Walking is wonderful medicine.  It is all natural and, in fact, you were built to walk!

Walking can help you be happier, healthier and stronger. It has a TON of health benefits! And it can help you reduce or totally get rid of your lower back pain and anxiety and stress.

You see, you were built to move. We all were. Movement reduces stress. Not moving lets stressful feelings grow.

Movement keeps muscles and joints working well. Not moving helps create muscle and joint pain.

And walking is one of the most natural, simple and easy ways for you to start moving. It’s one of the least expensive, too. If you have two feet and a comfortable pair of shoes, you’re most of the way there.

I remember when I worked in an office all day. Lots of folks think that would be a pretty cushy job. But sitting all day is hard work! Your body isn’t moving. Muscle stress builds and so does mental stress.

By the time I got home, I didn’t feel so well. Tight back and shoulders. Tense.

Is that you?  Are you stuck in a seated position most of the day?  And now your lower back hurts?

Well, no surprise there.

Here’s what I did every day after work.  I changed into comfortable clothes and comfy shoes that supported my arches and off I went. I walked through the neighborhood. I planned my route so that when I began to slow down and get tired I could still get home.

Everyone develops a different walking pattern and you will find the one that feels best to you. I tend to take off fast, arms pumping. In about ten minutes I would feel my stress sliding off me like a stick of butter melting.

I love that feeling!

Did you know that having stressful feelings can add to your back pain?

Now let’s talk about muscles. Muscles love to move but for many reasons–work, habits, school–sometimes we get away from moving our muscles. Poor muscles! They get unhappy. They develop pain (that’s how they complain.) They do so wish they were being used again.

Your leg bones are attached through your hips to your spine.

Your leg muscles attach directly to the spine bones in your lower back.

Walking moves your joints.  It helps lubricate them.  It also uses all of the muscles that attach to your hips and spine.  Walking helps get those muscles back in balance.  Sitting got them out of balance; walking reverses that.

Even if your lower back pain is severe–unless there is immediate danger to your nerves (your doctor will know)–you can get benefit from walking.  You might not be able to go very far at first, maybe only a few dozen feet.  But you will most likely discover that over time you can walk a bit farther each week.

Okay, you’re almost convinced but maybe you have aches and pains in your feet that keep you from walking.

Sometimes your feet hurt because you need support under your arches. If that’s you, look for a shoe or arch support (that slips into your shoe) that holds your arch up. That can prevent strain in your arch muscles.

Sometimes feet hurt because we wear shoes that are too small. At one point, my baby toes and the next toes to them were not comfortable. It took me quite a while to realize the problem was that my shoes were too short. They did not press on the ends of my longer toes; they just squashed my outer toes.

So NOT walking–sitting– can cause backaches and pain (because bodies love to move.) And starting to walk again can help you get rid of backaches and lower back pains!

Doctors are sometimes way too quick to offer surgery as a cure.  That happened to my friend, Glenn.  His doctor said, “Well, you can have surgery.”

The problem with surgery is that it often doesn’t help and it changes part of your body forever!  (There are times when we do need surgery but not nearly as often as it is offered.)

And you know what?

My friend walked away from his lower back pain…by walking.  🙂

My goal is to help you avoid surgery, too.

I’m Kathryn Merrow, The Pain Relief Coach, and I look forward to helping you take the “steps” you need to take to get rid of the pain in your lower back naturally and feel well again.