Why does my lower back hurt more when I walk backwards?

Many elderly people prefer to walk backwards. Walking backwards is indeed effective in promoting health, especially for the waist. However, if the method of walking backwards is improper, it may cause pain in the lower back. When walking backwards, you must master the correct posture and the amount of exercise should not be too much. You should alternate between slow walking and fast walking, which will achieve better results.

Walking backwards is good for your waist

Walking backwards has a health-care effect on the lumbar spine and acts as a buffer for the lumbar spine. Regular backward walking has a certain effect in treating lumbar disc herniation.

Walking backwards is very beneficial to the health of the waist because it allows the waist to be fully exercised.

This health-care posture is mainly suitable for middle-aged and elderly people, but not for children, because if children walk like this for a long time, it will cause lumbar deformation, etc., so it is best for people over 40 years old to do it.

In terms of sports and health, walking backwards can indeed strengthen the body, improve leg, hip and waist muscle strength, and help lose weight. Walking backwards is particularly helpful for the rehabilitation and health care of patients with lumbar diseases. Most of these diseases are caused by strain of the lumbar muscles, gluteal muscles, especially the external rotator muscles. When walking backwards, every time you lift your heel and step backwards, the pelvis tilts in the opposite direction of walking forward, which allows the injured muscles to get enough rest.

Things to note when walking backwards

1. Master your posture

When walking backwards, do not wear shoes with heels. Try to choose areas with few people and flat roads. Use your peripheral vision to observe whether there are people or obstacles around to avoid falling. You need to control your center of gravity, and adjust your stride size and speed according to your own conditions. The best time is 15 to 20 minutes. When walking backwards, try not to bend your knees and let your arms swing naturally. The amount of exercise should be enough to make you feel a little tired, slightly sweaty and out of breath.

2. Alternate with jogging and brisk walking for better results

When exercising, simply walking backwards is too monotonous and it is difficult to reach the speed of walking forward, so the intensity will not be too high and the fitness effect will not be ideal. It is recommended to do some backward walking exercises as a change when jogging or brisk walking. On the one hand, it can exercise your balance, and on the other hand, it is also a form of relaxation.

3. Some people are not suitable for walking backwards

Walking backwards has a slow frequency, low intensity, and low physical requirements, making it more suitable for people who are not suitable for strenuous exercise. However, this sport requires relatively high balance, coordination and reaction ability from people.

4. The old man walks backwards with his hands on his waist

Currently, backward walking exercise is popular among middle-aged and elderly fitness enthusiasts. The reactions of middle-aged and elderly people are not as sensitive as those of young people, so it is particularly important to pay attention to balance and prevent falls.

It is recommended that the elderly should warm up before doing backward walking exercises, and move their knees, ankles and feet; when walking backwards, they should choose a flat road and an environment with fewer people around; when walking, they should hold the waist from behind with both hands to maintain balance, and then change to natural swinging of the arms after the balance ability is improved; it is best to use a combination of forward and backward walking to exercise the muscles of all parts of the body.