-to-vigorous daily activity by 20 minutes and decreased their sedentary time by 40 minutes. While their back pain did not improve, they did report that their pain did not worsen, whereas the people in the sedentary group reported a rise in back pain intensity. The results add to existing evidence that even small changes in daily activity — moving more and sitting less — can benefit people with back pain.