Discover the Best Walking Routes in Downtown Ottawa to Alleviate Low Back Pain

As a Chiropractor, I often recommend walking as a simple yet effective way to alleviate lower back pain. Not only is it accessible to most people, but it also offers numerous health benefits.

Lower back pain is very common. Studies suggest that most people experience lower back pain multiple times in their lives. If you are having lower back pain, you might benefit from some chiropractic treatment or other forms of therapy. Treatment recommendations in multiple guidelines for lower back pain always include some form of exercise. Different types of exercise, like core strengthening and endurance, yoga, pilates, and weight lifting, have all been studied, and they all can help people who are suffering from lower back pain. Studies have not found that one type of exercise is better than another. One type of exercise that has been found to help lower back pain as much as other types is walking.

Walking around Ottawa has minimal barriers for improving lower back pain after successful chiropractic treatment.

If walking helps lower back pain as much as other types of exercise, it is something that we should often consider as part of a recovery from lower back pain or injury. Walking has multiple advantages over other types of exercise. One of the biggest advantages of walking to improve lower back pain is that most of us know how to walk. Some exercises like yoga, pilates, or core strengthening require some learning and instruction to start and repeat these exercises. Walking to improve lower back pain does not require any special equipment. It can be done almost anywhere at just about any time of year. The ease and convenience of a walking program for lower back pain should make this an obvious choice in many cases.

Ottawa has some great places to walk, making it easy to improve lower back pain near our chiropractic offices.

I am very lucky to have an office in one of Ottawa’s most walkable communities, Lowertown, which includes the Byward Market and everything between the Rideau River to the Rideau Canal and north of Rideau Street. There are many great walking options that one can choose in this neighborhood when walking to improve back pain. Here are some great options:

• Walking to and Around Major’s Hill Park: Major’s Hill Park is one of the best places to go walking in the city of Ottawa, with spectacular views of Parliament Hill, the Chateau Laurier, and the National Art Gallery. One can enjoy some of Ottawa’s greatest architecture from multiple eras.

• The National Art Gallery: If the weather is gloomy, which is often between November and April, one can walk around the National Art Gallery. There are always interesting exhibitions and even activities for kids. One of my favourite things about the National Art Gallery is the Forty-Part Motet, inside a reconstruction of the Rideau Street Chapel.

• So Many Good Coffee Shops: Lowertown is home to many good coffee shops. I am lucky that my office is close to Bamm’s Snack Shack, which has some of the best doughnuts and baked goods in town.

• Charming Streets: There are multiple pockets of Lowertown that have been built in different eras of Ottawa’s history. This is evident when walking around the area near the Bruyere Hospital.

Walking is a good option for relief and improvement when one is suffering from lower back pain. Lowertown is an excellent neighbourhood for walking because of many options for beautiful views, tasty snacks, or family-friendly activities. When walking to improve lower back pain, it is important to walk for 5-15 minutes (but one can walk for longer if it feels comfortable) and to walk at a faster-than-normal pace.

If you are suffering from an injury, it is critical to seek personalized health care from a healthcare professional. The contents of this blog post are meant to be entertaining and informative but are not a substitute for the assessment, treatment, and advice from a licensed healthcare provider.