Swimming Proves Incredibly Helpful For Chronic Back Pain Sufferers
Category: Back Pain | Author: Stefano Sinicropi | Date: August 12, 2026
If you’re a regular reader of our blog, you know that we almost always push for active interventions as a way to prevent and treat back issues. Physical therapy, stretching and regular exercise are common activities we recommend, but for the right patient, we may also recommend they put on their swim trunks and head to the pool a couple of times a week. Swimming can do wonders for the health of your spine and your whole body, and a new study found that you don’t have to swim like Michael Phelps for your spine to benefit from the activity. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at why swimming can be so helpful for an ailing spine.
Swimming For Back Pain Treatment
Chronic back pain is quite common as we age. In fact, statistics suggest that chronic back pain affects roughly 1 in 5 Americans. Millions of Americans deal with chronic back pain on a regular basis, but a solution may lie at the local YMCA or even in their own backyard.
New research suggests that swimming can do wonders for individuals dealing with chronic back pain issues. For the study, researchers recruited 76 adults between the ages of 26 and 74 who experienced persistent and bothersome back pain for more than three months. Participants had to be able to swim 25 meters independently, but none of them were classified as regular swimmers. Half of the participants were allocated into a swimming plus education group, while the other group only received educational resources about their condition and treatment options.
Participants in the swimming group were put through an eight-week individualized swimming program that was tailored to their ability and fitness level, with the goal of completing three 30-45 minute swimming sessions per week by the end of the program. Participants were also encouraged to continue swimming after the program ended. Both groups received similar educational resources.
At the end of the study, researchers found that participants in the swimming program reported:
- Improved function
- Less pain
- More confidence in their ability to manage future back pain.
Moreover, the average disability score reduced by more than 50% by the end of the eight-week program, meaning that participants were better able to perform daily tasks that had previously proved difficult. Overall, the swimming groups’ improvements were 30% greater than those in the education only group.
Swimming can improve your spine by strengthening muscles, improving flexibility and by allowing a person to exercise without some of the limitations or extra forces we experience on land, making it a perfect option for many back pain sufferers. However, there are also some potential obstacles to regularly pursuing swimming as a form of back pain treatment. It’s more costly than other forms of exercise, and it may not be available year-round if you live in colder climates without access to indoor pool options. That said, swimming can be more cost conscious and more effective than other passive forms of treatment, like opioids or corticosteroid injections.
The benefits were seen in participants who were not classified as regular swimmers, so all you need to do is commit to consistently swimming some laps at your local pool, and there’s a good chance that your back will soon feel stronger and more functional if you’ve battled chronic low back pain in the past. For more information on the ways that swimming can help you overcome chronic back pain, or to talk to a specialist about a specific spine issue you’re dealing with, pick up the phone and connect with Dr. Sinicropi and the team at Midwest Spine & Brain Institute today at (651) 430-3800.
