The total number of working days lost due to this condition in 2019/20 was 8.9 million days. This means that on any one day 1% of the working population are on sickness leave due to a back problem. Back pain is the number 2 reason for long term sickness in much of the UK. In manual labour jobs, back pain is the number one reason.
In any two-week period of time, between 25 – 33% of all adults get some form of back pain.
Bending over backwards. 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.
Branching out. Nerves from the spinal cord branch out and leave the spine through spaces between the vertebrae at the levels of the discs.
Not tonight, dear. I have a backache. Backache is second only to headaches as the most common location of pain.
Not such good vibrations. Vibration often causes back problems, which is why truck drivers often have backache.
In about 85% of acute back pain cases, the exact cause cannot be identified.
Experts estimate that as many as 80% of the population will experience a back problem at some time in our lives.
Most cases of back pain are mechanical or non-organic—meaning they are not caused by serious conditions, such as inflammatory arthritis, infection, fracture or cancer.
Most back injuries aren’t caused by sports, falls or vehicle accidents. Instead they are caused by lifting or bending incorrectly.
BACK PAIN BLOG UK... 