It’s easy to overlook one of the simplest and most powerful ways to support our health: walking. While it may seem basic, walking is one of the most natural movements for the human body and has profound effects on your spine, nervous system and overall well-being.
Walking and Your Spine
Walking isn’t just good for your legs, it’s essential for spinal health. The gentle, rhythmic motion of walking encourages movement through the joints of the spine, improves circulation to the discs and helps maintain the spine’s natural curves. Regular walking reduces stiffness, improves posture and supports the corrections made during your care.
Benefits of Walking for your structural health
- Enhances Joint Mobility & Reduces Stiffness: Regular walking keeps your joints moving smoothly, maintaining flexibility and preventing stiffness. During ABC™ care, this gentle movement can support the unwinding process of the body, allowing the spine, pelvis and other joints to adapt to their new alignment comfortably.
- Improves Circulation and Supports Healing: Movement increases blood flow, delivering oxygen and nutrients to muscles, tissues and the spine. This enhanced circulation supports the body’s natural healing processes, including reducing inflammation and aiding recovery.
- Promotes Nervous System Function: Walking stimulates proprioception, improving your body’s awareness of position and movement. This enhanced feedback allows the nervous system to coordinate posture and balance more effectively, supporting overall health and reinforcing structural corrections.
- Enhances Mental Well-Being: Walking helps lower stress hormones, promotes endorphin release and improves mood. These benefits support the holistic approach of ABC™ care, allowing the body and mind to recover and adapt more efficiently.
Walking and its benefits for Your Care Journey
During care, what you do between adjustments matters just as much as what happens in the practice. Sitting for long hours, poor sleeping positions and lack of movement can undo the progress you’re making. Walking is one of the easiest and most effective habits you can add to your daily routine to reinforce your care. You don’t have to be walking for miles, a 10minute walk after your adjustment can help the body begin integrating the structural changes.
Walking encourages natural movement patterns that help maintain proper spinal alignment, through reinforcing the body’s natural ability to hold structural corrections by engaging muscles evenly and reducing stress on the spine. This can help the adjustments to integrate more effectively.
However, what you wear matters. Barefoot shoes can encourage even weight-bearing through the feet and prevent compensations that would otherwise push forces unevenly into the spine. This can help maintain the benefits of your adjustment. Check out our article on why we recommend barefoot shoes.
Step Into Better Health
Walking is a low-impact, natural way to maintain spinal health, improve nervous system function and enhance overall well-being. It’s simple and an essential habit for anyone looking to optimise their health and enhance their well being journey.
References and Further Reading
- Bai, X., Soh, K.G., Omar Dev, R.D., Talib, O., Xiao, W. and Cai, H., 2021. Effect of brisk walking on health-related physical fitness balance and life satisfaction among the elderly: A systematic review. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, p. 829367. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.829367.
- Balpande, Meena & Siddiqui, Saima. (2022). Effect of walking exercise on the human body. International journal of health sciences. 10.53730/ijhs.v6nS1.6977.
- Cole, Andrew (2023) how Walking Supports back health. Accessed: 18/09/2025 URL: https://www.spine-health.com/wellness/exercise/how-walking-improves-back-health?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- Ungvari Z, Fazekas-Pongor V, Csiszar A, Kunutsor SK. The multifaceted benefits of walking for healthy aging: from Blue Zones to molecular mechanisms. Geroscience. 2023 Dec;45(6):3211-3239. doi: 10.1007/s11357-023-00873-8. Epub 2023 Jul 26. PMID: 37495893; PMCID: PMC10643563
- Xu Z, Zheng X, Ding H, Zhang D, Cheung P, Yang Z, Tam K, Zhou W, Chan D, Wang W, Wong S The Effect of Walking on Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis JMIR Public Health Surveill 2024;10:e48355 URL: https://publichealth.jmir.org/2024/1/e48355 DOI: 10.2196/48355
