Don't curse weather for low back pain

Sudden, acute episodes of low back pain are not linked to weather conditions such as temperature, humidity, air pressure or wind direction, new research shows.

Many patients believe that weather impacts their pain symptoms.

"Our findings refute previously held beliefs that certain common weather conditions increase risk of lower back pain," said Dr Daniel Steffens with the George Institute for Global Health at the University of Sydney, Australia.

For the present study, 993 patients seen at primary care clinics in Sydney were recruited.

Weather data from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology were sourced for the duration of the study period.

Researchers compared the weather at the time patients first noticed back pain with weather conditions one week and one month before the onset of pain.

Results showed no association between back pain and temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind direction or precipitation.

However, higher wind speed and wind gusts did slightly increase the chances of lower back pain but the amount of increase was not clinically important.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), nearly everyone experiences low back pain at some point in life.

It makes low back pain it the most prevalent musculoskeletal condition and affecting up to 33 percent of the world population at any given time.

The findings appeared in the journal Arthritis Care and Research.