A common refrain I hear from those in pain is "I feel like I am so old" because of pain or soreness. It is true that the older we get, the more opportunities we might have to experience injury and pain, and there are some types of pain, like hip and knee problems, that get worse as we age. But the question I always ask myself is, "should I have pain just because I am getting older?" A common fear with lower back pain that I hear is that pain in early adulthood to mid-life, somewhere between the ages of 20-45, might lead to more pain as we age. The short answer is many people at every age age affected by back pain. The good news is that most back pain is not severe, and much of it improves or resolves within a fairly short period of time.
*Cassidy, J. D., Côté, P., Carroll, L. J., & Kristman, V. (2005). Incidence and course of low back pain episodes in the general population. Spine, 30(24), 2817-2823.
This table shows that back pain is not worse much worse as we age. One of the biggest differences between being over 45 or under 45, is that pain appears to be less persistent when we are over 45.
*Mattiuzzi, C., Lippi, G., & Bovo, C. (2020). Current epidemiology of low back pain. Journal of Hospital Management and Health Policy, 4.
This chart shows that back pain is common at many ages, and becomes increasingly common up to the age of 45, but shows a decrease in frequency (or total share of back pain) in the population, around the age of 6
Because this is a common topic of discussion, in my office. I have had many people tell me that they have had bad back pain in their mid life (often 30s and 40s) that then improved after this period. Because back pain is complex, it is difficult to say who might get more or less back pain as they age, but what this research shows is that having back pain in our 30s or 40s does not mean it will be worse when we get older.
Back pain is, unfortunately, a part of life. There are many cases where treating this pain can help a great deal, and good advice can help us to stay active, and reduce the effect that pain has on our lives. If you have back pain that needs treatment or even questions about how to prevent lower back pain and stay active, call 613-852-7769, or contact us at info@lowertownrehabilitation.ca
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