Back Complaints in Elders, BACE

Low-back pain is a major health challenge worldwide, associated with massive healthcare costs. The condition is becoming more prevalent and resulting in increasing consequences as the population ages. The social consequences of low-back pain in older people are reduced quality of life, reduced social participation and increased isolation.

Summary

Patients with LBP are often recommended ineffective or potentially harmful treatments, such as opioids, spinal injections or surgery. This is particularly prevalent for older people, who often suffer from co-morbidity and polypharmacy.

Studies which exclusively focus on older people are scarce and often insufficient in terms of sample size to make policy decisions. Some observational studies have been conducted in the primary care setting to examine the prognosis and course of LBP, but typically, older people are underrepresented.

BACE-C (chiropractic) is a multinational cohort study, collecting data when patients over 55 years of age are consulting a chiropractor in Sweden, Holland, England and Australia for low back pain. The aims are to examine the clinical course of LBP in older people who visit a chiropractor for a new episode of LBP, to identify prognostic factors that influence this course, and to determine associated costs and safety of care in older people visiting the chiropractor for low-back pain.