Elsevier

Neurologic Clinics

Volume 25, Issue 2, May 2007, Pages 353-371
Neurologic Clinics

Epidemiology and Risk Factors for Spine Pain

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ncl.2007.01.004Get rights and content

Low back and neck pain is a common problem and one of enormous social, psychologic, and economic burden. It is estimated that 15% to 20% of adults have back pain during a single year and 50% to 80% experience at least one episode of back pain during a lifetime. Low back pain afflicts all ages, from adolescents to the elderly, and is a major cause of disability in the adult working population. Risk factors for developing spine pain are multidimensional; physical attributes, socioeconomic status, general medical health and psychologic state, and occupational environmental factors all contribute to the risk for experiencing pain.

Section snippets

Epidemiology

The burden of low back and neck pain to society can be estimated in epidemiologic studies evaluating the prevalence and incidence of the conditions. The prevalence refers to the number of patients in a population who experience pain at a certain point in time. Prevalence can be defined as the number of people who have pain at a defined point or period of time divided by the total defined population during that time. Prevalence is measured at a single point in time (point prevalence) or over a

Risk factors for back pain

Despite the variability in the prevalence rates reported for back and neck pain in the general population, it is evident that spine pain is a common and significant medical condition with a tremendous social and economic impact on society. Back pain is a leading cause of absenteeism from work, temporary disability, and workers' compensation; therefore, the financial costs to society are enormous. Identifying factors that may increase the risk for or predispose individuals to the development of

Summary

Low back and neck pain remains a common problem and one of enormous social, psychologic, and economic burden. Low back pain afflicts individuals of all ages, from adolescent to elderly populations, and is a major cause of disability in the adult working population. The risk factors for the development of spine pain are multidimensional, with physical attributes, socioeconomic status, general medical health and psychologic state, and occupational environmental factors all playing a role in

References (92)

  • P. Leino et al.

    Depressive and distress symptoms as predictors of low back pain, neck-shoulder pain, and other musculoskeletal morbidity: a 10-year follow-up of metal industry employees

    Pain

    (1993)
  • S.R. Currie et al.

    Chronic back pain and major depression in the general Canadian population

    Pain

    (2004)
  • L.J. Carroll et al.

    Depression as a risk factor for onset of an episode of troublesome neck and low back pain

    Pain

    (2004)
  • G.B. Andersson

    Epidemiology of low back pain

    Acta Orthop Scand Suppl

    (1998)
  • J.W. Frymoyer

    Back pain and sciatica

    N Engl J Med

    (1988)
  • F. Biering-Sorensen et al.

    Medical, social and occupational history as risk indicators for low back trouble in a general population

    Spine

    (1986)
  • J.W. Frank et al.

    Disability resulting from occupational low back pain: I. What do we know about primary prevention? A review of the scientific evidence on prevention before disability begins

    Spine

    (1996)
  • R. Waxman et al.

    A prospective followup study of low back pain in the community

    Spine

    (2000)
  • J.D. Cassidy et al.

    Incidence and course of low back pain episodes in the general population

    Spine

    (2005)
  • J.G. Jarvik et al.

    Three-year incidence of low back pain in an initially asymptomatic cohort: clinical and imaging risk factors

    Spine

    (2005)
  • J.A. Kopec et al.

    Predictors of back pain in a general population cohort

    Spine

    (2004)
  • R.C. Lawrence et al.

    Estimates of the prevalence of arthritis and selected musculoskeletal disorders in the United States

    Arthritis Rheum

    (1998)
  • L. Hestbaek et al.

    Low back pain: what is the long term course? A review of studies of general patient populations

    Eur Spine J

    (2003)
  • B.F. Walker

    The prevalence of low back pain: a systematic review of the literaturefrom 1965 to 1998

    J Spinal Disord

    (2000)
  • P.L. Loney et al.

    The prevalence of low back pain in adults: a methodological review of the literature

    Phys Ther

    (1999)
  • P. Cote et al.

    The Saskatchewan Health and Back Pain Survey: the prevalence of neck pain and related disability in Saskatchewan adults

    Spine

    (1998)
  • K. Eckberg et al.

    Cross-sectional study of risk factors for symptoms in the neck and shoulder area

    Ergonomics

    (1995)
  • A. Leclerc et al.

    One-year predictive factors for various aspects of neck disorders

    Spine

    (1999)
  • S.J. Linton

    Risk factors for neck and back pain in a working population in Sweden

    Work Stress

    (1990)
  • P. Cote et al.

    The factors associated with neck pain and its related disability in the Saskatchewan population

    Spine

    (2000)
  • J.J. Salminem et al.

    Low back pain in the young. A prospective three-year follow-up study of subjects with and without low back pain

    Spine

    (1995)
  • K.A. Burton et al.

    The natural history of low back pain in adolescents

    Spine

    (1996)
  • J.C.T. Fairbank et al.

    Influence of anthropometric factors and joint laxity in the adolescent back pain

    Spine

    (1984)
  • F.M. Kovacs et al.

    The transition from acute to subacute and chronic low back pain

    Spine

    (2005)
  • A. Hertzberg

    Prediction of cervical and low back pain based on routine school health examinations

    Scand J Prim Health Care

    (1985)
  • A. Vikat et al.

    Neck or shoulder pain and low back pain in Finnish adolescents

    Scand J Public Health

    (2000)
  • J.K. Cooper et al.

    Factors associated with health status of older Americans

    Age Ageing

    (2001)
  • B.K. Cypress

    Characteristics of physician visits for back symptoms: a national perspective

    Am J Public Health

    (1983)
  • L.G. Hart et al.

    Physician office visits for low back pain: frequency, clinical evaluation, and treatment patterns from a U.S. national survey

    Spine

    (1995)
  • H.B. Bressler et al.

    The prevalence of low back pain in the elderly: a systematic review of the literature

    Spine

    (1999)
  • J. Hartvigsen et al.

    Back pain remains a common symptom in old age. A population-based study of 4486 Danish twins aged 70-102

    Eur Spine J

    (2003)
  • F. Cecchi et al.

    Epidemiology of back pain in a representative cohort of Italian persons 65 years of age and older

    Spine

    (2006)
  • S.L. Edmond et al.

    Prevalence of back symptoms in elders

    J Rheumatol

    (2000)
  • J. Hartvigsen et al.

    Back and neck pain exhibit many common features in old age: a population-based study of 4,486 Danish twins 70-102 years of age

    Spine

    (2004)
  • P.R. Croft et al.

    Outcome of low back pain in general practice: a prospective study

    BMJ

    (1998)
  • B. Schiottz-Christensen et al.

    Long-term prognosis of acute low back pain in patients seen in general practice: a 1-year prospective follow-up study

    Fam Pract

    (1999)
  • Cited by (0)

    View full text