Walking Backwards: Can This TikTok Trend Really Protect Your Knees?

Social media fitness enthusiasts suggest that walking backwards is an effective exercise to strengthen muscles and ligaments and support weight management.

Last year, international TikTok creators frequently highlighted the benefits of walking backwards on a treadmill.

Fitness influencer @chaysembyrd shared that practicing backward walking for six months improved her coordination, posture, and joint health, including her knees. Another popular creator, @jayoffline, reported enhanced leg strength, better balance, and healthier knees thanks to this exercise.

Chiropractors, despite being a non-scientific treatment group, also praise this unique exercise. For example, Dr. Alan Mandell, with 8 million YouTube subscribers, recommends walking backwards for 50 minutes weekly to build muscle, alleviate joint pain, improve posture, and burn 30% more calories. Chiropractor Matt Wiest has also advised backward walking to patients experiencing knee pain.

We decided to investigate whether walking backwards truly offers these benefits, who can benefit most, and how to perform it correctly.

Is Walking Backwards Truly Beneficial for Health?

This exercise is sometimes used in physical therapy to address various issues.

Dmitry Sumin

Cardiologist and Rehabilitation Specialist, Senior Physician at the Early Rehabilitation Clinic “Three Sisters”.

Walking backwards is a common test used by physical therapists to assess a patient’s balance and coordination. If a patient struggles or risks falling while walking backwards, the therapist may recommend support or assistance.

This exercise can also be part of rehabilitation programs, but only in specific cases.

Can Walking Backwards Improve Knee Health?

Walking backwards involves shorter steps, less bending of the knees, and reduced sideways movement, which decreases joint stress.

So far, only one study has demonstrated benefits of backward walking for knees.

In this study, patients with osteoarthritis walked backwards for 10 minutes, three times a week. After six weeks, they experienced less knee pain and improved joint function compared to the control group.

However, this single small study is insufficient to declare the exercise effective for everyone, especially beyond middle-aged osteoarthritis patients. Participants also engaged in other rehabilitation exercises such as squats, leg presses, and static muscle strengthening.

Dmitry Sumin

Backward walking makes sense and can be effective for patients who specifically struggle with this skill. For healthy individuals not undergoing rehabilitation, it can serve as coordination training but should not be expected to prevent diseases.

Does Walking Backwards Enhance Balance?

Three Chinese studies found that 30 minutes of backward walking, three times weekly, helped stroke survivors regain balance, improve leg function, and increase walking speed.

A small study with healthy participants also showed improvements in balance during walking.

However, for healthy individuals without gait or balance issues, the impact might be minimal.

If you've had a stroke and want to recover limb function, consult your physical therapist about including backward walking.

Does Walking Backwards Aid Weight Loss?

Walking backwards involves quicker, shorter steps and activates different muscles than forward walking. This challenges the brain and muscles more, resulting in higher calorie expenditure.

Research shows that walking forward at 3.1 mph (5 km/h) raises heart rate to about 113 bpm, whereas walking backwards at the same speed elevates it to approximately 132 bpm. Higher heart rate correlates with increased calorie burn, indicating backward walking is more energy-intensive.

However, another study on soccer referees found no difference in heart rates during backward walking, likely because they were accustomed to this movement.

Even so, backward walking expends more energy: walking forward at 3.7 mph (6 km/h) burns roughly 1.8 kcal per minute, while walking backwards at the same pace burns about 5.6 kcal per minute.

Therefore, if running isn't an option, backward walking can help burn more calories than forward walking at the same speed. Whether this leads to significant weight loss remains uncertain.

Dmitry Sumin

Although backward walking burns more calories, this alone does not prove it will cause weight loss. Serious health benefits require extensive, rigorous studies.

Can Walking Backwards Cause Harm?

For healthy individuals, walking backwards is unlikely to cause harm if performed at a safe speed and while holding onto support rails.

If you have balance difficulties, are recovering from lower limb injuries, or suffer joint pain, consult a physical therapist before trying this exercise.

Improper technique or excessive strain may lead to falls, new injuries, or worsened pain.

How to Safely Practice Walking Backwards

Follow these steps to perform backward walking safely:

1. Stand on a treadmill facing away from the screen. Attach the safety clip to your clothing if available.
2. Start at the lowest speed, holding onto the handrails for support.
3. Place your feet down on your toes first, then roll onto your heels as you straighten your knees.
4. Once confident, gradually increase speed to 2–2.5 mph (3–4 km/h).
5. When finished, turn off the treadmill but keep walking until the belt stops moving.

Begin with 5 to 10 minutes at around 2 mph (3 km/h). Over time, you can increase speed up to 3–4 mph (5–6 km/h) and extend duration to 30 minutes.

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