The Epidemic of Low Back Pain
The prevalence of lower back pain is very high, making it the most costly benign condition and the most common. It is the single most common source of disability in workers under the age of 40. It is estimated that 80% of adults will experience lower back pain during their life. The one-year incidence is up to 36% of all cases of chronic lower back pain.
The predisposing factors to chronic lower back pain include smoking, obesity, prolonged static postures (sitting, standing, stooping), exposure to whole body vibration, heavy manual labor, repetitive bending, twisting and lifting, history of lumbar surgery, structural defects of the spine (scoliosis, spondylolisthesis), stress, anxiety, and/or depression, job dissatisfaction, low educational status, and fear avoidance behaviors.
The Food &.Drug Administration (FDA), the Joint Commission, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Journal of the American Medication Association (JAMA), and 37 state attorney generals all agree that non-pharmacological therapies, including chiropractic, have and should play a role in treatment cases of low back pain conservatively.
There are over 70,000 licensed chiropractors in the United States well positioned to meet the needs of Americans suffering from lower back pain. Often times, a multidisciplinary team can provide patients with the most favorable of outcomes.
