Kids and Back Pain

​There is a significant proportion of children and adolescents that experience thoracic spine pain and low back pain (1). It can decrease the overall quality of life, especially if it is unattended and progresses to be chronic (2). Do you or a loved one experience back pain? This is an important article that could make the world of difference to you.
 
“In a systemic review it was reported that the annual prevalence of low back pain in children and adolescents is 33.6%” (1)
 
Most spinal pain (neck and back pain) episodes for children and adolescents are relatively brief. However, 31% would have a recurrence of spinal pain over one year. Up to 25% have three or more episodes over one year, and approximately 13% reported to have episodes lasting five or more weeks (3,4). Spinal pain can limit physical activity for the younger population, whether it be at home, school, sports and all the extracurricular activities, which would lead to numerous long term consequences and reduced quality of life(5).
 
There is a recent research article, where they did a mixed studies systematic review of rehabilitation of back pain in the paediatric population. A part of it looked at ten quantitative studies, which included 8 randomised clinical trials and 2 non-randomised clinical trials, and one qualitative study. Evidence was found that in adolescents with low back pain, spinal adjustments plus exercise may be associated with a greater likelihood of experiencing clinically important pain reduction versus exercise alone (6). Though more studies and research would be needed to further substantiate these findings, initial findings is quite positive.
 
If you want to find out if chiropractic may help manage spinal pain for you or your loved ones, have a chat with one of our chiropractors to see how they can assist.
 
“It’s important to manage and rehabilitate the body as soon as possible and not allow issues to become chronic”
 
 
1. Calvo-Munoz I, Gomez-Conesa A, Sanchez-Meca J. Prevalence of low back pain in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis. BMC Pediatr. 2013;13:14.
2. Schopflocher D, Taenzer P, Jovey R. The prevalence of chronic pain in Canada. Pain Res Manag [Internet]. 2011 [cited 2019 Jan 31];16(6):445–50.
3. Dissing KB, Hestbaek L, Hartvigsen J, Williams C, Kamper S, Boyle E, et al. Spinal pain in Danish school children - how often and how long? The CHAMPS Study-DK. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2017;18(1):67.
4. Santos VS, Leite MN, Camargo BIA, Saragiotto BT, Kamper SJ, Yamato TP. Three in Every 10 School-aged Children in Brazil Report Back Pain in Any Given Year: 12-Month Prospective Cohort Study of Prevalence, Incidence, and Prognosis. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2022;52(8):554–62.
5. Manansala, C., Passmore, S., Pohlman, K., Toth, A. and Olin, G., 2019. Change in young people's spine pain following chiropractic care at a publicly funded healthcare facility in Canada. Complementary therapies in clinical practice, 35, pp.301-307.
6. Yu, H., Southerst, D., Wong, J.J., Verville, L., Connell, G., Ead, L., Mior, S., Hestbaek, L., Swain, M., Brunton, G. and Shearer, H.M., 2024. Rehabilitation of back pain in the pediatric population: a mixed studies systematic review. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies, 32(1), p.14.