The short answer: backward ("retro") walking has real but narrow research behind it. The best evidence comes from small trials of people with knee osteoarthritis, where adding backward walking to physiotherapy for two to six weeks improved pain, function and thigh strength, and from reviews reporting better balance scores. Claims that it burns 20 to 40% more calories, trains the brain, or is a proven fall-prevention tool for healthy people aren't supported by what we found.
| Claim on the earlier page | What we found |
|---|---|
| Backward walking burns 20 to 40% more calories | One study found relative exertion 17 to 20% higher at 2.5 mph on inclines; no calorie figure |
| It is the most researched benefit: less pressure behind the kneecap | Trials show benefits for knee osteoarthritis symptoms; the kneecap-force finding is from running |
| It has been shown to improve balance | Reviews report better balance scores in patient groups and older adults; no evidence of fewer falls |
| It is a muscle table: quads high, shins high | We could not verify the table |
| It may offer cognitive benefits | No evidence found |
Knee osteoarthritis
A 2019 systematic review and meta-analysis in Clinical Rehabilitation (Balasukumaran, Olivier and Ntsiea) pooled 21 randomised and quasi-randomised studies with 635 participants who had gait impairments. In people with knee osteoarthritis, adding backward walking to conventional physiotherapy for two to four weeks reduced pain (standardised mean difference -0.87) and functional disability (-1.19) and improved quadriceps strength (1.22), though those pooled results came from a small number of studies (eight for pain, six for disability and three for strength). In a 68-person randomised trial published in 2019 in BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, a six-week retro-walking program reduced pain and disability more than the comparison groups (for pain intensity, mean changes of 1.8 versus 1 points in one comparison reported in its abstract), and a 32-person trial in 2021 found a four-week program added to usual care improved pain, function and static stability. These are small trials in patients, mostly supervised, and the walking was usually added to other treatment, so they don't show what backward walking would do for a healthy person. If you have knee pain, ask a physiotherapist before trying it; see walking and knee arthritis.
The earlier page said backward walking puts less compressive force on the kneecap and that therapists have used it "for decades." Trial protocols do describe it as a physiotherapy treatment for knee conditions, and one frequently cited study (Flynn and Soutas-Little, 1995) found lower patellofemoral compressive force in backward running than in forward running. We haven't verified the equivalent figures for walking, so treat the kneecap explanation as a plausible mechanism, not a measured fact.
Balance
A 2019 meta-analysis in Gait & Posture (Wang and colleagues) of backward walking training and balance reported beneficial effects across the nine studies it included, and a trial of 30 older adults with some balance impairment found that 12 sessions of supervised treadmill training, with 10 minutes of forward and 10 of backward walking, improved their balance scores. Those are scores on balance tests, not falls: we found no trial showing backward walking prevents falls in healthy people. Since falling is also a risk of walking backwards, it should be done carefully; see walking for seniors for what research supports for older adults.
Energy use
The earlier page cited "studies" showing backward walking burns 20 to 40% more calories. The study we could verify (published in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy in 2004) had healthy adults walk forwards and backwards on a treadmill at 2.5 mph (67 m/min) at grades of 5%, 7.5% and 10%. Heart rate and oxygen consumption, as a percentage of each person's maximum, were 17 to 20% higher walking backwards than forwards at each grade. That is a measure of relative effort at one speed on inclines, not a calorie figure, and it doesn't tell you how many calories you'd use on a flat path. A 2024 meta-analysis of backward gait training in adults found changes in waist-to-height ratio, BMI and C-reactive protein compared with forward training, but the trials were small, often in young adults on inclined treadmills, and varied a lot, so we wouldn't count on it for weight loss. Our calorie page has the method for forward walking.
Muscles and the brain
The earlier page had a table of how much each muscle group works in forward and backward walking, and said the movement may offer "cognitive benefits." We couldn't verify the table or find research on cognitive effects, so we've removed both. It is reasonable that an unfamiliar movement asks more of your coordination, but that is not evidence of a brain benefit.
Trying it safely
This part is practical advice, not study findings. The research programs above were usually supervised, so be more cautious than they were. A treadmill with rails at a very slow speed, or a flat, empty, obstacle-free space, is a sensible place to start; avoid busy pavements, stairs, uneven ground and anywhere with traffic, take small steps, and glance behind you if the space isn't enclosed. Short segments of one to two minutes within a normal walk are a reasonable starting point, and the 5-to-10-minute warm-up and 3-to-5-minute build-up on the earlier page were our suggestions, not tested protocols. Talk to a physiotherapist first if you have balance problems, a history of falls, vertigo or inner-ear conditions, or a knee injury that hasn't been assessed.
Sources
- Balasukumaran T, Olivier B, Ntsiea MV. The effectiveness of backward walking as a treatment for people with gait impairments: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Rehabilitation. 2019;33(2):171-182. researchgate.net
- Effect of 6-week retro or forward walking program on pain, functional disability, quadriceps muscle strength, and performance in individuals with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial (retro-walking trial). BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. 2019. springer.com
- The efficacy of backward walking on static stability, proprioception, pain, and physical function of patients with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial. 2021. PMC
- The effects of graded forward and backward walking on heart rate and oxygen consumption. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. 2004. jospt.org
- Wang et al. Effectiveness of backward walking training on balance performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Gait & Posture. 2019;68:466-475. researchgate.net
- Effectiveness of treadmill training on balance control in elderly people: a randomized controlled clinical trial. PMC
- Effectiveness of backward gait training on body composition, cardiopulmonary fitness, inflammation, and metabolic marker in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2024. PMC
Correction note: an earlier version of this page said backward walking burns 20 to 40 percent more calories, that reduced kneecap pressure is its best-researched benefit, that it has been shown to improve balance, that it works the shins and core more as shown in a muscle table, and that it may offer cognitive benefits. We could not support the calorie figure, the muscle table or the cognitive claim, narrowed the knee and balance claims to what the trials and reviews found, and removed them where unsourced. We checked the figures against published abstracts and summaries on October 2, 2026; we do not have author lists for several of the cited papers, and the Flynn study is mentioned as cited by trial protocols. Backward walking carries a risk of falls. This article is for informational purposes and does not replace medical advice. This is general information, not medical advice.