| Abstract/Notes |
A review of the literature was conducted to assess the incidence of low back pain, its impact on society, and current treatment trends. It has been estimated that at some time in their working lives, nearly 80-percent of the population of most industrialized countries will experience a disabling back disorder; each year in the United States some eight to 10-million people will be afflicted with disabling back pain at a cost of nearly one-billion dollars in lost wages, decreased productivity and treatment costs. In recognition that standard treatment procedures have not been sufficiently effective in combating the pain and disability of back disorders, a number of medical institutions in various countries (Sweden, Great Britain, Australia, Canada, United States) have established "low back pain schools" in which groups of patients are taught to assist in their own therapy by controlling the musculoskeletal stress that causes and / or aggrivates their condition. A review is made of several of these schools, and a typical program is presented.
Author keywords: low back pain, conservative management, chiropractic practice
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