Back Pain Essay

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Low back pain is the single leading cause of disability worldwide, according to the Global Burden of Disease 2010, which can affect anyone at any age. During one year, up to half of the adult population (15%-49%) will have back pain. It is estimated that four out of every five adults (80%) will experience back pain at some stage in their life. Studies show higher rate in females than males. The number of people with back pain increases with advancing age, starting in school children and peaking in adults of 35 to 55 years of age. Back pain is just as common in adolescents as in adults. According to a survey published in 2000 almost half the adult population of the UK (49%) report low back pain lasting for at least 24 hours at some time in the year. Back pain currently costs community care services more than £1 billion each year. Whereas, Americans spend at least $50 billion each year on back pain.
Back pain may be associated with both occupational and nonwork-related factors such as, the aging process and sedentary life styles. A family history of back pain has been shown to increase one's risk. Several studies have shown an increase in back pain in obese patients, especially in women. The risk of experiencing low-back pain from disc disease or spinal degeneration increases with age. However, most of the time, the exact cause of the pain cannot be found. Low-back pain is also the most common cause of job-related disability and a leading contributor to missed work. Data from a national insurer indicate that back claims account for 16% of all workers’ compensation claims and 33% of total claims costs (Snook 1982; Webster and Snook 1994b).

Anatomy of the intervertebral disc
The intervertebral discs lie betw...

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...ravity passes anterior to the spinal column (figure 5). As a result, the spine is under a constant, forward bending moment. As the trunk is progressively flexed, the line of gravity shifts farther away from the spine. The farther the line of gravity from the spine, the larger the moment arm for body weight and the greater the bending moment generated. To maintain body position, this moment must be counteracted by tension in the back muscle. To minimize the tension, lifting with the trunk being erect is required. A misaligned spine (faulty posture) causes stress to be redistributed throughout the body, so joints that were not intended to bear a significant amount of stress are now required to so do to compensate for poor posture. When joints bear stress beyond their capacity, the result is temporary or long term pain as well as degradation of the supportive tissue.

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