Low Back Pain Leading Cause of Disability Worldwide

Statistics show that 8 out of 10 people regularly suffer from back pain, a medical problem that's recently been named the number one leading cause of disability throughout the world.

According to a recent study lead by senior research fellow at the University of Queensland's School of Population Health, in Australia, Damian Hoy, officials analyzed 117 published studies that involved back pain, as well as conducted surveys involving the issue in 50 countries.

The researchers compared the frequency of low back pain to 291 other health conditions, concluding that low back pain is the number one cause of disability, affecting 9.4 percent of all people worldwide in 2010 alone.

"Low back pain is something that almost all people experience at some point in their lives. It is something common across sexes, age groups, countries, socioeconomic groups, education levels and occupation," Hoy said, via WebMD. "For the majority of people with low back pain, the specific cause is unclear. There are certain factors that seem to put people at risk of having low back pain."

Various factors may contribute to an increased risk of back pain, including increased age, low education levels, stress, anxiety, depression and/or obesity, as well as occupations that may require heavy lifting or involve extremely stressful conditions.

Study results showed that those living in Western Europe had the highest prevalence of back pain at 15 percent, while those from North Africa/Middle East had the second highest reports of back pain at 14.8 percent. The lowest prevalence of back pain at 6.5 percent was found in the Caribbean, with other similar rates found in high-income areas, such as North America.

A second study lead by Dr. Tim Driscoll of the University of Sydney in Australia examined data from 187 countries from 1990 to 2010 and found that low back pain was responsible for over a third of all work-related disability. Certain jobs, including those working in agriculture, fishing and/or hunting, also increased the health risk.

"The average young adult may be athletic and in pretty good shape," Cohen said, via WebMD. "Once you get into your job life, you may not keep up your normal fitness level and combine that with aging and then exercising a lot on the weekends, and you end up with a situation that's not good for your back."

As this is such a common problem, let's not forget that there are many ways to help and reduce the risk and pain that comes with this health issue. For instance, if a back injury has occurred, icing the area for 24 to 48 hours following injury can reduce inflammation. 

As an injury is healing, it's important to remember to try your best to stay active. According to  E. Anne Reicherter, PhD, PT, DPT, associate professor of Physical Therapy at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, via WebMD, ""Our spines are like the rest of our body -- they're meant to move." However, she adds not to overdo it, while also stressing the importance of stretching and staying strong to keep the body in fine tune. 

What do you think?

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.