Why is low back pain so common?
One can view low back pain as part of life because most studies say that just about everyone will have it at some point in time. The issue of how debilitating it is, how long it lasts, and how often it occurs is what varies among individuals.
There are lots of hypotheses about why low back pain is common. Basic biologists may talk about it in terms of pressure on the spine. Gravity puts a lot of pressure on the spine and specifically the lower spine, which is where most back pain occurs.
What are some risk factors for low back pain?
There's a lot of research that has looked at what increases the likelihood that you're going to have low back pain. But in general, there aren't huge studies that are of the highest quality.
But what you can say is that as people get older, they're more likely to have back pain. That's especially true for women, because of the onset of osteoporosis after menopause. Obesity is probably an important risk factor for developing back pain. There are known psychological factors such as depression and anxiety. And life stresses, whether they're personal or work-related, contribute to it.
Some studies suggest that people who smoke cigarettes have a higher incidence of back problems. There's also evidence that people who are less physically active are more likely to have back problems.
From workplace studies, we know that people whose jobs that involve heavy lifting or vibration exposure, for instance, truck drivers, may be at higher risk for back pain.
