There are plenty of jokes about turning 30 and your back creaking like an unoiled machine. However, the shocking truth is that lower back pain is one of the most common ailments around the world. This actual health issue is the number one reason for disability worldwide
That’s not all.
Lower back pain is the number 1 reason for sick days at work, which leads to a huge economic cost along with medical burden. Many researchers consider lower back pain to be a global public health problem.
In 2017, lower back pain was the most common reason behind years lived with disability.
In the coming decades, it is expected the problem will worsen as life expectancies rise & the proportion of elderly people rises
What is Low Back Pain
In studies of Global Burden of Disease, low back pain (LBP) is defined as “pain in the area on the posterior aspect of the body between the lower margins of the 12th rib and the lower gluteal fold with or without a referred pain in one or both lower limbs lasting one or more days.”
More than 85% of people who present to primary care providers do not have a specific diagnosis of their pain.
Only .7 to 4.5% of people have a clear identifiable cause of lower back pain.
While these numbers might sound alarming, in most cases, you can manage back pain if you do the following.
Getting help and advice
In most cases, back pain usually gets better on its own. It might take weeks or months depending on the cause, but it gets resolved on its own
You should, however, seek help when:
- You feel no relief from pain in a few weeks
- You find it hard to do your daily tasks because of the pain
- The pain gets worse over time
- Pain affects your mental health
The best way around it is prevention. Smokers, obese individuals, and people with physically demanding jobs are at the greatest risk of reporting low back pain.
Maintaining an active lifestyle, exercising regularly, and making small changes to your daily routine, such as sitting with a correct posture and not sitting in one position for too long, can help keep your back healthy.