Assess your risk
What are your chances of having back pain? To find out, tally your points based on your answers to the following questions:
1. How old are you?
| answer |
points |
| under 30 |
1 |
| 30 to 39 |
0 |
| 40 to 65 |
2 |
| over 65 |
3 |
- Back pain affects 80% of people over the age of 30 at some point in their lives.
2. Do you smoke?
- Smoking contributes to the potential for back pain.
3. Are you overweight?
| answer |
points |
| no |
0 |
| yes, 0-5 lbs |
1 |
| yes, 6-10 lbs |
2 |
| yes, 11-15 lbs |
3 |
| yes, 16-20 lbs |
4 |
| more than 20 lbs |
5 |
- Excess weight increases your chance of developing back pain.
4. How often do you exercise?
| answer |
points |
| 0 times per week |
3 |
| 1 times per week |
2 |
| 2 times per week |
1 |
| 3 times per week |
0 |
| 4-7times per week |
deduct 1 |
- Regular exercise can help prevent back pain.
5. How often do you lift heavy objects?
| answer |
points |
| 0 times per month |
0 |
| 1-2 times per month |
1 |
| 3-4 times per month |
2 |
| 5-6 times per month |
3 |
| 7-8 times per month |
4 |
| more than 8 times per month |
5 |
- Lifting heavy objects can contribute to strain on the back; be sure you are using proper lifting techniques.
6. Have you already experienced back pain?
- Once you have back pain, there is a greater chance it will return.
SCALE
Total your points to see where you are on the back pain risk scale:
0 = Congratulations!
You are doing what you can to prevent spine pain.
1-4 = Low risk.
You are doing many things right to prevent spine pain.
5-8 = Potential risk.
You should change some habits.
9-12 = Moderate risk.
See a doctor to learn more about prevention.
13-16 = Significant risk.
You need to change habits now to prevent spine pain.
17-20 = Serious risk!
Spine pain is likely.