The study focused on North Carolina residents, but its authors feel an evaluation of people throughout the nation would show similar results: a sharp rise in the number of persons suffering from chronic, debilitating low back pain.
In the study the number of persons with debilitating back pain rose from 3.9 percent in 1992 to 10.2 percent in 2006, a 250 percent increase. The cost of chronic low back pain in worker productivity and healthcare comes to about $100 billion a year. Could this be that people are just taking advantage of new services for low back pain, and this is driving up statistics?
That theory was not validated by the researchers, who indicate the following as possibilities for the dramatic increase:
- Current treatment regimens may not be effective
- Lack of exercise
- Increase in obesity
- Greater prevalence of depression
How does work contribute to low back pain? Allison Van Dusen, writing for Forbes.com, puts it this way: “Day in and day out we treat our backs poorly, mostly with improper and repetitive movements. It only makes sense that a big part of the problem is how we move–and, more often, don’t move–at work, where most of us spend a major portion of our lives. Other factors play a role as well, such as the number and variety of manual tasks performed on the job, along with age, genetics, your schedule, desk setup and stress load.”
Source: Forbes.com
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