Introduction: Lower back pain is nowadays among the top health concerns worldwide and is defined as pain or unease below the margin of the last ribs and above the inferior gluteal lines. It can spread along lower limbs, and it can be accompanied by tenderness or rigidity of the muscles. It has a 60-85 % prevalence during an individual’s lifetime, in 90 % of all cases, there is no specific cause for the pain, so-called non-specific pain, which can occur in all age groups. In previous years there has been a lot of research done on therapeutic exercises and their effects on lower back pain. However, little is known about backward walking and its effects on lower back pain. Purpose: Based on a literature review, this diploma work aimed to investigate the effects of backward walking on people suffering from lower back pain. Methods: The literature research was conducted in different databases such as DiKUL, PubMed, ScienceDirect, ResearchGate and Cobiss. The following words in English were used: backward walk, back pain, retro walk, lumbar pain, chronic pain, and in Slovene: vzvratna hoja, bolečina, bolečina v križu. Results: Six articles, five randomized trials and one review met inclusion criteria and were included in further analysis. The results showed that reverse walking decreases pain and enhances balance but does not increase range of motion or muscle trunk strength. Discussion and conclusion: Backward walking is effective in reducing lower back pain. Future research should investigate the effects of backward walking on range of motion, balance and muscle strength among patients with lower back pain.
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