It's estimated that over 80 percent of our population experience lower back pain at some point in their lives. Walking can help, but a new study shows another simple lifestyle change also keeps back pain from getting worse: Stop sitting so much.

A recent Finnish study investigated whether reducing the amount of daily sitting could prevent or relieve back pain. The participants in the study were 64 adults who, according to their BMI (Body Mass Index), were either obese or overweight.

“…[T]he main idea is to change your normal sitting habits for the better — be it reducing from 10 to eight hours per day or from eight to seven hours per day.”

Before the start of the trial, the researchers from the Turku PET (Positron Emission Tomography) Centre and UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research in Finland measured the volunteers' physical activity and sedentary behavior by having them each wear an accelerometer for about a month. An accelerometer is a motion-sensing device that keeps track of physical activity by detecting acceleration patterns and movement.

According to the accelerometer data, the participants, who in addition to being overweight had metabolic syndrome and therefore had an increased risk for diabetes and heart disease, spent less than two hours a week engaging in moderate to vigorous physical activity. They were sedentary for 10 hours or more, or at least 60 percent of the time that they were wearing the device.

The researchers divided the volunteers into two groups: 1) a control group who continued with their usual behavior; 2) the intervention group that tried to reduce the amount of time they spent sitting by an hour each day. On average, they increased their moderate to vigorous physical activity by 20 minutes a day and decreased their sedentary behavior by 40 minutes a day.

Overall, the researchers found that increasing daily activity can help keep back pain from getting worse, compared to continuing with a sedentary lifestyle. In fact, spending as little as 40 minutes less time sitting improved back pain, according to results gathered from PET and MRI scans on a subsample of 44 participants.

“Back pain is a common and sometimes disabling complaint. Previous research has suggested prolonged sitting might be a risk for back pain, but our study was among the first to actually investigate what happens if you start sitting less,” Jooa Norha, doctoral researcher, physiotherapist, and the study's lead author, said in a press release.

Spending as little as 40 minutes less time sitting improved back pain.

“And indeed,” Norha added, “we did find that limiting your daily sitting time helps to prevent back pain. No single threshold for a ‘safe' amount of sitting can be given for many reasons, but the main idea is to change your normal sitting habits for the better — be it reducing from 10 to eight hours per day or from eight to seven hours per day.”

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) recommends the following as ways to ease back pain:

  • Exercise: Try to be active daily and include a variety of exercises that improve flexibility and strength, like yoga, tai chi, swimming or Pilates. You can also try weight-bearing exercises that challenge your balance.
  • Warm up: Before exercising, warm up your muscles to reduce the risk of injury.
  • Maintain a healthy weight: Being overweight can put extra stress on your back. Improve your posture: Avoid slouching, and practice good posture when sitting or standing. A strong abdominal core takes strain off the back.
  • Support your back: When sitting or standing, find ways to give your back support, perhaps with a pillow or lean back against a wall.
  • Avoid lifting heavy objects: If you do need to lift something heavy, use your leg and abdominal muscles instead of your back.
  • Eat a healthy diet: Foods rich in calcium and vitamin D can help keep the bones in your spine strong.

The study is published in BMJ Open.