Archive for August 2025
Trends in Modifiable Risk Factors for Low Back Pain
Over the last 30 years, the burden of low back pain attributed to smoking has declined and has nearly been eclipsed by poor metabolic health. However, occupational exposures continue to be a leading cause of low back pain-related disability.
Read MoreLifestyle Risk Factors for Low Back Pain in Teens
A comparison of 80 adolescents with low back
pain and 80 without revealed that physical inactivity, poor posture while completing homework, and prolonged
computer use are each associated with an elevated risk for low back pain.
Forward Head Posture Makes Balancing More Taxing on the Brain
Forward head posture is a postural misalignment in which the head protrudes in front of the body’s center of gravity, increasing strain on the neck and upper back muscles. Examinations of 64 adults under age 25 revealed the brain must
expend more cortical resources to maintain stability when forward head posture is present—especially during more physically demanding balance tasks. Scientific Reports, July 2025
Buttock Pain May Be a Symptom of Lumbar Disk Herniation
Examinations of 321 disk
herniation patients revealed that buttock pain is a common and independent symptom affecting three out of four such
individuals—particularly those with contained herniations and an intact annulus.
Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, March 2025
Monthly Pain Update – August 2025
While findings vary across studies, research generally agrees that some degree of spine pain is common in school-aged children—from elementary school through middle and high school. Multiple factors can contribute to spine pain in students, and one that routinely appears in the literature is backpack use. The issue is not necessarily backpack use itself, but the stress heavy, poorly fitted, or improperly worn backpacks place on a child’s developing body.
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