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A link between frequent back pain and risky behavior suggests that we must stop seeing adolescent pain as "trivial or ephemeral".
As any patient will tell you, chronic back pain is debilitating, persistent and painful in the back, and a study has just discovered why we need to take it more seriously.
A new study of more than 6,000 Australians has linked back pain among young people with health problems later in life.
The study, conducted by the University of Sydney and published in the Journal of Public Health, reviewed cross-sectional data for 14 and 16 years, from two large independent studies conducted in 2014 and 2015.
It was found that the more young people reported having back pain, the more likely they were to report smoking, drinking alcohol, not attending school, and experiencing anxiety and depression. .
For example, adolescents aged 14 and 15 who experienced pain more than once a week were two to three times more likely to have consumed alcohol or tobacco during last month than those who rarely or never felt the pain.
The lead author of the study, Dr. Steve Kamper, said the data indicated a concern that pain often considered "insignificant or ephemeral" would lead to persistent health problems.
"In adolescence, pain in the bones, joints, muscles, and back pain in particular increases dramatically. Although it causes many health care claims and school absences, pain in this age group is often considered insignificant or transient, "he said.
"This study shows that teens with frequent pain are also at increased risk for other health problems, which is a concern because pain and these risky behaviors have permanent consequences that extend into the future. in adulthood. "
Although trends in mental health were less clear, there was a "significant difference" between the mental health indicators of those who reported no pain compared to those who did.
"Although we can not say that back pain is the cause of risky behavior or mental health problems, the study suggests that teenagers' backaches can play a role in health.
Chronic pain is unfortunately largely unknown to the wider medical community, meaning that patients can spend years just to get a diagnosis, not to mention an effective pain management strategy.
READ MORE: What I would have liked to know about chronic pain before I got sick
Contact the author: [email protected]
Main image: Getty
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