What Factors Might Increase My Risk Of Developing Low Back Pain?

Dr. Chisholm answers the question: 'What Increases My Risk Of Low Back Pain?'

By
Christopher Chisholm, M.D., Division of Anesthesiology, Scripps Memorial Hospital, La Jolla, Calif.
November 11, 2008, 5:46 PM ET
1 min read

— -- Question: What Factors Might Increase My Risk Of Developing Low Back Pain?

Answer: Things that can increase your risk of developing low back pain can be divided into two different areas: controllable factors and uncontrollable factors.

Controllable factors include obesity, smoking, decreased physical activity. These are factors that can be changed based on your lifestyle, and can cause a decrease in the risk of developing low back pain symptoms.

Uncontrolled factors include congenital deformations in your spine or aging. These are factors that we have no control over, and can worsen or increase your risk of causing low back pain problems.

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