Is there any chance back pain can be genetic? Both my twin sister and I suffer from chronic low back pain. We have similar types of jobs with a lot of sitting, so maybe that’s it instead.

Several studies of twins have been done over the years. Some researchers have tried to compare the studies to find answers to questions like yours. But back pain isn’t always measured in the same way from study to study. So comparisons can be difficult.

Some studies include identical twins, while others have fraternal (not identical) twins. It’s possible there are differences in these two groups that haven’t been accounted for.

One study of male twins from Finland identified both genetic and environmental factors contributing to low back pain (LBP) in twins. They found that twins tend to seek similar occupational and job opportunities. And the data analysis showed a significant effect of genetics on disc narrowing and disc degeneration leading to back pain.

It is still suspected that other factors influence back pain as well. More studies are needed to identify all of the risk factors. There’s not much you can do about your genetic make-up. But other risk factors may be modifiable. Focusing on risk factors that can be changed may help reduce the incidence of LBP.