On May 22, 2023, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHMI) reported low back pain remains the leading cause of disability globally. In 2020, low back pain impacted 619 million individuals. That number is expected to increase in the next three decades to 843 million.

The peer-reviewed study published in The Lancet Rheumatology, was conducted by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine as part of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.