The Link between Back Pain and Old Age

Back and neck pain are common problems in adults of all ages, including adults over 70 years old. What we don't know is what causes this pain in the older age group, or how back and neck pain develop over time. Do back and neck pain occur at the same time? How often? There haven't been any studies in this area, until now.

This study comes from the Nordic Institute of Chiropractic and Clinical Biomechanics in Denmark. Danish twins between the ages of 70 and 102 were studied. The researchers used the Danish Twin Registry to collect data. The registry has information on Danish twins born from 1870 on. This allows for long-term studies to be performed. A total of 4,486 twins were included in this study.

Each person was asked a series of questions about back and neck pain, general health, and mental and physical function. Other questions about smoking history, years of school, and occupation were also included. Here's what the authors found:

  • Most adults in this study didn't have back or neck pain.
  • In any given month about the same number of older adults report back pain alone (15 percent) or neck pain alone (11 percent).
  • Back pain alone or neck pain alone was linked with some other disease including arthritis, disc disease, osteoporosis, migraine headaches, heart attack, chronic bronchitis, or gastric ulcer.
  • Living alone, smoking, years of schooling or education, and being overweight weren't linked to back or neck pain.
  • Poor physical condition was linked with back and neck pain, alone or together.
  • Women report more back and neck pain than men.

    The authors conclude that, even though older adults don't have back or neck pain all the time, it's a common symptom in both men and women over the age of 70. It comes and goes most often in adults with other health problems. These researchers suggest that back and neck pain aren't independent health problems in old age. It's likely they are a part of overall poor health.

    Twin studies can be used to add to our knowledge about older adults. These same researchers are already studying patterns of back and neck pain in old age. How these problems affect the older adults is also being studied. The goal is to prevent and treat these conditions more effectively in the future.



    References: Jan Hartvigsen, DC, PhD, et al. Back and Neck Pain Exhibit Many Common Features in Old Age: A Population-Based Study of 4,486 Danish Twins 70-102 Years of Age. In Spine. March 1, 2004. Vol. 29. No. 5. Pp. 576-580.

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