An overview of the incidences and costs of low back pain
JW Frymoyer, WL Cats-Baril - Orthopedic Clinics of North America, 1991 - Elsevier
The basic premise of this article is that low back disorders are extremely prevalent in all
societies, and probably have not increased substantially over the past two decades. What
has increased is the rate of disability, the reasons for which are uncertain. Not only has this
phenomenon heightened the awareness of low back pain, but it has led to an explosion in
costs. Although a precise estimate is impossible, it is plausible that the direct medical and
indirect costs of these conditions are in the range of more than $50 billion per annum, and …
societies, and probably have not increased substantially over the past two decades. What
has increased is the rate of disability, the reasons for which are uncertain. Not only has this
phenomenon heightened the awareness of low back pain, but it has led to an explosion in
costs. Although a precise estimate is impossible, it is plausible that the direct medical and
indirect costs of these conditions are in the range of more than $50 billion per annum, and …
