NPR

Report: Ineffective Treatment Often Prescribed For Lower Back Pain

And the number of sufferers is expected to increase, especially in lower-income countries as people in rural areas move to urban centers and adopt more sedentary lives. So what can help them?
Source: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images

Chances are, you — or someone you know — has suffered from lower back pain.

It can be debilitating. Actually, it's a leading cause of disability globally.

And the number of people with the often chronic condition is likely to increase.

This warning comes via They state that about 540 million people have lower back pain — and they predict that the number will jump as the world's population ages and as populations in lower- and middle-income countries move to urban centers and adopt more sedentary lives.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR3 min read
Bearing Witness, Celebrating Strength: How Poetry Has Changed Lives For NPR's Audience
From sparking the imagination to helping with mental health, listen to poems read by NPR readers and see how poetry has affected their lives.
NPR3 min readAmerican Government
Who Is Hope Hicks, The Former Trump Adviser Testifying In New York Criminal Trial?
Hope Hicks was a communications director for the Trump White House and prosecutors may question her on her knowledge of the deals made during his first presidential run.
NPR3 min read
Scientists Welcome New Rules On Marijuana, But Research Will Still Face Obstacles
When marijuana becomes a Schedule III instead of a Schedule I substance under federal rules, researchers will face fewer barriers to studying it. But there will still be some roadblocks for science.

Related Books & Audiobooks