Analysis also dispels common back pain myth

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The continued lack of a consistent approach to treating back pain and limited treatment options have researchers concerned this could lead to a health care crisis, as low back pain is the world’s leading cause of disability. .

In Australia, there will be a nearly 50 percent increase in cases by 2050. The landscape for back pain cases will change, with the largest increases in back pain cases in Asia and Africa.

The findings are published in Lancet Rheumatology today, and it is the new Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 study.

“Our analysis paints a picture of increasing cases of low back pain around the world, placing enormous pressure on our healthcare system. We need to establish a consistent, national, research-based approach to managing low back pain.” says the lead author, Professor Manuela Ferreira. from Sydney Musculoskeletal Health, an initiative of the University of Sydney, the Sydney Local Health District and the North Sydney Local Health District.

“Currently, the way we have been responding to back pain has been reactive. Australia is a world leader in back pain research, we can be proactive and lead by example in back pain prevention,” said the Professor Ferreira, who works at the Kolling Institute in Sydney.

The study reveals several milestones in back pain cases. Since 2017, the number of cases of low back pain has increased to more than 500 million people.

In 2020, there were approximately 619 million cases of back pain.

At least one third of the disability burden associated with back pain was attributable to occupational factors, smoking, and being overweight.

A widespread misconception is that low back pain primarily affects adults of working age. But the researchers say this study has confirmed that low back pain is more common among older people. Low back pain cases were also higher among women compared to men.

These are the most comprehensive and up-to-date data available, including for the first time global projections and the contribution of GBD risk factors to low back pain. The work was made possible through the joint efforts of the University of Sydney, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at Washington University School of Medicine, IHME’s international collaborators, and the Global Alliance for Health. Musculoskeletal.

“We also know that most of the available data comes from high-income countries, which sometimes makes it difficult to interpret these results for low- to middle-income countries. We urgently need more evidence-based back and musculoskeletal pain data.” the population of low- to middle-income countries,” said lead author Professor Lyn March, of Sydney Musculoskeletal Health and the Kolling Institute.

The study analyzed GBD data from 1990 to 2020 from more than 204 countries and territories to map the landscape of back pain cases over time. The GBD is the most comprehensive picture of mortality and disability across countries, time, age, and

It is also the first study to be used to model the future prevalence of back pain cases.

“Healthcare systems must respond to this enormous and growing burden of low back pain affecting people around the world. Much more needs to be done to prevent low back pain and ensure timely access to care, as there are effective ways to help people in pain,” said Professor Anthony Woolf, co-chair of the Global Alliance for Musculoskeletal Health, which is calling for priority to be given to addressing the growing burden of musculoskeletal diseases.

“Ministries of health cannot continue to ignore the high prevalence of musculoskeletal conditions, including low back pain. These conditions have significant social and economic consequences, especially when considering the cost of care. Now is the time to learn about effective strategies to address high burden and to act,” said Dr. Alarcos Cieza, Head of Unit, World Health Organization, Headquarters, Geneva.

National guidelines will form the basis of back pain prevention

In 2018, experts (independent of this study) expressed their concerns in the lancet and gave recommendations, especially with regard to exercise and education, on the need for global policy change on how best to prevent and manage low back pain to stem the rise of inappropriate treatment.

However, since then, there has been little change. Commonly recommended treatments for low back pain have been found to be of unknown efficacy or ineffective; this includes some surgeries and opioids.

Professor Ferreira says there is a lack of consistency in the way healthcare professionals handle back pain cases and how the healthcare system needs to adapt.

“It may surprise some that current clinical guidelines for the treatment and management of back pain do not provide specific recommendations for older people.”

“Older people have more complex medical histories and are more likely to be prescribed strong medications, including opioids for back pain control, compared to younger adults. But this is not ideal and can have an impact negative on their function and quality of life, especially since these pain relievers can interfere with their other existing medications. This is just one example of why we need to update clinical guidelines to support our healthcare professionals.”

Co-author Dr. Katie de Luca, from CQUniversity, said that if the right steps are not taken, low back pain can become a precursor to chronic health conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and mental health conditions, invasive medical procedures and significant disability.

“Low back pain remains the largest cause of disability worldwide. This condition has significant socioeconomic consequences, and the physical and personal impact directly threatens healthy aging.”