Those in travel physical therapy jobs see a lot patients with back problems. While low back pain has always been a prevalent issue, new research found that it causes more disability than almost 300 other conditions worldwide.
Nearly 1 in 10 people around the globe suffer from an aching lower back, according to the study. As you know, back pain can result from improper posture, heavy lifting, fatigue and even lack of exercise.
“Low back pain is something that almost all people experience at some point in their lives,” said the lead author of the first study, Damian Hoy, a senior research fellow at the University of Queensland’s School of Population Health in Australia. “It is something common across sexes, age groups, countries, socioeconomic groups, education levels and occupation.”
For the first report, Hoy and his colleagues reviewed 117 published studies that focused on back pain prevalence. They also reviewed surveys from 50 countries that evaluated back pain frequency and severity.
Compared to 291 other health conditions, low back aches ranked the highest on the list, pitting itself as a culprit of more global disability than any other health problem studied. What’s more, back pain affected 9.4 percent of people in 2010, their analysis indicated.
Travel PT professionals can take home this message: Back pain is the No. 1 cause of lost work days in the U.S. It’s our responsibility to treat, rehabilitate and prevent such problems from reoccurring.
Geographic difference
Interestingly, back pain varied substantially by geographic area. Hoy pointed out that more people suffered from the condition in Western Europe followed by North Africa and the Middle East. It was the lowest in the Caribbean and Central Latin America. Maybe that’s part of the reason why those spots are such relaxing vacation destinations.
In Western Europe, the average prevalence was 15 percent – more than double of that in the Caribbean, which ranked at 6.5 percent.
Staying in shape
Staying fit is one of the best ways to prevent back pain. Although the average young adult maintains fairly good workout levels, keeping up with exercise becomes harder once you enter the working world full time. Have your patients work on building core strength and flexibility to keep their backs healthy.
With so many patients dealing with the condition, it’s crucial that travel physical therapy professionals share helpful tips and exercises to help patients get back to feeling 100 percent.