Swimming could be an effective treatment for the more than 10 million Britons with chronic back pain

By MEIKE LEONARD, HEALTH REPORTER Published: 01:11, 26 July 2026 | Updated: 01:28, 26 July 2026 Swimming could be an effective treatment for chronic back pain, research has found. More than 10million Britons are estimated to suffer back pain each year, with lower back pain the leading cause of disability. Treatments range from physiotherapy to anti-inflammatory pills. But research shows up to nine in ten chronic back pain patients see little relief from non-surgical therapies. Now researchers from the Spinal Pain Research Centre at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, say they may have found a better way to relieve back pain – swimming. They created two groups from 76 patients aged 26 to 74 who had suffered lower back pain for at least three months. One set were given an eight-week swimming programme – doing laps for three 30-to-45 minute sessions a week – as well as four physiotherapy sessions. The other group had physiotherapy but no swimming – instead continuing with their usual treatment and activity. After eight weeks, back pain lessened by about 50 per cent in the swimming group, said lead researcher Deborah Wareham. Swimming could be an effective treatment for chronic back pain, research has found The benefits of regular swimming lasted at six-month, and yearly, follow ups – though the differences between the two groups reduced over time. Guidelines worldwide recommend exercise as a first-line treatment for chronic low back pain but only some types, such as pilates, have been clinically evaluated. ‘The argument for swimming in back pain is logical but it was important to test this,’ said Professor Mark Hancock, co-director of the Spinal Pain Research Centre. ‘Swimming can improve range of motion, strength and general aerobic capacity and the buoyancy of water can help people engage with movements that might otherwise be painful. ‘Patients told us swimming built their confidence to start exercising and engage with other physical activities – some continued to swim after the programme, others transitioned to other forms of exercise.’