Back pain and injuries are an epidemic. The cost to the U.S. economy is staggering: $50-$100 billion per year (an estimate from back in the 1990’s).
As if the financial cost wasn’t astounding, I just read about a study out of Northwestern Medical School that indicates people who suffer from chronic back pain may lose 5-11% of their brain volume per year.
Normally, as a person ages, they will lose about 0.5% of brain volume per year.
Pain, of course, is a major stressor, and modern neuroscience tells us exactly what stress can do to brain cells.
