Yoga Application for Low Back Pain Dayanand Dongaonkar
INDEX
×
Chapter Notes

Save Clear


1Medicine
  1. Epidemiology
  2. Socioeconomic Consequences of Low Back Pain
  3. Psychological Factors in Chronic Low Back Pain
  4. What is Yoga?
  5. Why Yoga?
  6. Which Patients?
  7. Pain Modulation
  8. Role of Yoga in Modulation of Low Back Pain
    2

Epidemiology1 CHAPTER

There have been many epidemiological studies on low back pain. The statistical values obtained are variable but one thing in common is that these figures are high in all studies.
Hul, Horal, Kellargan and Lawrence are credited with conducting the first epidemiological study of patients with low back symptoms among the Swedish and English population.1, 2 According to this study the percentage population who have experienced low back pain at any time in their lives (lifetime prevalence) ranged from 51 to 70%. However, a lower lifetime prevalence of 40% was reported in less industrialised societies.3 Overall 5% of the population has a low back complaint in any given year, but the incidence ranges from 1 to 20% in different industrial populations.4 At any given time (point prevalence) 12.2 to 52% of people reported that they had symptoms of low back pain.5
Gordon Waddell has reported that 80% of all people experienced low back pain at some time in their lives.6 Each year 2 to 5% of adults attend a doctor or lose time from work because of low back pain.6, 7 Of all patients who have attacks of low back pain, 90% would recover within about six weeks, irrespective of the type of treatment or indeed, regardless of whether they receive any treatment at all.3, 4, 8 Another measure of severity of low back pain is recurrence rate. It ranges from 85% (Volkenburg and Haanen)9 to 60% (Troup and colleagues).10
In Great Britain, 4% of patients on general practitioners, lists see a consultant each year because of back pain.11, 12 During the decade to 1993 outpatient attendance for low back pain rose five-folds.11 Recent studies done by Walsh in 8 areas of Britain showed overall lifetime and one year period prevalence of low back pain to be 58.3%, and 36.1%, respectively.134
Low back pain in Australian adult represents a massive health problem with significant economic burden, compelling urgent ramification for health policy (Walker BF et al).14 Twelve months prevalence in low back pain among female nurses at Nigerian hospital was 68% and among male nurses was 32%.15
Turnbull (Nottingham) conducted a study (unpublished) on the prevalence of spinal pain among the staff of the district health authority, which showed that over half of the respondents had a significant degree of spinal pain in the past one year, mainly located in the back. In this study, nurses had a prevalence rate of 60% whereas in another study carried out for nurses by Chiou from Taiwan, the prevalence rate was 77.9%.16, 17 Our own study (unpublished) of JJ Hospital, Mumbai showed prevalence of LBP to be 45% among the staff nurses.
Similarly Anderson investigated urban bus drivers in California (USA) and revealed 80.5% incidence of low back pain.18 Rorgaltz from Israel observed 66.3% incidence of low back pain in employees of a pharmaceutical company.19 It is obvious from these studies that certain working groups like nurses, drivers and industrial workers have a higher incidence of low back pain compared to the general population.
In the USA between 1971–1981, the number of persons disabled with low back pain increased to 14 times that of the growth of population.20 Back pain is fifth ranging cause of admission to hospital in USA.21
Low back pain is one of the most common reasons for patients (15–60 years) seek care from family physician. Eighty percent of adult in USA seek care at sometime, and one third of all disability cost is due to low back pain (Am Fam Physician, 1999).22, 23
Among North Indian, 23.09% adult worker attended clinic for low back ache. Sixty-seven percent of them had psychological social issues, 26% had to change the profession.24
An Algerian study done by Bezzapicha showed an incidence of 90.9 per thousand for low back pain. Hence, the prevalence rate is variable in the general population in different countries and ethnic groups.
These epidemiological studies clearly show that traditional medicine has failed to control the incidence of low back pain. Therefore this needs critical analysis. More important, if there are more efficient approaches from alternative therapies for prevention and control of low back pain, we must accept them with open minds in the interest of patients who have low back pain.