ABSTRACT
Generally speaking, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), especially chronic degenerative spinal problems, are very common among the general population: Backache, or low-back pain, is the most frequent complaint. According to the literature, between 60% and 90% of the population suffers from back pain at some time during their lives, and between 15% and 42% have more than one episode during their lifetime. Intense musculoskeletal pain accounts for between 15% and 20% of doctor visits. These widely ranging percentages are due to the different criteria used for choosing sample study populations and, above all, to the different definitions given to the symptom known as “backache.” Fortunately, most patients return to health after just one episode of back pain (between 60% and 70% within 6 weeks and between 70% and 90% within 12 weeks); however, sick leave due to backache also determines major social and economic costs because the recurrence rate is extremely high, ranging from 20% to 40% in 1 year and up to 85% during an entire lifetime (OSHA EU, FACTS 2000; OSHA EU 2004, 2007).
