Whenever I browse health magazines, it seems like there’s always so much about back pain. I’ve never known anyone to die from back pain. What’s all the fuss about?

Back pain certainly does have our attention. Around the world, it is the same story: eight out of every 10 adults will have back pain sometime in their lives. It is a major cause of medical expenses. And along with that comes absenteeism and loss of productivity. Billions of dollars are lost each year from the indirect and direct costs of low back pain.

When acute low back pain lasts more than a couple of months, then it becomes a chronic problem. Quality of life is affected. Loss of function and disability become concerns. Teams of specialists around the world continue to focus on the problem of back pain. It appears to be a rather complex condition with social, physical, and mental factors.