Lower back pain—acute and chronic—is second only to upper respiratory infection as the reason for primary care physician visits in the United States, and it is the costliest musculoskeletal complaint.
- It is estimated that from 80% to 90% of people in the United States will experience at least one episode of lower back pain in their lifetime.
- Most cases of acute back pain are self-limiting, and when treated in accordance with evidence-based guidelines, more than 70% of acute patients become pain free.
- Between 70% and 90% of those who have one episode will have at least one recurrence, and of those, about 33% have lower back pain more than half the days of the year.
- The lifetime U.S. prevalence of chronic lower back pain (>3 months duration) is 10%-20%.
- Approximately 5% of patients with chronic lower back pain have severe, disabling pain that incurs significant expense and can take a serious psychosocial toll on patients and their families.
An estimated 175 million workdays are lost to low back pain each year in the United States—a $20 billion loss of productivity.
- Lower back pain represents 15% of workers’ compensation claims and 25% of all claim costs.
- The annual direct and indirect costs of lower back pain in the United States total more than $100 billion.
For more specific information about discogenic lower back pain, please review the following resources: