Weather Changes Not Responsible for Low Back Pain: Australian Study

An Australian study has now found out that weather may not play a significant role in the development of low back pain.Low Back Pain Causes 
Low back pain is a symptom that most of us have suffered at some point in our life. Common causes of low back pain are: 

• Bad posture: Besides a bad posture while sitting, low back pain may be also caused by awkward postures for prolonged durations. 

• Injury: Strains and sprains of the back may result in back pain 

• Disease conditions: Disease conditions affecting the lower back like osteoarthritis and osteoporosis can also cause back pain. 

Low Back Pain Exercises 
A number of cases of low back pain can be treated by strengthening the muscles of the back. These back exercises should be performed under the guidance of a trained physiotherapist. Patients with a disease condition affecting the back should take prior approval from their treating doctor before attempting such exercises. 

Many people feel that a change in the weather conditions causes back pain. An Australian study considered this aspect and published their finding in the journal Arthritis Care & Research. They recruited patients with first time back pain and checked if the back pain was associated with the weather conditions one week before and one month after the back pain appeared. 

The researchers found that weather conditions like temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind direction and precipitation were not associated with the appearance of low back pain. A small increase in incidence of back pain was noticed with higher wind speeds or wind gusts, but the results were not significant. 

However, the authors suggest that further studies will be required to study the influence of weather conditions on specific diseases affecting the back like fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. 

References: 
1. http://as.wiley.com/WileyCDA/PressRelease/pressReleaseId-111044.html