Back pain epidemiology and demographics

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Zehra Malik, M.B.B.S [2]

Overview

The prevalence of back pain in adult population is around ten to thirty percent in the US. Lifetime prevalence in US adult population is estimated to be 65-80 percent. Prevalence of back pain is higher in smokers as compared to non-smokers. Studies suggest that for as many as 85% of cases, no physiological cause for the pain has been identified. Race can be a factor in back problems. African American women, for example, are two to three times more likely than white women to develop spondylolisthesis, a condition in which a vertebra of the lumbar spine slips out of place.

Epidemiology and Demographics

Prevalence

The prevalence in adult population is around ten to thirty percent in the US.^[1]
Lifetime prevalence in US adult population is estimated to be 65-80 percent.^[1]
Prevalence of back pain is higher in smokers as compared to non-smokers.^[2]
A few observational studies suggest that two common diagnosis of back pain, lumbar disc herniation or degenerative disc disease may not be more prevalent among those in pain than among the general population and that the mechanisms by which these conditions might cause pain are not known.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

Incidence

Studies suggest that for as many as 85% of cases, no physiological cause for the pain has been identified.^[7]^[8]

Race

Race can be a factor in back problems. African American women, for example, are two to three times more likely than white women to develop spondylolisthesis, a condition in which a vertebra of the lumbar spine slips out of place.^[9]

Gender

Back pain prevalence have been observed to be higher in females than males.^[10]

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Urits I, Burshtein A, Sharma M, Testa L, Gold PA, Orhurhu V; et al. (2019). “Low Back Pain, a Comprehensive Review: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment”. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 23 (3): 23. doi:10.1007/s11916-019-0757-1. PMID 30854609.
↑ Green BN, Johnson CD, Snodgrass J, Smith M, Dunn AS (2016). “Association Between Smoking and Back Pain in a Cross-Section of Adult Americans”. Cureus. 8 (9): e806. doi:10.7759/cureus.806. PMC 5081254. PMID 27790393.
↑ Borenstein DG, O’Mara JW, Boden SD; et al. (2001). “The value of magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine to predict low-back pain in asymptomatic subjects : a seven-year follow-up study”. The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume. 83-A (9): 1306–11. PMID 11568190.
↑ Savage RA, Whitehouse GH, Roberts N (1997). “The relationship between the magnetic resonance imaging appearance of the lumbar spine and low back pain, age and occupation in males”. European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society. 6 (2): 106–14. PMID 9209878.
↑ Jensen MC, Brant-Zawadzki MN, Obuchowski N, Modic MT, Malkasian D, Ross JS (1994). “Magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine in people without back pain”. N. Engl. J. Med. 331 (2): 69–73. PMID 8208267.
↑ Kleinstück F, Dvorak J, Mannion AF (2006). “Are “structural abnormalities” on magnetic resonance imaging a contraindication to the successful conservative treatment of chronic nonspecific low back pain?”. Spine. 31 (19): 2250–7. doi:10.1097/01.brs.0000232802.95773.89. PMID 16946663.
↑ White AA, Gordon SL (1982). “Synopsis: workshop on idiopathic low-back pain”. Spine. 7 (2): 141–9. PMID 6211779.
↑ van den Bosch MA, Hollingworth W, Kinmonth AL, Dixon AK (2004). “Evidence against the use of lumbar spine radiography for low back pain”. Clinical radiology. 59 (1): 69–76. PMID 14697378.
↑ Vogt MT, Rubin DA, Palermo L, Christianson L, Kang JD, Nevitt MC; et al. (2003). “Lumbar spine listhesis in older African American women”. Spine J. 3 (4): 255–61. doi:10.1016/s1529-9430(03)00024-x. PMID 14589183.
↑ Wáng, Yì Xiáng J.; Wáng, Jùn-Qīng; Káplár, Zoltán (2016). “Increased low back pain prevalence in females than in males after menopause age: evidences based on synthetic literature review”. Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery. 6 (2): 199–206. doi:10.21037/qims.2016.04.06. ISSN 2223-4292.

Template:WikiDoc Sources

[pmid30854609-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Urits I, Burshtein A, Sharma M, Testa L, Gold PA, Orhurhu V; et al. (2019). “Low Back Pain, a Comprehensive Review: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment”. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 23 (3): 23. doi:10.1007/s11916-019-0757-1. PMID 30854609.

[pmid27790393-2] Green BN, Johnson CD, Snodgrass J, Smith M, Dunn AS (2016). “Association Between Smoking and Back Pain in a Cross-Section of Adult Americans”. Cureus. 8 (9): e806. doi:10.7759/cureus.806. PMC 5081254. PMID 27790393.

[3] Borenstein DG, O’Mara JW, Boden SD; et al. (2001). “The value of magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine to predict low-back pain in asymptomatic subjects : a seven-year follow-up study”. The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume. 83-A (9): 1306–11. PMID 11568190.

[4] Savage RA, Whitehouse GH, Roberts N (1997). “The relationship between the magnetic resonance imaging appearance of the lumbar spine and low back pain, age and occupation in males”. European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society. 6 (2): 106–14. PMID 9209878.

[5] Jensen MC, Brant-Zawadzki MN, Obuchowski N, Modic MT, Malkasian D, Ross JS (1994). “Magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine in people without back pain”. N. Engl. J. Med. 331 (2): 69–73. PMID 8208267.

[6] Kleinstück F, Dvorak J, Mannion AF (2006). “Are “structural abnormalities” on magnetic resonance imaging a contraindication to the successful conservative treatment of chronic nonspecific low back pain?”. Spine. 31 (19): 2250–7. doi:10.1097/01.brs.0000232802.95773.89. PMID 16946663.

[7] White AA, Gordon SL (1982). “Synopsis: workshop on idiopathic low-back pain”. Spine. 7 (2): 141–9. PMID 6211779.

[8] van den Bosch MA, Hollingworth W, Kinmonth AL, Dixon AK (2004). “Evidence against the use of lumbar spine radiography for low back pain”. Clinical radiology. 59 (1): 69–76. PMID 14697378.

[pmid14589183-9] Vogt MT, Rubin DA, Palermo L, Christianson L, Kang JD, Nevitt MC; et al. (2003). “Lumbar spine listhesis in older African American women”. Spine J. 3 (4): 255–61. doi:10.1016/s1529-9430(03)00024-x. PMID 14589183.

[WángWáng2016-10] Wáng, Yì Xiáng J.; Wáng, Jùn-Qīng; Káplár, Zoltán (2016). “Increased low back pain prevalence in females than in males after menopause age: evidences based on synthetic literature review”. Quantitative Imaging in Medicine and Surgery. 6 (2): 199–206. doi:10.21037/qims.2016.04.06. ISSN 2223-4292.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]