Is running bad for your back?

Running is often blamed for injuries that people who run get, but does running actually cause these injuries? 

One of those injuries or areas of pain that running is often blamed for is back pain and disc injuries. But does running actually cause back injuries? Is running bad for your back? Or could it be good? 

To find out, let's look at the research:

A 2017 study by Belavy et al. showed that runners had more hydrated lumbar discs and higher glycosaminoglycan levels, both signs of healthier spines, than more sedentary people. This seems positive...

A 2020 study by Mitchell et al. showed in middle-aged men that long term endurance running reduced age-related decline in lumbar intervertebral disc health. The study also showed that those who had been running for more years and running more miles per week had healthier discs than those running less. More good news...

​In 2024, Shu et al. did a comprehensive qualitative review of 2019 studies in existing literature to look at how running affects intervertebral discs because many believe running has negative impacts on spinal health. They concluded that running causes short-term temporary compression of the discs, squeezing water out of the discs, but long-term running has an overall positive effect on spinal disc health. Again, this is sounding very positive, but what effect would running have on people who already have some degenerative in their lumbar discs? Would running be harmful them? Or would running still be beneficial to their discs? 

That is the question Samanna et al. looked at in a new study published in March 2026. This study had people (50% woman - yay research including women!) complete a 12 week run/walk program and did MRIs on their lumbar spines before and after the 12 week intervention. Some of the findings were: 

• run/walk program was found to positively impact disc health
• the people who started with more degenerative saw the most positive improvements 

It also seemed that the people who saw the most benefit ran moderate distances and at moderate speeds and running on soft surfaces seemed to be positive. 

All of these studies show what most runners feel - running makes us feel better in many ways including our backs. So whether you already have back problems, or want to prevent them, running can a be a great way to do that. And all of us trail runners look to be doing wonderful things to help improve our spinal disc health and prevent future back problems.