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Back Pain in the Golden Years

Many studies have shown that back pain is a common problem among adults. Very little is known about back pain in adults over 75. This study presents information on back pain in Danish twins aged 70 to 102 years old.

The researchers report that back pain is common in old age. It's often part of general poor health and linked with other diseases. Migraines, lung disease, heart disease, and stomach ulcers are all linked with back pain. So are joint problems, osteoporosis, and bone fractures. Women are more likely to have worse back pain than men. It's not known if this is because they have worse general health or because of some other factor. Living alone is linked with back pain for men.

According to this study, years of education aren't always associated with back pain for men or women. Other studies have linked lower levels of education with back pain. The authors aren't sure if the age of the subjects in this study cancels out the effect of education. Maybe back pain from physically demanding jobs isn't reported because of retirement.

There are two major findings of this study: (1) Back pain occurs just as often in the older adult as in the younger population. (2) Back pain in old age occurs along with many other health problems. Preventing and treating back pain in seniors is complicated because of its link to other health problems. Doctors will face this challenge more and more as the number of people over 75 increases.

References: Jan Hartvigsen, et al. Back Pain Remains a Common Symptom in Old Age: A Population-Based Study of 4486 Danish Twins Aged 70-102. In European Spine Journal. December 2003. Vol. 12. No. 6. Pp. 528-534.

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