Back Pain

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What is Back Pain?
Most back pain is caused by muscle strain, trauma or spinal deformity. Only about 10 percent of back pain is caused by a systemic illness. Back pain can develop anywhere from the neck to the lower spine. The pain can be localized or spread across a wide area and radiate from a central point.

Cause
Back pain has many causes, including overuse, trauma, degeneration of vertebrae, infection, or tumor. The exact cause of pain may be difficult to identify, since it can come from soft tissue, bone, disc or nerves. Risk factors for low back pain include cigarette smoking, jobs that require repetitive or heavy lifting, and exposure to vibration produced by vehicles or industrial machinery. Certain sports, such as cross-country skiing, and prolonged vehicle driving are also associated with back pain. Diseases such as spinal osteoarthritis, spondylitis and compression fractures can also cause pain. Some of these diseases are more prevalent in the elderly, consequently older people are at higher risk for back pain.

Health Impact

• Back pain is the most prevalent medical disorder in industrialized societies. 
• Low back pain disables 5.4 million Americans and costs at least $16 ion each year. 
• Two-thirds of all adults will experience at least one episode of back pain in their lifetime. 
• Seventy percent of people with back pain recover within a month. 
• Symptoms persist for more than six months in only 4 percent of the cases, but this group accounts for 85percent of the money spent on treatment and compensation for low back pain. 
• About half of the people with chronic back pain return to work.