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Crisis: what crisis?

M R Underwood¹

¹MRC Epidemiology and Medical Care Unit, Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, St Bartholomew's and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK. m.underwood@mds.qmw.ac.uk

European Spine Journal : Official Publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society

|April 21, 1998

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The economic cost of low back pain in the UK may be overestimated. Re-examining previous assumptions suggests potential overinflation of indirect costs like lost production and disability benefits.

Area of Science:

Health Economics
Public Health
Epidemiology

Background:

Low back pain incurs substantial economic costs, impacting productivity and disability payments.
A 1994 UK report estimated annual costs near £6,000 million, primarily from indirect expenses.

Purpose of the Study:

To re-examine the assumptions used in the 1994 UK Clinical Standards Advisory Group report on low back pain costs.
To assess the accuracy of the estimated economic burden of low back pain.

Main Methods:

Critical review of the methodologies and assumptions underpinning the original cost estimations.
Analysis of the components contributing to the indirect economic costs of low back pain.

Main Results:

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The re-examination suggests that the original cost estimates may significantly overestimate the true economic burden.

The extent of this overestimation is unquantified but potentially substantial.

Conclusions:

Previous estimates of the economic impact of low back pain in the UK may be inflated.
Overestimated costs could hinder the adoption and perceived benefit of new, effective treatments for low back pain.