10 Facts You Didn't Know About Back Pain

10 FACTS you didn't know about BACK PAIN O Medications 02 Women have 01 it worse ( mostly ) don't work Analgesic medications ( paracetamol , NSAIDs , gabapentinoids , and opioids ) have all been shown to be minimally effective at best for back pain . In fact , long - term opioid use has been shown to actually make back pain worse ( the result of something called opioid - induced hyperalgesia - increased pain sensitization brought on by these drugs ) . 03 05 mind - blowing ! 4 Fin 07 Treating back pain is expensive Americans spend $ 90 billion every year treating back pain . It costs the US an extra $ 100 billion yearly in lost productivity . It can severely affect how you live your life 39 % Say it affects their ability to perform normal daily tasks . 38 % Say it prevents them from exercising . 37 % Say it prevents them from getting a full night's sleep . Desk work is a major cause of pain 54 % of back pain sufferers have jobs 54 % that require them to sit for most of the day . That's because sitting puts 40 % more pressure on the 40 % vulnerable structures in your spine than standing does . Amundsen PA , Bed rest is 09 usually bad for back pain The best self - care approach for most cases of back pain is gentle movement . The soft tissues and discs of your spine rely on blood flow to deliver the nutrients and oxygen they need to function and heal . Bed rest reduces the exchange of blood and other fluids around the spine , which can prolong swelling and inflammation . Those who maintain regular movement and stretching have reduced pain and length of recovery , and substantially improve their long term ability to function . Percentage of 30 % + women who suffer from back pain 25 % + Percentage of men who suffer from back pain Why ? The biomechanical and hormonal changes caused by pregnancy , dysmenorrhea , endometriosis , and menopause are all major contributing factors to back pain . 04 60 % + 06 80 % If you ignore it , the pain usually returns 08 13 % pain - free While 90 % of acute back pain cases improve within 3 months , without correcting the underlying cause , over 60 % still have varying degrees of residual back pain a year later . Increase in spinal 700 % fusion surgeries over the years . ... But 2 years post - surgery : 15 % had already undergone additional surgery for the same problem 10 Up to 80 % will have a reoccurrence of the same flare - up within two years . Spinal fusion surgery is up ( and it might not even work ) O² Only the common cold beats back pain as the number one It's one of the top reasons for seeing a doctor reason for visiting a healthcare provider . 18 % of Americans sought help from a doctor for back pain last year . 87 % were still using prescription drugs for back pain ✪✪✪ Identifying the cause can be tough Less than 15 % of back pain sufferers ever get a definitive diagnosis for the cause of their pain . ASCENTCHIROPRACTIC www.ascentchiropractic.com The rest is all labeled non - specific back pain , making getting the correct treatment a frustrating and challenging task for both patients and healthcare providers . Sources : Williams CM , Maher CG , Hancock MJ , et al . Low Back Pain and Best Practice Care : A Survey of General Practice Physicians . Arch Intern Med . 2010 ; 170 ( 3 ) : 271-277 . Machado G C , Maher C G , Ferreira P Pinheiro M B , Lin C C , Day R O et al . Efficacy and safety of paracetamol for spinal pain and osteoarthritis : systematic review and meta - analysis of randomised placebo controlled trials BMJ 2015 ; 350 : h1225 Machado GC , Maher CG , Ferreira PH , et al . Non - steroidal anti - inflammatory drugs for spinal pain : a systematic review and meta - analysisAnnals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2017 ; 76 : 1269-1278 . Abdel Shaheed C , Maher CG , Williams KA , Day R , McLachlan AJ . Efficacy , Tolerability , and Dose - Dependent Effects of Opioid Analgesics for Low Back Pain : A Systematic Review and Meta - analysis . JAMÁ Intern Med . 2016 ; 176 ( 7 ) : 958-968 . Lee M , Silverman SM , Hansen H , Patel VB , Manchikanti L. A comprehensive review of opioid - induced hyperalgesia . Pain Physician . 2011 Mar - Apr ; 14 ( 2 ) : 145-61 . Katz JN . Lumbar disc disorders and low - back pain : socioeconomic factors and consequences . J Bone Joint Surg Am . 2006 Apr ; 88 Suppl 2 : 21-4 . Hoy D , Brooks P , Blyth F , Buchbinder R. The Epidemiology of low back pain . Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol . 2010 Dec ; 24 ( 6 ) : 769-81 . Dyrda L. Cigna Reports 15 % of Spinal Fusion Customers Undergo 2nd Surgery : 5 Key Points . Becker's Spine Review 2014 June 23 . Evans DW , Rajendran D , et al . Inclusion and exclusion criteria used in non - specific low back pain trials : a review of randomised controlled trials published between 2006 and 2012. BMC Musculoskelet Disord . 2018 ; 19 ( 1 ) : 113 . Published 2018 Apr 12. doi : 10.1186 / s12891-018-2034-6 Waddell G , Feder G , Lewis M. Systematic reviews of bed rest and advice to stay active for acute low back pain . Br J Gen Pract . 1997 ; 47 ( 423 ) : 647-652 .