Insights in public health: perspectives on pain in the low back and neck: global burden, epidemiology, and management.
Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: Low back pain (LBP) is a major public health problem worldwide. All age groups are affected, including children and adolescents,1 with 1%–2% of adults in the United States being disabled as a result.2 Back and neck pain (NP) are two of the most common reasons for visits to primary care physicians and chiropractors in the United States and cause considerable disability and financial burden.3 Although people don't die from low back or neck pain, the morbidity toll is enormous from both personal and societal perspectives. Both are reported by more patients and have a higher impact in the workforce, as well as financially, than any other musculoskeletal disorder and most other clinical conditions. 4 In 2005 only heart disease and stroke had substantially higher medical expenditures than spine disorders in the United States.5 The large and rising spine-related health-care expenditures over the last decade do not seem to be associated with improved self-assessed health status, or improvement in functional ability, work limitations or social functioning.5 In this article, we take a step back to look at this toll, and look ahead to see where we, as individuals and as a society, should go in order to reduce the burden of back and neck pain.
Source: Europe PMC (PubMed Central)
Authors: Maria Vassilaki, Eric L Hurwitz
Institution: Mayo Clinic
Language: English
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1504637354