How can you determine if you're walking too much for your health condition?

Reviewed by Courtney Bloomer, DO

Emergency Medicine

You can tell you might be walking too much if you feel persistent pain, fatigue, or if everyday activities become increasingly hard. Monitoring your body’s signals and working with your healthcare team can help you adjust your walking routine.

Explanation

If you have a health condition, especially one that affects your muscles or joints, it’s important to listen to your body when walking. Studies show that people with neuromuscular diseases, for example, feel a high level of strain from walking—even in normal daily activities. If you notice that you feel very tired, have increased muscle soreness, or experience pain during or after you walk, you might be pushing your body too far. Also, if everyday tasks or other physical activities become more difficult, that is a sign that your walking may be too strenuous. For older adults, even though walking can protect against conditions like low back pain, too much can also cause discomfort if your body isn’t used to it. Keeping track of how long you walk, your breathing effort, and any discomfort in your muscles or joints is a good idea. Talk to your healthcare provider about what is safe and helpful based on your personal health needs.

(References)

Oorschot S, Voorn E, Van Groenestijn A, Nollet F, Brehm M. Physical strain of walking in people with neuromuscular diseases is high and relates to step activity in daily life. J Rehabil Med. 2024 Jun 7;56:jrm40026. doi: 10.2340/jrm.v56.40026. PMID: 38850055; PMCID: PMC11182032.
Park SM, Kim GU, Kim HJ, Kim H, Chang BS, Lee CK, Yeom JS. Walking more than 90minutes/week was associated with a lower risk of self-reported low back pain in persons over 50years of age: a cross-sectional study using the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Spine J. 2019 May;19(5):846-852. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2018.11.007. Epub 2018 Nov 15. PMID: 30448632.
LaRoche DP, Melanson EL, Baumgartner MP, Bozzuto BM, Libby VM, Marshall BN. Physiological determinants of walking effort in older adults: should they be targets for physical activity intervention? Geroscience. 2018 Jun;40(3):305-315. doi: 10.1007/s11357-018-0032-0. Epub 2018 Jun 30. PMID: 29961239; PMCID: PMC6060191.

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