Interesting facts about back pain

Interesting facts regarding back pain:

1. 80% of people over the age of 30 experience back problems at some point in their lives. 30% of those will have recurring problems.
2. It is estimated that back pain afflicts over 31 million Americans and is the number one cause of activity limitation in young adults.
3. Each year, there are approximately 916,000 spinal surgeries performed in the US.
4. Back pain accounts for almost one fourth of all occupational injuries and illnesses.
5. In the United States, back surgery rates increase almost proportionately with the supply of orthopaedic and neurosurgeons.
6. Within a given year, up to 50% of U.S. adults suffer from back pain.
7. Americans spend at least $50 Billion each year on low back pain and it is the second most common neurological ailment in the United States.
8. Low back pain is the second most frequent reason for visits to the physician.
9. Americans spend at least $50 Billion per year on back pain—and that’s just for the more easily identified costs.
10. In the United States it is the most common cause of job-related disability, a leading contributor to missed work, and the second most common neurological ailment — only headache is more common.
11. Eighty seven percent of back problems are known to be muscular in origin -- meaning they are related to how your move your body.
12. A survey of back patients revealed that 75% of those who were told they needed surgery recovered successfully without it.
13. In a 1988 study by the British Holistic Medical Association of those who suffer from chronic pain, they expressed their preference for the Alexander Technique as their favorite approach long-term pain relief.
14. Low back pain is the fifth most common reason for all physician visits in the United States.
15. Back pain is the most frequent cause of activity limitation in people younger than 45 years old.
16. 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.
17. Approximately one quarter of U.S. adults reported having low back pain lasting at least one whole day in the past three months2, and 7.6 percent reported at least one episode of severe acute low back pain within a one-year period.4
18. Low back pain is also very costly: approximately 5 percent of people with back pain disability account for 75 percent of the costs associated with low back pain.
19. One-half of all working Americans admit to having back pain symptoms each year. 
20. Approximately 2 percent of the U.S. work force is compensated for back injuries each year.
21.  Most acute back pain goes away on its own, whether or not you treat it with medication or other therapies.
22. With conservative measures, the symptoms of low back pain typically show significant improvement within a few weeks from onset.
23. "Americans spend much more out of pocket for alternative pain therapies than they will for traditional treatments," says Barry Cole, MD, director of the American Society of Pain Educators. "People value these treatments enough to pay cash!"

Reference:
http://www.usspinecare.com/back-pain-facts.html