Podcast: Overview Of Low Back Pain

Low back pain is one of the most common pain syndromes. In fact, about 69% of adults in the United States will have low back pain at some point in their lifetime.

Statistics show that up to 50% of people will have back pain in a given year. It’s the fifth most common reason for physician visits. Symptoms are typically acute and limited. About 30% of acute back pain will turn into chronic back pain.

There are also great financial and sociological problems resulting from low back pain. For instance, low back pain is one of the most frequently filed claims in social security claims in the United States for people under 45. The direct costs for this condition are in the billions of dollars.

The PainExam podcast: Overview of Low Back Pain (Free Version)

There are three general classification risk factors associated with low back pain: biomechanical (weightlifting), psychosocial (lack of variety in career, satisfaction with one’s job, mental concentration required for that job, stress), personal (physical strengths, gender, personality).

The following factors are associated with the development of back pain: jobs require heavylifting, use of jackhammers, operation of motor vehicles, women who’ve had multiple pregnancies, depression, smoking, obesity, personality and genetics.

Types a back pain include acute, subacute and chronic. Acute back pain consists of less 2-4 duration. Subacute back pain is up to 12 weeks. Chronic pain is more than 12 weeks.

During the podcast above, I also review disc herniation, disc extrusion, protrusion, mobic changes, sponylolithesis and spondylitis.