Over 600 million worldwide suffered from back pain in 2020, 10% of the global population. This number is expected to grow to over 800 million by 2050 according to a Lancet report.
Back pain is also a significant contributor to societal and economic burden and a growing issue in Asia and Africa. Let us understand it better and work towards preventing this condition.
There are can be many causes of back pain - trauma related, degenerative, cancer related, inflammatory, etc. It is important to assess the cause in order to determine the right course of treatment
Causes of Back Pain can be
- Traumatic: Due to any trauma like fall, road accidents, lifting heavy weights etc.
- Degenerative: Due to age related degeneration of the spinal disc or some pathological conditions causing the degeneration of the spine leading to prolapse or hernia of the disc.
- Inflammatory: Pain due to inflammation of the tissue of the spine and nerves surrounding the area which can cause stiffness and inability to bear weight eg. conditions like Ankylosing spondylitis, sacroiliitis etc.
- Metabolic: Pain caused by changes in metabolism of vitamins and minerals such as calcium, Vitamin D etc may cause weakening of the vertebrae of the backbone.
- Oncologic: Tumors of the back (spine, disc or nerves) may lead to chronic back pain.
Changed
16/Aug/2025
Condition
