Why moving beats resting for most back pain
Bed rest feels right when your back hurts, but the NHS says staying active helps you recover faster. Here is how to keep moving safely.
Should I rest or keep moving with back pain?
For most back pain, keep moving. The NHS advises staying active and carrying on with daily activities, because long bed rest slows recovery. Use gentle movement such as walking or yoga, an ice pack for new pain and heat for stiffness, and see a doctor if it is no better after a few weeks.
Key takeaways
- Staying active helps most back pain recover faster than bed rest.
- Gentle yoga, walking and swimming ease pain and help stop it coming back.
- Use cold for new pain and swelling, and heat for stiffness.
- Get urgent help for numbness or weakness in both legs.
When your back hurts, lying down can feel like the obvious fix. But the NHS advises the opposite for most back pain: stay active and carry on with your daily activities as much as you can.
Small, gentle movement
Gentle mobility such as Cat–Cow and Knees to Chest warms the spine without loading it. Walking, swimming, yoga and pilates all help ease back pain and stop it coming back.
Heat or cold?
Use a wrapped ice pack for new pain and swelling, and a wrapped hot water bottle for stiffness and muscle spasms.
When to get help
See a doctor if the pain is no better after a few weeks or is worse at night. Get urgent help for numbness or weakness in both legs, or new bladder or bowel problems.
Try our yoga sequence for lower back pain.
Sources: NHS, Back pain; Williams et al., Iyengar yoga for chronic low back pain.
Frequently asked questions
Is bed rest good for back pain?
Not for long. Short rests are fine when pain is bad, but staying in bed for long periods slows recovery. The NHS advises keeping as active as you can.
Should I use heat or ice on back pain?
Use a wrapped ice pack for new pain and swelling, and a wrapped hot water bottle or heat pack for stiffness and muscle spasms.
When should I see a doctor about back pain?
See a doctor if the pain has not improved after a few weeks, stops you doing daily activities or is worse at night. Get urgent help for numbness or weakness in both legs.