Back pain is a very common affliction that has a tremendous impact on society through lost productivity and increased healthcare costs.
The second leading cause of work absenteeism, back pain, leads to more productivity loss than any other medical condition.
Every year, in USA alone, more than $33 billion is spend on healthcare for back pain. When additional costs such as disability and loss of productivity are included, total costs for back pain in this country add up to more than $100 billion per year.
Approximately 80 percent of adults will at some point during their lives experience low-back pain that will affect their daily activities; 1 percent to 2 percent of these will require surgery. The first episode of low-back pain typically occurs in the third decade of life.
The incidence of low back pain peaks between ages 55 and 64, and then decreases. The severity of pain at onset increases with increasing age of presentation.
About 10 percent to 12 percent of patients with low back pain have concomitant sciatica, a condition in which the pain radiates to lower limb.
Risk Factors For Low-Back Pain
There are two categories of risk factors associated with back pain: extrinsic and intrinsic.
Extrinsic risks include
- Heavy physical labor
- Frequent bending and twisting
- Frequent lifting and forceful movements
- Repetitive work
- Vibration
- Sedentary office work
- Smoking.
Intrinsic risk factors for include
- Spinal abnormalities
- Genetic predisposition
- Weight and height
Occupational Risk Factors
Heavy physical labor often is associated with low back pain.
However, there is a positive relationship between sedentary occupation s and low-back pain.
There is a strong correlation between disc prolapse and long-distance driving. This increased risk of back disorders in driver has been attributed both to posture and vibration.
Nonoccupational Risk Factors
There is a positive association between low-back pain and participation in sports such as golf, gymnastics, rowing, and bowling.
Good muscle strength and good overall fitness is suggested for reducing the risk of low-back pain and disc herniation.
Studies have implicated smoking as a risk factor for back pain.
A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study of smoking and nonsmoking identical twins found that those who smoked had an increased frequency of disc degeneration throughout the entire lumbar spine.Body Habitus
Both increased height and increased body mass are associated with an increased risk of disc prolapse.
Genetic Predisposition
Certain congenital spinal abnormalities such as asymmetric facet orientation and a small vertebral canal hypothetically predispose certain individuals to symptomatic disc herniations.
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