About 80-90% of adults will experience or suffer from back pain during their lifetime, which as much as 50% of adults enduring the symptoms and
problems of backache every year.
The problem with back pain is that there are so many causes, which means that it generally affects people of all
demographic groups with varying degrees of severity. In general, back pains can be classified according to its origin (nerve, muscle, bones or joints) and the severity
of the pain (either acute or chronic, depending on the length of time). Acute back pain can occur anytime and go away by itself, usually lasting no more than a few
days to a few weeks. However, anything that lasts for a prolonged period of time, or occurs as a result of an injury should be examined by medical professionals to
prevent any long term problems.
A recent study from the National Center for Health Statistics compiled a report on Pain, and highlighted many alarming
figures, which shows the extent, as well as our general ignorance of the problem. Almost 50% of people who experience some pain report that the problem persists
for over three month from its first occurrence, some if you do experience sharp and reoccurring pain, don't just think or hope that it will eventually get
better.
To put these findings in perspective, there are currently around 26 million Americans between the age of 20-64 experiencing frequent back pain.
These people are three times as likely to develop chronic back conditions or suffer from other health problems, as well as increasing the likelihood of experiencing
psychological distress as a result of their condition. In particular, acute lower back pain (also referred to as lumbago) is so prevalent in the US that of all complaints
requiring physician consultation, it ranks at fifth position.
Due to the complexity associated with diagnosing and treating back pain, it is important for people to
be well-informed and educated about all aspects of back pain. This should cover contents from the prevention of work or exercise related stress to the awareness of
symptoms and signs of back problems and measures that can be taken to stop the condition from worsening.
