SynthesisEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2010
The effectiveness of walking as an intervention for low back pain: a systematic review.
Synthesis in European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Comparative effectiveness of interventions incorporating physical activity in individuals with comorbid low back pain and depressive symptoms: a systematic review with network meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2026Pooled it
- Efficacy and characteristics of physiotherapy interventions in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis: a systematic review.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Should exercises be painful in the management of chronic musculoskeletal pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis.British journal of sports medicine · 2017Pooled it
- A systematic review of studies using pedometers as an intervention for musculoskeletal diseases.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2014Pooled it
- Incorporating walking into cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain: safety and effectiveness of a personalized walking intervention.Journal of behavioral medicine · 2021Trial
- A randomized controlled trial investigating effects of an individualized pedometer driven walking program on chronic low back pain.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Walking away from back pain: one step at a time - a community-based randomised controlled trial.BMC public health · 2015Trial
- Pedometer-driven walking for chronic low back pain: a feasibility randomized controlled trial.The Clinical journal of pain · 2013Trial
- Pedometer-based internet-mediated intervention for adults with chronic low back pain: randomized controlled trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2013Trial
- Veterans walk to beat back pain: study rationale, design and protocol of a randomized trial of a pedometer-based internet mediated intervention for patients with chronic low back pain.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2010Trial
- Community-driven, culturally tailored interventions for MSK pain in Black/African Americans: A scoping review.The journal of pain · 2026Article
- The effect of walking speed on spinal loads and trunk muscle forces using subject-specific musculoskeletal modeling: A database for clinical and modeling applications.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Article
- Empowering Self-Management of Chronic Low Back Pain Among Spanish and Cantonese Speakers in the United States.Cureus · 2025Article
- Virtual reality skateboarding training for balance and functional performance in degenerative lumbar spine disease.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2024Article
- The Role of Physical Exercise in Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: Best Medicine-A Narrative Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Role of non‑coding RNAs in cartilage endplate (Review).Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2023Review
- An R Shiny App for a Chronic Lower Back Pain Study, Personalized N-of-1 Trial.Harvard data science review · 2022Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
As current low back pain (LBP) guidelines do not specifically advocate walking as an intervention, this review has explored for the effectiveness of walking in managing acute and chronic LBP. CINAHL, Medline, AMED, EMBASE, PubMed, Cochrane and Scopus databases, as well as a hand search of reference lists of retrieved articles, were searched. The search was restricted to studies in the English language. Studies were included when walking was identified as an intervention. Four studies met inclusion criteria, and were assessed with a quality checklist. Three lower ranked studies reported a reduction in LBP from a walking intervention, while the highest ranked study observed no effect. Heterogeneity of study design made it difficult to draw comparisons between studies. There is only low-moderate evidence for walking as an effective intervention strategy for LBP. Further investigation is required to investigate the strength of effect for walking as a primary intervention in the management of acute and chronic LBP.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.