Background: Several countries developed guidelines in order to provide a systematic approach for
treatment of (chronic) lower back pain. The risk of suffering from (chronic) lower back pain differs
significantly within the general population. A serious lack of research exists concerning the risk factor
“dysfunctional behavior of the subjects in terms of acute lower back pain.”
Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge of the German population
regarding the availability of guidelines about managing lower back pain.
Study Design: Prospective observational cohort study.
Setting: We interviewed 983 subjects by phone. The study population included 50 – 70-year-old
men and women with German residency and sufficient language ability.
Results: Of all the subjects, 70.2% claimed that they suffered at least once in their lifetime with lower back
pain. Lower back pain with radiating symptoms occurred in 28.7%. Women were affected significantly
more frequently compared to the epidemiological data. Of all the subjects with lower education, 82.9%
suffered from lower back pain at least once in their lifetime compared to only 62.4% of people with
university degrees. Education was also a protective factor for lower back pain with radiating pain. People
who completed secondary modern school were 42% less likely to suffer from lower back pain than
those who did not graduate. Knowing active rules of conduct occurred significantly more often at higher
educational levels (i.e. all kinds of sports and exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, power, agility,
coordination, grace, balance and control, in particular stretching exercises) odds ratio = 7.78, physical
activities odds ratio = 3.92, relaxation exercises odds ratio = 3.51).
Limitations: Data acquisition was performed by an external company and therefore provided only
limited options for external validity. Furthermore data acquisition was restricted to 50 – 70-year-old
patients, since this age group is at higher risk of suffering from lower back pain. A conclusion upon
the knowledge of the whole population has to be drawn with caution, especially when considering
the size of the study population. The life-time prevalence of lower back pain was assessed by
interviewing patients about prior episodes of lower back pain. Slightly biased results may have
occurred since the memory of prior episodes might result in too many or too few episodes.
Conclusion: The study revealed a lack of awareness of common available guidelines and an
uneven distribution of existing knowledge throughout the population. Passive coping strategies
like taking pain medication or ointment therapy were favored over active coping strategies like
gymnastics, physical activities, and relaxation exercises. Respondents with a higher level of education
suffered significantly less often from lower back pain and tended toward active treatment strategies.
Respondents with lower levels of education more often demanded passive treatment strategies. The
general population, especially those with lower education, is not sufficiently aware of behavioral
strategies for managing lower back pain as proposed in available guidelines.
Key words: Treatment guidelines, lower back pain, aged 50 – 70, socioeconomic factors, health
knowledge
The concept of syndromic diagnoses of osteoarthritis and back pain as a cause of therapy failure
