A Systematic Review of Low Back Pain Cost of Illness Studies in the United States and Internationally
27 Studies, 8 Countries
SOURCE
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18164449/
REFERENCE
112
NICE
REFERENCE
123
organisation
The Spine Journal
TITLE
A Systematic Review of Low Back Pain Cost of Illness Studies in the United States and Internationally
27 Studies, 8 Countries
SOURCE
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18164449/
DISC COMMENTARY
This systematic review gathered 27 cost-of-illness studies from eight countries, including the US, UK and Australia, to establish how much low back pain costs society overall. It combined direct healthcare spending with indirect costs like lost work and productivity, comparing how consistently different studies measured that burden.
What was studied?
The review compared how different studies measured the direct medical costs and indirect economic costs of low back pain, examining the accounting methods used and where the largest cost categories fell within healthcare spending.
What did they find?
Among direct medical costs, physical therapy and inpatient care each accounted for 17%, with pharmacy and primary care at 13% each. Indirect costs, mainly lost income from time off work, dominated the overall economic burden. Estimates varied by up to 56% depending on the accounting method used.
Why it matters
This shows back pain's true cost to society extends well beyond what's spent on treatment. Lost work time and productivity are the biggest driver of its economic impact.
Why we included it
It illustrates why restoring function and activity matters as much as relieving pain itself: the true cost of a condition, to patients and society, is concentrated in what people can no longer do.
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What was studied?
The review compared how different studies measured the direct medical costs and indirect economic costs of low back pain, examining the accounting methods used and where the largest cost categories fell within healthcare spending.
What did they find?
Among direct medical costs, physical therapy and inpatient care each accounted for 17%, with pharmacy and primary care at 13% each. Indirect costs, mainly lost income from time off work, dominated the overall economic burden. Estimates varied by up to 56% depending on the accounting method used.
Why it matters
This shows back pain's true cost to society extends well beyond what's spent on treatment. Lost work time and productivity are the biggest driver of its economic impact.
Why we included it
It illustrates why restoring function and activity matters as much as relieving pain itself: the true cost of a condition, to patients and society, is concentrated in what people can no longer do.