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Jack Barton | 2014-06-29 07:49:03
Almost everyone has experienced some form of lower back pain at one stage or another but what is the true prevalence of the chronic symptom? Is it preventable?
A review article published in Arthritis and Rheumatology journal (Hoy et al, 2012) estimated global prevalence of lower back pain based on previous literature on the topic. Results estimated prevalence at 11.9%, that’s over 1 in 10!
With rates of obesity increasing in accordance with large populations moving towards office jobs the prevalence of the condition is expected to increase. Therefore it is more important than ever to be aware of what you can do to reduce your likelihood of experiencing the pain, or improving your symptoms after onset.
I’m sure it comes as no surprise to you that inactivity is seen as an independent risk factor for radiating lower back pain (Shiri et al, 2013), and although weight loss in obese populations is shown to reduce lower back pain, increasing activity regardless of weight loss also appears to have a profound effect. Interestingly the natural reaction for most when experiencing pain is to abstain from activity whereas a gradual increase over time may be exactly what the doctor ordered!
The standard advice of not sitting for too long and trying not to slouch at the desk is all well and good but I’m of the opinion that for most sitting up straight is extremely difficult, most likely due to habitual posture and a lack of core strength. Therefore activity which increases core strength would be beneficial however for most a general increase of baseline activity will be sufficient to see a benefit.
Just another reason why increasing daily activity is at the heart of the One Precious Life project.
Jack Barton (Researcher, Rescon Ltd)
References
Hoy, D., Bain, C., Williams, G., March, L., Brooks, P. et al. (2012). A systematic review of the global prevalence of low back pain. Arthritis & Rheumatism, 64(6), 2028-2037.
Shiri, R., Solovieva, S., Husgafvel-Pursiainen, K., Telama, R., Yang, X. et al. (2013). The role of obesity and physical activity in non-specific and radiating low back pain: The Young Finns study. Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism, 42(6), 640-650
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