How you have control of your back pain.

Low back pain is common in middle aged women. Increased weight, weight gain and depression all independently predict back pain.

This study shows that participation in vigorous physical activity has protective effects.

It seems reasonable to suggest that mental health and encouraging physical activity are essential in preventing chronic low back pain.

The Research

Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2016 Jul 7. doi: 10.1002/acr.22982. [Epub ahead of print]

Predictors of Back Pain in Middle Aged Women: Data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health.

Brady SR¹, Hussain SM¹, Brown WJ², Heritier S¹, Wang Y¹, Teede H^3,4, Urquhart DM¹, Cicuttini FM¹.

Author information

¹Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, 3004, Australia.
²School of Human Movement and Nutrition Studies, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia.
³Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
⁴Diabetes and Vascular Medicine Unit, Monash Health, Clayton, 3168, Australia.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Back pain causes greater disability worldwide than any other condition, with women more likely to suffer from back pain than men. Our aim was to identify modifiable risk factors for back pain in middle-aged women.

METHODS:

Women born between 1946 and 1951 were randomly selected from the national health insurance scheme database to participate in The Australian Longitudinal Study of Women’s Health. Self-reported data on back pain in the last 12 months, weight, physical activity and other socio-demographic factors were collected in 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2013. In 1998, 12,338 women completed the survey and 10,011 (74%) completed the 2013 survey.

RESULTS:

At baseline, median (range) age was 49.5 (44.6 – 53.5) years and 54% reported back pain. In multivariate analysis, baseline weight and depression were positive predictors of back pain over each 3 year survey interval and over the following 15 years, whereas participation in vigorous physical activity was protective. The effects of weight on back pain were most marked in women with a BMI ≥25.

CONCLUSIONS:

Back pain is common in middle-aged women. Increased weight, weight gain and depression were independent predictors of back pain over 15 years, whereas participation in vigorous physical activity was protective. Targeting these lifestyle factors is an important area for future research on reducing the burden of back pain in middle-aged women. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.