- In the UK, 2.5 million people have back pain every day of the year.
- Most people have lower back pain. This is because the lower back bears the weight of the upper body. It also twists and bends more than the upper back.
- The spine consists of 33 bony segments, the vertebrae. The discs lie between these. They are tough and spongy and work as shock absorbers, and give the spine flexibility – the spine can, in fact, bend far enough to form two-thirds of a circle.
- If your back pain started after a trivial movement, such as picking up a book from the floor, you could have a slipped disc or a joint problem in your spine.
- Nerves from the spinal cord branch out and leave the spine through spaces between the vertebrae at the levels of the discs.
- Back pain is second only to headaches as the most common location of pain.
- Many people who often have back pain, either lead inactive sedentary lives or have inherited a genetic susceptibility to back pain.
- Severe intermittent back pain that goes down to your groin, could indicate that you have kidney stones.
- Vibration often causes back problems, which is why truck drivers often have back pain.
- In any two-week period of time, between 25 – 33% of all adults get some form of back pain.
- Cyclists often experience back pain, which can often be rectified by adjusting the angle of the bicycle seat.
- Back pain became a part of life when humans started walking upright, rather than on all fours. The vertebrae were never really designed to deal with walking upright.
- Pain in the middle of your back, which becomes worse after eating, could indicate a stomach ulcer.
- Up to 7% of people with acute back pain will develop chronic back pain. These chronic patients have considerable discomfort and account for approximately 80% of the social and health care costs.
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