WEB DESK, July 12(ABC): If you’re suffering from low back pain or have grappled with it in the past, you’re not alone.
As many as 577 million people globally experienced low back pain in 2017, a 2020 study cited by the International Association for the Study of Pain revealed. In fact, low back pain causes more disability worldwide than any other condition, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the US, it’s estimated that 80% of Americans suffer at least one episode of low back pain in their lifetime, with an additional 50% chance of recurrence within one year.
When you have low back pain, it’s understandable that you’d feel powerless. An acute bout can leave you feeling immobilized for days or even weeks, wondering if you’ll ever feel better again.
Having multiple herniated discs in my back, I understand that feeling. But as someone who has healed my own low back pain and now lives a pain-free, active lifestyle, I’ve made it my goal to empower people with the information and resources needed to recover and live pain free, too. That’s why I’m sharing this four-part series.
Working in professional sports as a mobility coach, it’s part of my job to create treatment and prevention protocols for back pain. As such, my advice in this article series is not only based on medical research and my own back pain journey, but also my work experience helping hundreds of professional athletes overcome and prevent low back pain over the past two decades.