20m in agony with back pain
BACK and neck problems now strike 20 million Britons, making them the biggest cause of pain.
Figures show half of all adults now say they are left in agony each week, suggesting joint and muscle conditions are a major causes of disability.
And two thirds – about 26 million – have back or neck pain each month, according to British Chiropractic Association.
The top five causes are lifting and carrying, sitting still for long periods, poor posture, mattresses or pillows and sport.
Chiropractor Catherine Quinn, and muscles. Musculoskeletal conditions affect the bones, muscles and joints and now account for one in five visits to the GP and 30.8 million working days lost each year.
Professor Anthony Woolf, chairman of Arma, said: “Risk factors such as obesity, poor diet and lack of physical activity are contributing to this rise in the population. To combat this, we need health policy that focuses on good lifelong bone, joint and muscle health and preventing and managing these conditions.”
Research shows that millions of Britons can expect to live for longer but will probably see their old age plagued by complaints like back pain, migraines and hearing loss.
On average, men born today will live to 79 while women will reach 83, yet illness and injury will rob most of a fully healthy life.
Analysis shows men will live 69 years in good health while women will spend 71 years free of problems.
A third of 16 to 24-year-olds are overweight or obese up from 27 per cent in 1993 meaning three million young adults are at risk of developing “a cacophony” of diseases, from diabetes to cancer.
According to analysis by Public Health England, one in five people consults their GP about a musculoskeletal problem every year – with millions left in agony from lower back and neck pain.
Conditions affect the body’s joints, bones, muscles, nerves, ligaments and tendons, and include crippling autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.
In 2016 they accounted for 22.1 per cent of the total burden of ill health in England.