More than 30 million Americans face the struggles of low back pain each day, making it easily one of the most common reasons to date for people to visit a chiropractor. That’s why our specialists at Balanced Health & Wellness want to make sure you know as much as possible about this condition to ensure you never feel alone – starting with the interesting back pain facts and statistics from the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) below!
- Back pain is the number one cause of disability worldwide, preventing countless people from living their lives to their fullest extents.
- Half of the workforce for the entire United States has admitted to experiencing back pain, some claiming it’s bad enough to miss work at least at one time or another, leading it to become one of the most commonly reported reasons for calling out.
- Back pain is responsible for the loss of more than 264 million work days a year, which equates to two full days per full-time employee throughout the country.
- Many formal specialists in the matter, including ours at Balanced Health & Wellness, believe it’s very likely that as many as 80% of people will have to deal with back pain at some point in their lives.
- Back pain does not discriminate in any way, and can/will affect you regardless of your age, gender, ethnicity, or other identifiable or non-identifiable factors.
- Back pain is one of the top three most common reasons for scheduling a formal appointment with a primary care physician, behind only osteoarthritic/joint pain/disorders and dermatological concerns.
- Most of the time, the causes of back pain are “non-organic,” meaning they do not originate from any existing or underlying conditions, like cancer, infections, arthritis, etc.
- Recurring back pain is common even for those who have officially “recovered,” and in some cases, it can become chronic or even disabling.
- Between 1990 and 2015 alone, the number of years people have lived with disabling low back pain around the world has increased by 54%!
- On average, Americans spend more than $50 billion in low back pain related health care costs annually – and you can tack that number up to $100 billion when you add lost wages and productivity losses on top of that.
- Your back is a complex structure made up of bones, joints, muscles, and ligaments, which means even the slightest misstep can cause pain or prolonged discomfort.
- Poor posture, obesity, stress, arthritis, and more can all cause or worsen back pain, as can diseases of the internal organs such as blood clots, bone loss, kidney infections, or kidney stones.
- Research greatly supports the use of chiropractic spinal manipulation and other specialized techniques, like those available at Balanced Health & Wellness, to alleviate and even prevent back pain.
- Maintaining a healthy weight/diet, staying active, avoiding extended periods of inactivity or rest, warming up and cooling down properly between exercises, practicing good posture, wearing supporting shoes, choosing the right mattress, and avoiding smoking are just a few of the many ways you can prevent back pain on your own!
For even more information on managing or preventing back pain in your life, consult our team at Balanced Health & Wellness, or schedule a visit with one of our exceptional chiropractors, today! Reach out by calling 248.397.8122 or simply fill out the form in the sidebar to schedule your appointment.
