To the editor:
The health of the general public has been a highly discussed subject over the last decade. However, one health problem that seems to be consistently overlooked is that of back pain. Back pain is a problem that 75 percent of the world’s population has experienced at least once in a lifetime; much of this population actually suffers daily from a chronic condition.
According to recent studies, lower back pain is considered the single leading cause of disability worldwide. It is the most common reason individuals miss work and the second most common reason for doctor’s office visits. When most people think of back pain, they think of sports injuries or traumatic events, such as car accidents. While these do contribute to back pain, most pain people experience come from the simplest of movements, like picking up an object from the floor, according to the American Chiropractic Association. Statistics show that 60-80 percent of American citizens suffer from lower back pain.
This problem hits close to home because I have a family member who suffers from chronic back pain. He was in a skiing accident in his early 20’s and hurt his back. However, since the pain went away the following week he continued on with his life, not knowing the long term consequences that would arise. He, like most individuals, overlooked the seriousness of back pain and now finds himself completely disabled and bed ridden some days of the year. The general public needs to know about this continually growing problem and sources they can reach out to in order to decrease the rising back pain occurrence.