Category: Back Pain | Author: Stefano Sinicropi | Date: October 9, 2025
When it comes to pursuing low impact exercise, walking and yoga are two of the most common activities that people pursue. Both activities can also be extremely beneficial for patients working to overcome a mild to moderate spinal issue. But is one intervention better than the other? In today’s blog, we explore whether walking or yoga is better for spine pain.
Walking Vs. Mind-Body Therapy
To get a better idea of the effectiveness of these two common treatment modalities for back pain, researchers reviewed a total of 31 previous trials that included nearly 3,200 patients. After combing through the data of these studies, researchers came to an interesting conclusion. They found that both treatments were effective, but in different ways:
- Yoga or similar mind-body therapies were found to be more effective in the short-term, but were not ideal for patients looking to find long-term relief from their back pain issue.
- Walking was effective (but less effective than yoga) for short-term back pain relief, but it typically led to better long-term results.
“Mind-body therapies, especially yoga, seem to be more effective in the short term, and walking seems to be more effective in the intermediate term, for the relief of pain and activity limitation in patients with chronic low back pain,” researchers concluded.
Researchers also pointed out that because each technique provided different benefits that it’s wise for most back pain sufferers to pursue a combination of each activity. Start with relatively simple walking and yoga routines, and slowly build up your distance or movement patterns as your body gets comfortable taking on more activity.
We always recommend trying to treat the problem in the long term, but find a treatment program that is right for your unique needs. Regardless of whether you decide to pursue walking, yoga or another activity, know that proactive, move-based treatments almost always yield better results than passive techniques like rest or medications. These proactive solutions get your heart pumping, improve strength, expand flexibility and help your body become more capable of handling the stress you put on it every single day, and this is what will drive long-term symptom relief.
Contact Dr. Sinicropi – Minnesota Back Pain Doctor
For individual advice on what may work best for your specific back pain issue, trust the experts at the Midwest Spine & Brain Institute. Dr. Sinicropi and his team will take the time to get to know you and figure out the best path forward for your unique issue. For more information, or for help overcoming a specific spinal concern, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi’s office today at (651) 430-3800.
Related
