A collaboration of more than 30 leading experts in countries across the world, including Professor Nadine Foster, Keele University and Professor Martin Underwood, Warwick University, have reviewed the evidence for treatment of low back pain and are publishing their results in a series of three papers in the Lancet, the first of which was published Wednesday 21st March; you will be able to access country specific facts and statistics along with patient case studies.

This matters because lower back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide and yet a high proportion of patients are mistreated. The Lancet Low Back Pain Series highlights that significant health resources are being wasted to fund tests and treatments known to be ineffective and even harmful. It also suggests many of the mistakes of high-income countries are already well established in low- and middle-income countries. The global burden of disability due to low back pain has increased by more than 50% since 1990, and is due to increase even further in coming decades as a result of population growth and ageing.

For more information and all interview requests please contact: Nicola Jones at Warwick University [email protected] T) 02476574255 or M) 07920531221 and Sam Lesniak at Keele University [email protected] T) 01782733857, M) 07825609437 who will also be able to provide case studies