Everyone will experience back pain in their life.
Okay, maybe not everyone, but if you go through your entire life without experiencing any back pain, you are one of the lucky ones.
Sometimes the back pain is a symptom of another medical condition, like kidney stones, a disc herniation, or spinal tissue damage.
Hopefully, all you need to lower the pain prevalence and get you back to normal is a day or two of rest.
However, chronic back pain is a serious and pervasive condition, and it can change the way people go about their day to day lives entirely.
To get a better grasp about the implications of back pain, we've compiled a rapid-fire list of facts and statistics that will help tell the full story on back pain and potential forms of treatment.
Continue reading to learn more.
Table Of Contents
- Most Americans WIll Experience Back Pain In Their Lifetime
- The Number Of People Experiencing Back Pain Is On The Rise
- Back Pain Is More Common In Women
- One In Three Adults Say Back Pain Influences Their Everyday Activities
- Half Of The People Who Experience Back Pain Are Office Workers
- 10% Of The Global Population Suffers From Back Pain
- Back Pain Is The Fifth Most Common Health Issue
- Most People Visit A Primary Care Doctor Or Chiropractor
- Chiropractors Are On The Rise
- Only 10% Of People Know What Caused Their Back Pain
- 9 in 10 Episodes Are Resolved In Six Weeks
- Recurrence Is Very Common
- Are You One Of The 80%
Most Americans Will Experience Back Pain In Their Lifetime
It's estimated that just about 80% of the American population will have back pain at some point in their life.
The most common is non-specific low back pain that typically results in constant pain.
This non-specific low back pain occurs for a number of reasons, like poor posture, and can result in disabling episodes.
The Number Of People Experiencing Back Pain Is On The Rise
In 2013, the CDC conducted a study that showed that 29% of people in the United States had experienced low back pain within the last three months.
That's up from 28% in 1997.
For people over 65, that number is higher.
In 1997, 29.5 percentage of adults aged 65 and older experienced back pain.
In 2013 the answer to that survey question increased to 33.7%.
Back Pain Is More Common In Women
The CDC also conducted research that found that more women experience back pain than men.
The CDC went house to house across the United States and interviewed the general population.
They found that 1/3 of the female population in the United States suffered from lower back pain, compared to 1/4 of men.
One In Three Adults Say Back Pain Influences Their Everyday Activities
In a national survey, The American Physical Therapy Association surveyed over 2,600 people and had them share their experiences and habits regarding back pain.
Of the 2,600 people, 39% reported that low back pain kept them from fully engaging in daily life tasks.
38% said it affects their physical activity, and 37% said that spinal pain impacts their ability to sleep.
Half Of The People Who Experience Back Pain Are Office Workers
That's right, not manual labor workers, but office workers.
Back pain isn't restricted to those who spend most of their days in their feet.
Studies have shown that up to 54% of Americans that experience back pain spend most of their day sitting.
Because of that, standing desks and a focus on proper posture are on the rise.
However, a study at the University Of Waterloo found that 40% of people without back problems developed back pain after standing for two hours.
We can't win.
10% Of The Global Population Suffers From Back Pain
A recent study by the Annals of Rheumatic Disease found that one in every ten people in the world is affected by back pain.
This makes it the leading cause of disability in the world.
Those results are based on 100 studies of 780 cases in over 80 countries.
Back Pain Is The Fifth Most Common Health Issue
There are only four things that send pain sufferers to the doctor more often than back pain.
All statistics prove that chronic pain in the back are widespread among people in the United States and people can get desperate for pain relief.
It's one of the primary reasons people seek medical care for pain treatment. If the pain is bad enough, your primary care physician may prescribe muscle relaxants. Even though they are very helpful, being on a muscle relaxant everyday isn't great for chronic conditions.
Most People Visit A Primary Care Physician Or Chiropractor
Eight out of ten people that experience back pain visits their primary care provider or chiropractor.
Chiropractors, of course, are known for their ability to diagnose and treat back and neck pain.
The remaining 20% of people who choose not to see their physician or chiropractor will see a subspecialist for their treatment.
Chiropractors Are On The Rise
The chiropractic industry in the U.S. continues to grow with over 45,000 licensed chiropractors generating combined revenue of $12 billion.
Chiropractic isn't just isolated to the U.S. though.
Tens of millions of people around the world visit one of the 95,000 active chiropractors to have their back pain treated and receive long-term outcomes. Part of the reason for their popularity is their holistic approach and avoidance of prescription drugs or intravenous drugs.
Only 10% Of People Know What Caused Their Back Pain
Although back pain is very common, knowing what caused it is not.
Only 1 in 10 people who seek treatment for back pain know what caused it in the first place.
This is mainly due to there being so many factors that contribute to the likelihood of back pain.
However, an association is not equivalent to the causation of back pain.
9 in 10 Episodes Are Resolved Within Six Weeks
No matter what caused the pain, or what treatment you pursue, your back pain isn't likely to hang around very long.
90% of patients report that their issues with low back pain are resolved in about six weeks once they seek an initial treatment.
Recurrence Is Very Common
No matter how quickly your back pain goes away, it sometimes feels like the common conditions come back even quicker.
Between 60% and 80% of patients have reported that they have the same prevalent conditions within two years of the first report their back pain.
So even though the pain goes away rather quickly, you can typically expect it to come back at some point in the future, especially if you don't follow through with your chiropractor's recommendations or treatment plan.
Are You One Of The 80%?
If you are one of the unlucky 80% of people who are or have experienced back pain, relief is just around the corner.
As we mentioned above, most back pain is gone within six weeks of treatment.
Also mentioned above, chiropractic care is on the rise and is an excellent way to rid yourself of your back pain.
Not only can your chiropractor help get rid of your back pain, but they can also help keep pain symptoms away.
Chiropractors believe in a holistic, conservative care approach to healthcare that treats the entire person, not just the affected areas.
Your chiropractor will work out a treatment plan with you, and will also advise you on ways to keep yourself healthy, including a proper diet and exercise.
If you don't have a chiropractor, and especially if you've suffered back pain due to a car accident, you should contact Car Wreck Doctor right away.
They will place you with chiropractic care that will start making you feel better from day one.
Click the button below to get started.