Epidemiology of chronic back pain among adults and elderly from Southern Brazil: a cross-sectional study

Low back pain prevention behaviors and beliefs among the Polish population in a cross-sectional survey

Background

Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common problems of public health and creates a burden globally. The aim was to assess the Polish population's back pain prevention behaviors and beliefs and to examine how these health behaviors and beliefs vary across sociodemographic factors and physical activity.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 208 randomly selected patients of the public general practitioner clinic. The differences in LBP-related beliefs and attitudes were determined due to participants' status of requiring or non-requiring LBP treatment.

Results

More than half of the respondents did not engage in behaviors that protect against back pain. Individuals with higher education levels and those who exercised at least once a week were significantly more likely to adopt behaviors to protect their backs. Less than half of the participants reported having a workplace that was adequately prepared to protect against back pain, and only 35.1% of the participants reported receiving instruction while taking up work on how to avoid back pain while working. According to respondents' opinions, preventive actions are necessary to protect against back pain. Inappropriate exercises and stress can be contributors to back pain, with these opinions reported more often by women and participants with higher education levels. Participants who received treatment for LBP showed a significantly higher expression of behaviors to protect against back pain compared to participants who did not require treatment. However, there were no significant differences in participants' beliefs about back pain prevention between the group requiring LBP treatment and the group not requiring LBP treatment.

Conclusion

The study provides valuable insights into the association between LBP treatment, back pain prevention behaviors, and beliefs, suggesting potential avenues for future research and intervention development. By addressing workplace ergonomics and promoting a culture of back health, it may be possible to reduce the burden of LBP in Poland.

Inequalities in the management of back pain care in Brazil - National Health Survey, 2019

The aim was to assess the presence of socioeconomic inequalities in the management of back pain among Brazilians. Cross-sectional study with data from the National Health Survey (2019). The management of back pain care was assessed using five outcomes: regular exercise; physiotherapy; use of medications or injections; integrative and complementary practice; regular follow-up with a health professional. The magnitude of inequalities of each outcome in relation to exposures (education and income) was estimated using two indices: slope index of inequality (SII) and concentration index (CIX). Of the 90,846 interviewees, 19,206 individuals (21.1%) reported some chronic back problem. The most prevalent outcomes were use of medications and injections (45.3%), physical exercise (26.3%) and regular follow-up with a health professional (24.7%). The existence of inequalities in the management of back pain in the Brazilian population was evident. The adjusted analysis showed that the richest and most educated performed two to three times more physical exercise, physiotherapy, integrative and complementary practices (ICPS) and regular follow-up with a health professional than the poorest and least educated. Absolute (SII) and relative (CIX) inequalities were significant for all outcomes.

Pain prevalence and chronicity in a developing country in Latin America: a population-based survey in Lima, Peru

Background: No population-based epidemiological studies have estimated pain prevalence and its characteristics in Peru. Patients & methods: A representative sample of adults aged over 18 years (n = 502) living in metropolitan Lima, Peru was enrolled. We analyzed prevalence data of pain in the last 3 months and other pain-related characteristics. Results: Pain prevalence was 65.3% (95% CI: 57.7-70.4%). Chronic pain prevalence was 38.5% (95% CI: 33.5-44.0%) and acute pain prevalence was 24.8% (95% CI: 20.7-29.0%). In participants with chronic pain, almost half (55.7%) reported having not used any medication. Conclusion: Pain is prevalent in this population and our results suggest high undertreatment rates.

Sleep Quality Predicts Functional Disability in Older Adults with Low Back Pain: A Longitudinal Study

Low back pain (LBP) and sleep quality are two very prevalent complaints in the older population. However, little is known about the prognostic relationship between sleep quality and disability in older adults with LBP. The aim of this study was to examine the association between sleep quality and disability in older adults with LBP. This was a longitudinal study over a 6-month period. Older adults with LBP in the last 12 weeks and who had preserved cognitive functions were recruited. The questionnaires used were the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire. At baseline, we collected information on demographic/anthropometric variables, cognitive status, depression, daytime sleepiness, and comorbidities. Linear regression adjusted for potential covariates were performed. Poor sleep at baseline predicted higher disability after 6 months [β = 0.30 (CI95%:0.07 to 0.55)]. Our results support the existence of an important relationship between sleep and disability in older adults with LBP.

