Modern medicine specifies back pain by linking it to the affected section of the spine. The spine is divided into three sections: lumbar (low), thoracic (middle), and cervical (high). Each of the three sections is subject to disease and injury that could cause pain. But did you know that most back pain cases are linked to the lumbar spine?
Another way of saying it is that most back pain occurs in the lower back. There are several reasons for explaining why. We will get to them in this post but let us first take a quick look at rates of incidence.
Back Pain Frequency by Spine Section
Lumbar (low) back pain is the clear winner in terms of prevalence. According to data, 80% of the world’s population will experience lumbar back pain at some point in their lives. Here in the U.S., roughly 26% of the adult population is experiencing low back pain at any given time.
Thoracic (middle) back pain is common as well, but not nearly as much as lumbar pain. Note that the thoracic spine comprises twelve joints in the middle of the spine, mostly around the ribs. Roughly 30% of adult men and women will experience thoracic back pain at some point. Interestingly, there is a higher rate of incidence among women.
Finally, we come to cervical (high) back pain. It demonstrates the lowest prevalence at about 14% of the U.S. adult population. One-year prevalence rates for cervical back pain are typically lower than lumbar back pain.
Reasons for More Frequent Lumbar Pain
So what is going on? Why are people more likely to experience pain in the lower back than the rest of the spine? For starters, the lumbar spine bears most of the body’s weight. It is a simple matter of physics. The lower you go down on the spine, the more weight each joint bears.
The other thing to be aware of is the fact that the lumbar spine plays a crucial role in a lengthy list of daily activities. If you’re lifting something, you are using your lower back. The same goes when bending and twisting.
Every time you stand, walk, or run, you are utilizing the lumbar spine. Sitting down and standing back up works the lower back. It’s very hard to engage in any type of upper body movement without forcing the lumbar spine to do some of the work. The same cannot be said for the thoracic and cervical spines. Compared to the lumbar spine, the other two are fairly lazy.
Duration and Intensity Can Vary
As pain management doctors, one of the things we find most fascinating about lumbar back pain is that its duration and intensity can vary quite a bit. For example, did you know that back pain can be acute, subacute, or chronic?
A patient can experience acute back pain that resolves as quickly as it came on. Another person could experience acute pain that lingers a little bit longer. Still another patient with a similar health condition can experience chronic pain that lasts for months or years.
Pain intensity varies inasmuch as people experience pain differently. Back pain you might consider mild could be excruciating to someone else. That’s why it is so necessary to customize treatment plans for each patient.
Lumbar back pain is an interesting creature. It is more prevalent than thoracic or cervical back pain simply because the lower back endures a lot more stress. If you are experiencing low back pain that hasn’t responded to traditional treatments, we invite you to visit us at Lone Star Pain Medicine.
