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chronic conditions consumes about 78 percent of all healthcare spending [8]. More-
over, by examining the allocation of costs in UK healthcare services given by the
Department of Health report [9] we can identify that, over the last 3 years there has
been an impressive increase in costs for treatment of
long-term conditions
, with the
figure reaching 14,353 million in 2006/07 as compared to 6,455 million in 2004/05,
which is more than 50 percent increase in two years.
1.1 Back Pain as a Chronic Medical Condition
However, in addition to the ones aforementioned, there are more chronic conditions
that could affect most of healthcare stakeholders, with one of the most important ones
being back pain. The diagnosis and treatment of Low Back Disorders (LBDs), and
specifically of back pain is a major health problem that research in medical as well as
in biodynamic areas is currently dealing with. It is that enormous the impact of this
disability that back pain alone cost the UK industry about 9090 million pounds in 1997
and 1998, with between 90 and 100 million days of sickness and invalidity benefit paid
out per year for back pain complaints, as it is characteristically stated by [47].
Back-pain: Magnitude of problem.
According to past studies, it is estimated that
60-80% of the population is suffering by some form of back pain during their life
[53], with that percentage remaining the same in 2008, based on a study performed by
Backcare where an estimated 80% of people in the UK are affected, with four in five
adults experiencing it. Generally speaking, back pain is considered to be a worldwide
experience, since based on the literature it appears to be a problem for most of the
western and industrialized societies. According to [5], the lifetime prevalence of back
pain is more than 70% in most industrialized countries, affecting 20% of the popula-
tion in the United States per year, whereas the relative numbers in Britain, based on a
Department of Health survey, reach 40% of the adult population, 5% of which have to
take time off to recover [15]. Specifically, the prevalence of back pain in the general
population is estimated to be between 60% and 90%, with most people experiencing it
at some time in their lives usually beginning between ages of the 30 and 40 years, and
with men and women being affected approximately equally [23]. Moreover, studies
around Europe have also shown that back pain does not affect only the adult popula-
tion, but it is also very common in children with about 50% experiencing back pain at
some time in their lives [47].
Back-pain Costs.
Moreover, besides being uncomfortable and affecting a major
percentage of the human population, back pain has also a considerable effect on
health budgets and national economies of countries. Treating such chronic conditions
is likely to cost the healthcare system of a country a considerable amount of its
budgeted resources. Evidence from the US shows that the care of people with
chronic conditions consumes about 78 percent of all healthcare spending [8]. Spe-
cifically, in 2008, the figures as published by Backcare [3] indicate that the National
Health Service in the UK spends more than £1 billion on back pain related costs per
year, which include:
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