Low back pain is the leading cause of disability in the world, with over 600 million people living with the condition. This is one of the key takeaways of our June 2023 study published in the journal The Lancet Rheumatology. Our systematic analysis synthesizes data from approximately 500 studies throughout the world over 30 years to estimate the global burden of low back pain, broken down by country, year, age, sex and severity. 'Burden' refers to a combination of how common low back pain is and how much health loss it leads to. We measured low back pain from people age 5 onward. Smoking has been previously associated with damaged microcirculation of the spinal structures, for example, the discs and joints as well as to weakening of the bones. But researchers also know that smoking is often associated with other lifestyle factors, including physical inactivity, obesity and poor sleep, all of which have been linked to an increased risk of low back pain. Similarly, obesity is...
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