What is Back Pain?
Back pain can be from a small constant discomfort up to a sudden, stabbing acute pain that makes movement difficult. It can appear rapidly, after a fall or on lifting a very heavy object, or it may gradually increase.
Back pain explained in first person
One of the main factors of back pain is a sedentary lifestyle. Many hours sitting, little physical exercise, obesity, smoking.
Types of Back Pain
Among the types of back pain may be found are:
- Lower back pain. It is the most common and affects the area between the base of the ribs and the beginning of the thigh.
- Back pain. It is also very common and affects the area between the base of the neck and the floating ribs.
- Neck pain. It is pain in the cervical region. It is not such a common disorder, although it produces considerable discomfort and pain.
Back pain shows up in two ways: the acute pain that suddenly appears and usually lasts for less than six weeks and the chronic pain that may last longer than three months. The chronic pain is less common in lower back pain, back pain, and neck pain
Pains in the different areas of the spinal column according to profession
A recent study in the International Journal of Safety and Ergonomics shows, for example, how bus drivers have frequent lower back pain due to the forced postures and sedentary work. All this, together with the vibration to which they are continuously exposed due to the constant “starting-up and braking”, causes the imbalance of certain muscles.
However, those individuals that work sitting down in an office and for many hours in front of a computer (administrative, designers, researchers, school teachers, etc.), are accustomed to having skeletomuscular problems, particularly in the neck area of the spinal column.
These problems are combined with ergonomic and psychological factors in the work triggering discomfort in the upper back area.
How many people is affected?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2020 alone, lower back and sacral pain affected around 619 million people. That number is expected to rise to 843 million by 2050, largely due to population growth and ageing. Current studies suggest that between 80% and 90% of people will experience back pain at some point in their lives.
Substantiated information by:
Published: 23 October 2019
Updated: 10 October 2025
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