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Back pain will effect 80% of the population. Most medical professionals believe that an episode of lower back pain usually resolves within 6 weeks in close to 90% of all cases. A recent study may help to dispell this medical myth. The following are key messages from a large population based study where researchers examined the outcome of episodes of low back pain in general practice with respect to both consultation behavior (visits to the doctor) and self-reported pain and disability:

While 90% of subjects (who came to their family doctor with complaints of low back pain) did not seek a second visit within three months, most still had substantial low back pain and related disability.
Only 25% of the patients had fully recovered from low back pain 12 months later.
Since most patients continue to have long term low back pain and disability, effective early treatment could reduce the burden of these symptoms and their social, economic, and medical impact.

It is important to understand how chronic low back pain develops and what can be done to control and/or prevent it...

Risk factors for developing chronic back pain include the following:

Previous history of low back pain
Total work loss (because of low back pain) in past 12 months
Radiating leg pain
Reduced straight leg raising
Signs of nerve root involvement
Reduced trunk strength and endurance
Poor physical fitness
Self-rated health poor
Heavy smoking
Psychologic distress and depressive symptoms
Disproportionate illness behavior
Low job satisfaction
Personal problems--alcohol, marital, financial
Adversarial medicolegal proceedings (attorney involvement)

(From Waddel G: The Low Back Pain Guidlines (British). Clinical Standards Advisory Group: Back Pain. London, HMSO, 1994.)

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