Back Pain Statistics

Back pain is a problem that a large portion of the world is faced with from time to time. It is an affliction that is responsible for plenty of lost productivity and a source of agony for the sufferer. In this article, we'll relay some statistics regarding back pain so that you can better understand the expanse of the problem.

-- Back pain is a problem that is prevalent in the modern world. In the United States of America alone, there is an expected 31 million people with lower back pain at any given time.

-- As many as fifty percent of all Americans report some type of back pain every year. While these problems may be minor and not worthy of a doctor's visit, other statistics show that roughly one third of all Americans aged 18 or older have had back problems within the past five years which merited a trip to the physician's office.

-- In addition to the physical pain that back pain can cause, the financial strain of the problem is also quite resounding. Over fifty billion dollars are spent per year in the pursuit of clearing up cases of back pain.

-- Many experts place the likelihood of any person to experience some type of back problem throughout their lifetime at about eighty percent. That's four out of every five people!

-- In the year 2001, the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey showed that 13,707,000 people visited their doctors to deal with a case of back pain.

-- Cases of back pain can truly cause a person to miss out on a lot. Surveys have shown that back pain is in fact the most frequently occurring reason why people younger than age 45 don't participate in as many activities as they would like to.

-- A study that was performed in Canada showed that between thirty and forty percent of all work absences were due to workers suffering from a case of back pain.

-- Ironically enough, the health care profession suffers from back pain due to the transport of patients. Patient handling, lifting and transferring accounts for approximately 35 percent of all the time loss claims made in the profession.

Now that you know more about the prevalence of back pain and the problems that it causes in the workplace, you can better understand the true expanse of the problem. The best ways to prevent back pain are to maintain good posture and be sure to lift with your legs as opposed to with your back. If you are having a problem with back pain that isn't going away with regular rest, you should speak to a doctor in order to receive a diagnosis about the causes of your problem. Back pain can be debilitating so it's important to consider any prolonged back pain a serious condition. Remember that statistics may be skewed due to the sampling methods and the authenticity of the studies. The information above was taken from reliable sources but it's important to note that they may be off to a small degree.

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Mike Serovey is the owner and webmaster for http://www.mikeserovey.net where you can submit your articles for free.