TY  - JOUR
T1  - Lumbar Disc Disorders and Low-Back Pain: Socioeconomic Factors and Consequences
AU  - Katz, Jeffrey N.
Y1  - 2006/04/01
N1  - 10.2106/JBJS.E.01273
JO  - The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery
SP  - 21
EP  - 24
VL  - 88
IS  - suppl_2
N2  - Socioeconomic factors are important risk factors for lumbar pain and
disability. The total costs of low-back pain in the United States exceed $100
billion per year. Two-thirds of these costs are indirect, due to lost wages
and reduced productivity. Each year, the fewer than 5% of the patients who
have an episode of low-back pain account for 75% of the total costs. Because
indirect costs rely heavily on changes in work status, total costs are
difficult to calculate for many women and students as well as elderly and
disabled patients. These methodologic challenges notwithstanding, the toll of
lumbar disc disorders is enormous, underscoring the critical importance of
identifying strategies to prevent these disorders and their consequences.
SN  - 0021-9355
M3  - doi: 10.2106/JBJS.E.01273
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.E.01273
ER  -