A few years ago, an author in the journal Health published in the United States suggested that walking backwards or running backwards can help athletes with knee injuries recover faster, on the grounds that this kind of exercise can strengthen their legs, but the pressure on the knee joint when moving forward is less than 40%. The author thinks that walking backwards can also strengthen the exercise of cardiovascular system and obviously accelerate the heart rate. It should be pointed out that although the above argument is not without reference value, it is still a "one-sided view" and has not been universally recognized. More importantly, its conclusion is made for young and strong athletes, and whether it is suitable for middle-aged and elderly people is debatable.
First of all, most middle-aged and elderly people have slow reaction and poor sensitivity. When they encounter obstacles on their way forward, they can stop immediately by stimulating their vision. The reflected wave that deviates from the obstacle when walking backwards is easy to trip or fall because of losing balance, and the consequences are unimaginable.
In addition, walking backward consumes 78% more energy than walking forward, and the heart rate increases by 47%. Reverse running consumes 3 1% more energy than forward running, and the heart rate increases 15%. Because the cardiovascular reserve of middle-aged and elderly people has been reduced to varying degrees, it is doubtful whether they can bear the burden of walking backwards. As for middle-aged and elderly people with cardiovascular diseases, we should pay attention to them.
In short, whether the exercise mode of walking backwards has many benefits can be further discussed, and it may also have different reactions to different individuals. But in any case, as far as middle-aged and elderly people are concerned, they should be very cautious, so as not to be counterproductive and not worth the candle.