Why walking backwards can be good for your health and brain

Why walking backwards can be good for your health and brain Getty Images Walking backwards is not a common way to get around, but it can bring some surprising benefits During the 19th Century, the activity of "retro-walking" was little more than an eccentric hobby, but today research is revealing it can have real benefits for your health and brain. And in another study led by Dufek, a cohort of five athletes self-reported a reduction in lower back pain after periods of backwards walking. Participants stepping backwards had the fastest reaction times, perhaps because their brains were already used to performing an incongruous task It is actually the ankle joint which absorbs the most shock during backwards walking. Getty Images Different muscles are engaged when walking backwards compared to when going forward Another study strongly concluded that different forms of backwards locomotion, including backwards walking, watching a video of a backwards train journey, and even just imagining moving backwards, improved participants' ability to recall information.