Why I Walk Backwards..... And Why You Should Too!

Why I Walk Backwards.....

And Why You Should Too!

Every time I go to the gym, I spend at least 5 minutes walking backwards on the treadmill. It's not a common sight, (and every once in a while I get a strange look) but it should be! Walking backwards is GREAT for the body!

     As a chiropractor, one of the biggest complaints I get from patients is that they are suffering from low back pain. It seems like everyone deals with it at some point in their lifetime. Our current lifestyle of sitting for hours every day only to add in set periods of "exercise" is not conducive to the health of our muscles and joints. However, this lifestyle is also inescapable for many of us. So we must ask the right questions. What is happening to our body when we sit for long periods of times that is causing pain? And, is there a quicker and easier fix than quitting the 9 to 5 and taking up a job as an outdoor enthusiast? 

   

1. What happens to our bodies when we sit for 

long periods of time?

    Sitting for long periods of times with no reprieve is bad for us. Period. We have studies showing the negative effects that sitting too long has on our brain, our mood, our organs, and even our digestion. But what exactly does it do to our muscles and joints to be the culprit of such widespread back pain? 

    First off, many of us sit slightly on our tailbone (or completely on our tailbone for some of you slouchers!) rather than sitting straight up on the bony part of our butt like we're supposed to. We lose that nice little arch (lordosis) in the low back, tilt the pelvis backwards, and now our hamstrings are in a constant state of contraction. When the hamstrings lose their flexibility, we are no longer able to tilt the pelvis forward. This then causes an increase in low back muscle and ligament tension, and you guessed it, pain. (1)

2. So is there an easy fix?

     I never like to say anything is easy, but if you have five minutes a day, you can start retraining all of those muscles in your lower back and legs to activate properly and become nice and healthy. All you have to do is walk backwards. 

     While walking backwards, hip extension and knee extension are greater than in forward walking. Greater hip extension opens up the spine and decreases the compressive forces on the spinal discs. Greater knee extension allows more range for the hamstring, increasing it's flexibility, and allowing the pelvis to tilt forward. Again, this forward pelvis tilt decreases compressive forces to the spinal discs. (2)

     Walking backwards is also easier on the joints of our lower body. Many people with low back pain tend to have issues in their hips, knees, or ankles as well. When we walk forward, we use a very heavy heel strike (the moment your heel touches the ground first). This puts a lot of stress on these joints and too much walking can be quite painful for people with arthritis of the hips, knees, and ankles. (3) While walking is normally seen as a good rehabilitation exercise, many overweight or arthritic individuals are unable to benefit from it due to too much stress on their joints. Walking backwards relieves some of this stress and can be a good way for people with pain in their joints to increase or keep the muscle strength in their legs.

Bottom line!

     Numerous studies have found that no matter who you are, walking backwards is beneficial to your body! It stretches out your hamstrings, reduces pressure on joints, has a greater cardiovascular benefit, activates your core muscles, and helps to train new neuronal pathways in your brain - keeping it healthier. Move forward with your health goals by walking backwards today!

yours in health,

dr samantha boldt

1) Phalen GS and Dickson JA. Spondylolisthesis and tight hamstrings. J Bone Joint Surg Am 43:505-512, 1961.

2) Journal of Exercise Physiology April 2011, Volume 14, Number 2.

3) Nor AM, Lyn KS. Effects of passive joint mobilization on patients with knee osteoarthritis. Sains Malays.2011;40:1461–5.