Chronic Pain in the Elderly: Mechanisms and Perspectives

Chronic pain affects a large part of the population causing functional disability, being often associated with coexisting psychological disorders, such as depression and anxiety, besides cognitive deficits, and sleep disturbance. The world elderly population has been growing over the last decades and the negative consequences of chronic pain for these individuals represent a current clinical challenge. The main painful complaints in the elderly are related to neurodegenerative and musculoskeletal conditions, peripheral vascular diseases, arthritis, and osteoarthritis, contributing toward poorly life quality, social isolation, impaired physical activity, and dependence to carry out daily activities. Organ dysfunction and other existing diseases can significantly affect the perception and responses to chronic pain in this group. It has been proposed that elderly people have an altered pain experience, with changes in pain processing mechanisms, which might be associated with the degeneration of circuits that modulate the descending inhibitory pathways of pain. Aging has also been linked to an increase in the pain threshold, a decline of painful sensations, and a decrease in pain tolerance. Still, elderly patients with chronic pain show an increased risk for dementia and cognitive impairment. The present review article is aimed to provide the state-of-art of pre-clinical and clinical research about chronic pain in elderly, emphasizing the altered mechanisms, comorbidities, challenges, and potential therapeutic alternatives.

The bidirectional association between sleep quality and low back pain in the older adults: a longitudinal observational study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the bidirectional relationship by determining whether baseline sleep quality predicts pain intensity and whether baseline pain intensity predicts sleep quality in older people with chronic LBP.

DESIGN

A prospective longitudinal cohort study with a 6-month follow-up.

PARTICIPANTS

Older adults with LBP aged 60 years or more.

SETTINGS

Community.

MAIN OUTCOMES

Data collection occurred at baseline and at 6 months follow-up. Pain intensity and sleep quality were measured in both time points of assessment using the 0-10 Numerical Pain Rating Scale and the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index. At baseline we also collected information on demographic anthropometric variables, cognitive status, depression and comorbidities. Multivariable linear regression analyses adjusted for potential covariates were performed.

RESULTS

A total of 215 people with LBP were recruited. Poor sleep quality at baseline predicted (Beta coefficient = 0.18, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.30) high pain intensity at 6-month follow-up. High pain intensity at baseline predicted (Beta coefficient = 0.14, 95%CI 0.01 to 0.26) poor sleep quality 6 months later.

CONCLUSION

Our findings give some support to bidirectional relationship between pain and sleep quality in older people with LBP. This bidirectional relationship may be used as a prognostic information by clinicians when managing patients with LBP.

The prevalence of chronic pain in young adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACT

Prior systematic reviews have summarized the prevalence and impact of chronic pain in "average" pediatric (i.e., school-age) and adult (i.e., middle-age) age groups. To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe the prevalence of chronic pain in the subgroup of individuals that fall in between established boundaries of "childhood" and "adulthood" - known as young adulthood. The goal of this research was to meta-analyze prevalence data on pain in young adults based on available data published between 2008 and 2020. Searches were identified with MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycINFO. We included general population and university-based studies presenting prevalence estimates of chronic pain (pain lasting ≥3 months) in young adults. We identified 43 articles providing prevalence estimates across a combined population of 97,437 young adult respondents (age range: 15-34), with studies undertaken in 22 countries. Available data allowed for stratification of prevalence according to pain condition. The overall pooled random-effect prevalence rate of chronic pain in young adults was 11.6%, suggesting that 1 in every 9 young adults experience chronic pain worldwide. Prevalence rates varied considerably according to pain condition. Estimates did not vary according to sex, geographic location, and several study methodological characteristics (i.e., population type, sampling area, sampling year, investigation period, assessment method). Overall, young adult chronic pain is common and should be recognized as a major public health concern. Considering the difficulties young adults face accessing adult healthcare, greater attention is needed to develop transition programs and evidence-based treatments tailored to the unique needs of this age group.

Popular videos related to low back pain on YouTube™ do not reflect current clinical guidelines: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Quality of low back pain (LBP) information offered on YouTube ™ is unclear.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the current low back pain information available on YouTube ™ and determine if these videos report information that aligns with clinical guidelines. Further analysis explored whether specific features of the videos explain their popularity.

METHODS

A cross-sectional observational study was conducted on videos related to LBP on YouTube™ with the 200 most viewed videos using the term "low back pain." The videos were independently viewed and assessed by two researchers for specific video characteristics, LBP specific content, and compliance with guidelines. The association between video characteristics or content with popularity (i.e., views, likes, dislikes, and comments) was investigated using regression models.

RESULTS

The median number of views was 2 018 167. Only 59 (29.5%) of the videos reported at least one diagnostic recommendation from clinical guidelines, and only 100 (50%) reported a treatment recommendation that aligned with clinical guidelines. Apart from year of upload, no variables were identified that were independently associated with popularity or engagement of the videos.

CONCLUSION

The information related to LBP offered on YouTube™ is often not evidence-based and there is the tendency to prioritize information on interventions rather than understanding the LBP process. Factors related to engagement with content about LBP on YouTube™ remains uncertain, indicating further need for knowledge translation in this field.