How Many Steps Do You Actually Need, and Is 10,000 a Myth?

Where 10,000 Came From

The 10,000-step goal is so familiar that it is often assumed to be a scientific threshold. A review of pedometer-based recommendations traced it to Japanese walking clubs and a business slogan from decades earlier, rather than to a dose-response study (Tudor-Locke & Bassett, 2004). The same review noted that 10,000 steps seemed a reasonable level of activity for healthy adults, but that it might not be sustainable for some groups, including older adults and people with chronic disease.

What Modern Cohort Data Suggest

Since then, large studies using wearable devices have tested the question directly. A meta-analysis of 15 cohorts including 47,471 adults found that the risk of dying from any cause fell progressively with more daily steps, but that the curve flattened earlier than 10,000: at about 6,000 to 8,000 steps per day in adults aged 60 and over, and about 8,000 to 10,000 in younger adults (Paluch et al., 2022). A study of older women found a similar pattern, with risk levelling off at roughly 7,500 steps per day (Lee et al., 2019).

A more recent systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis covering many outcomes reported inflection points at around 5,000 to 7,000 steps per day for all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, dementia and falls, with moderate certainty for most outcomes (Ding et al., 2025). Its authors concluded that 10,000 steps can still be a reasonable target for people who are already more active, but that around 7,000 is associated with meaningful benefit and may be a more achievable goal for many.

Limits of the Evidence

These findings come from observational studies, so they show association rather than cause. People who are unwell or have painful joints may walk less, and residual confounding is acknowledged by the authors of the larger reviews. Steps also do not capture everything that matters for the musculoskeletal system: strength training, balance work and variety in how the body is loaded are not reflected in a step count.

Using Steps Sensibly When Pain Is Present

For people with persistent pain or a history of injury, a fixed target can be discouraging or provoke flare-ups if it is reached too quickly. The Tudor-Locke and Bassett review pointed to incremental improvements relative to a person's own baseline as a more sustainable approach than a universal number (Tudor-Locke & Bassett, 2004). That is consistent with how graded loading is generally approached in rehabilitation: establish what is currently tolerated, then increase gradually. What a suitable starting point and rate of progress look like varies from person to person and is worth discussing in an assessment.