Michael Mosley says one unusual walking habit can help with back and knee pain

Michael Mosley has revealed that one unusual action that you can perform at home, outside or at the gym can help to lower your back pain.

The health expert, known for his famous Fast 800 and 5:2 diets, shared a new simple hack to get rid of back ache - while also sharpening your memory.

Speaking on the diet guru's Just One Thing podcast, he stated that the simple act of walking backwards has a lot of "real benefits" to the body, including pain in your back and knees.

He added the technique, which is often used in physiotherapy, not only improves your mobility but can even help your memory, according to previous scientific research.

Mosley explained: "It takes more energy, burns a few more calories than going forward, but most of all, it helps with those twinges that I sometimes get in my lower back and knees.

"This is a technique that has been used in physiotherapy for decades to rehabilitate lower leg injuries. You can improve your gait and mobility, and there are a surprising number of good scientific studies showing that walking backwards can even sharpen your memory and problem solving skills."

He said that people can perform this act anywhere, including at the gym on a treadmill, at home or outside - so long as you have a clear path or another set of eyes.

The expert continued: "It gives your brain a boost, uses more energy than walking forwards and also, when you walk backwards, you use different muscles and there is some interesting research on the benefits for your back.

"It is also a very ancient practice. It is thought to have originated in China, where it remains popular to this day. In fact, the Chinese have a saying - 100 steps backwards are worth 1000 steps forward - and there might well be something to this.

"One of the early American pioneers was Patrick Harmon who, more than a century ago, walked backwards from San Francisco to New York City."

Michael noted that physiotherapists have used this technique up until today in order to treat back pain, as well as someone's balance and gait - which is each individual's manner of walking.

He discussed the benefits of walking backwards for lower back pain, saying: "There is a surprising amount of research into the impacts of retro walking, as it is sometimes called. And, if you are looking for a low impact exercise, this might be one for you.

For starters, you burn more calories than you would if you walk forward. Studies have found that walking backwards uses about 30 per cent more energy, compared to walking forward at the same speed.

"A south African study found that healthy volunteers lost an average of 2.5 per cent of their body fat when they added backwards walking to their exercise regime.

"Why might that be? Well, backwards walking uses muscles that are less active during forward walking, such as your calves and shins, as well as your quadriceps - which is the large muscle at the front of your thigh."

"A small Texan study found that blood lactate levels were three times higher when walking backwards, and that is a measure of how hard the muscles are working."

Michael also added that walking backwards can even boost a person's memory in the short term, as he said: "What is perhaps more surprising is that reverse walking seems to boost short-term memory.

"Researchers from the University of Royal Hampton in the UK asked 100 volunteers to watch a video then walk either forwards, backwards or, stand still.

"Bizarrely, the walking backwards group consistently remembered more about the video than either of the others."

For more information on this unusual phenomenon, visit the BBC Sounds website and check out the Just One Thing podcast by Michael Mosley.

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