What is Back Pain?

Acute or short-term low back pain generally lasts from a few days to a few weeks. Most acute back pain is the result of trauma to the lower back or a disorder such as arthritis. Pain from trauma may be caused by a sports injury, work around the house or in the garden, or a sudden jolt such as a car accident or other stress on spinal bones and tissues. Symptoms may range from muscle ache to shooting or stabbing pain, limited flexibility and range of motion, or an inability to stand straight. Chronic back pain is pain that persists for more than 3 months. It is often progressive and the cause can be difficult to determine.

Currently, researchers are examining the use of different drugs to effectively treat back pain, in particular, chronic pain that has lasted at least 6 months. Other studies are comparing different health care approaches to the management of acute low back pain (standard care versus chiropractic, acupuncture, or massage therapy). These studies are measuring symptom relief, restoration of function, and patient satisfaction.

Back Pain Statistics

Back pain is one of the most prevalent conditions in America. At any one time over thirty million Americans are suffering from back pain. In the general work force population half of those employed will complain of back problems during the average year. Back problems are so common that at any given time you can take the average American over eighteen years old and you will find that half of them have had some problem with their backs in the last five years. The belief is that no less than sixty percent and likely as high as ninety percent of all Americans will have back pain at some time in their lives. Estimates are that these back pains cost the country fifty billion dollars yearly in missed work and medical costs since it is believed that nearly forty percent of all employee sick days are caused by back pain.

At least ninety percent of all back pain has no specific cause. There is no infection, arthritis or damage that can be traced to the pain. If this is what someone is suffering with then the pain will be gone in no more than four to six weeks without treatment. Lifting is the most common cause of back pain. At least thirty five percent of all back pain can be traced to improper lifting or lifting something that is too heavy.

Studies have shown that the most common causes of back pain, after lifting, include poor posture, exercising improperly, driving for long periods with poor posture, sleeping on a mattress that does not give your back proper support, being in poor physical shape and being overweight. Fortunately these studies also tell us that all most all the back pain a person suffers is transient. It lasts a short time and does not bring with it serious damage. Almost none of the reported back pain is caused by damage to a person's spine. Even a pinched nerve or slipped disc, which many people think is what they have done to their backs when they have back pain, is very infrequent.

Researchers continue to try to understand who gets back pain and why. They have learnt that the back begins to age by the time the average person has turned thirty. The more active a person is the less likely they are to suffer from back pain. Oddly those who smoke are statistically more likely to suffer from back problems. If you have had a back problem sometime in your life you likely will experience back pain again sometime. The studies also tell them that if you take off a long period of time from your job because of an injury to your back you are not as likely to return to that job. If you take only a couple of days you will go back to work. Health care statistics tell us that thirty five percent of the claims they deal with for lost work hours are because of back ache pain.

Written by: Scott Parat