Lower Back Pain is a Major Cause of Disability [Infographic]
Do you suffer from lower back pain? It may be a dull ache that’s worse when resting or a sharp stabbing that happens when you’re active. You may describe your pain as achy, tight, pressure, radiating, cramping, tingling or an electric, sharp feeling. If you’re suffering from any pain in your lower back, you’re far from alone – and, contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to simply “deal with it.”
Relief from lower back pain is available at Algonquin Chiropractic Center! We’ve helped countless people in the Chicagoland region find relief from chronic back pain and get back to living active, healthy lifestyles. We’d be thrilled to help you, too!
Below, we explain what current scientific research says about lower back pain and disability. Then, we offer insight into potential causes and the best solution for your pain.
Lower Back Pain and Disability
Many well-known and highly respected health organizations and medical centers have researched lower back pain and its correlation to permanent or long-term disability. If you’re unfamiliar with how prevalent or devastating lower back pain can be, the results of these studies may surprise you.
Missed Work
The World Health Organization says that “low back pain is a very common health problem worldwide and a major cause of disability—affecting performance at work and general well-being.” In fact, back pain is second only to upper respiratory conditions as the cause of work loss.
Costs
A team of Duke Medical Center researchers has found that patients suffering from back pain consume more than $90 billion in healthcare expenses annually. This is almost three times as much money as spent on breast cancer!
A second study published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) supports these findings. According to the 2023 research, lower back pain’s direct and indirect costs are more than $50 billion per annum and could be as high as $100 billion at the extreme.
Prevalence
The American Spinal Decompression Association has found that lower back pain affects at least 80% of people at some point during their lifetimes. They’ve estimated that as many as 20-30% of the adult population may be suffering from this pain at any given time.
A common misconception often cited is that 90% of back pain will go away without treatment within one month. However, a study published in the European Spine Journal in 2003 showed that the reported proportion of patients who still experienced pain after 12 months was 62% (range, 42-75%), dispelling this popular notion.
According to the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, lower back pain causes more disability than nearly 300 other conditions worldwide. New research suggests that one in ten people across the globe suffer from an aching lower back. This could explain why lower back pain is responsible for about one-third of work-related disability.
“Back pain is the number one cause of lost workdays in the U.S,” said Dr. Anders Cohen, chief of neurosurgery and spine surgery at the Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York City.
Potential Causes of Lower Back Pain
Owing to the prevalence of lower back pain is the sheer number of potential causes. In the modern world, a common cause is poor posture, especially when sitting at your desk or hunching over to look at your phone. Other potential causes can include (but aren’t limited to):
- Sprains
- Strains
- A traumatic injury
- A fracture
- Herniated disc
- Degenerative disc disease
- Sciatica
- Lumbar spinal stenosis
- Osteoarthritis
- Osteoporosis
- Scoliosis
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Inactivity or a sedentary lifestyle
- Certain types of cancer
- Being overweight
- Smoking (which makes pain worse)
- Ongoing muscle tension (like from anxiety)
- Improper lifting
- Improper training regiments
- Kidney problems
- Uterine cramping (in women)
- Pregnancy or post-partum
- Constipation and other bowel issues
- Spinal tumors
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm
- Spondylolisthesis
Of course, many of these problems are rare causes of lower back pain. Structural problems, being overweight, smoking and poor posture are the most likely culprits. However, if you’re suffering from additional symptoms that indicate it may be such, you should have your primary care physician rule out other issues (like kidney problems).
You Don’t Have to Live with Lower Back Pain
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to live with lower back pain. Ignoring your pain puts you at a greater risk of disability and chronic pain. Please don’t delay and get it looked at TODAY!
Your best option is to schedule an appointment with a licensed and certified chiropractor specializing in this kind of pain. Luckily for you, Dr. Galante at Algonquin Chiropractic Center can help you safely and effectively heal your lower back pain so you can get back to living your active, healthy life!
Chiropractic care is the best solution to lower back pain because it’s much safer than using potentially addictive pain medications or undergoing risky surgical procedures. Plus, it’s quick and effective, with most patients seeing a 50% improvement in pain within the first four weeks of treatment. Most of the back pain treatment plans developed by Dr. Galante last about 90 days (or three months), although the most severe cases require up to a year to achieve complete pain relief.
Every lower back pain treatment plan is customized to the patient’s exact, specific needs and uses a combination of holistic, pain-free treatment modalities. Examples of techniques that may be used to treat back pain include:
- Cox Technic
- Laser therapy
- Spinal manipulation (AKA chiropractic adjustments)
- Physical therapy
- Orthotics
- Spinal bracing
- Whole body standing vibration
- Electrical Muscle Stimulation
Get Lower Back Pain Relief Today
Ready to get relief from your aching lower back? Please call Algonquin Chiropractic Center for a no-risk initial consultation with Dr. Galante at our office in Algonquin, IL. We look forward to helping you achieve an active, pain-free lifestyle!
