Spine Health Services Research
Jon D. Lurie, Christopher G. Leggett, Jonathan Skinner, Eugene Carragee, Andrea M. Austin, and William Patrick Luan
Low back pain (LBP) is a common, potentially disabling, condition with an estimated point prevalence of 12% and a lifetime prevalence of 40%.1 LBP is a particular concern for the Military Health System (MHS) and a leading cause of medical separation from service for soldiers.2,3 From 2010 to 2014, LBP was associated with over 6 million outpatient visits and 25,000 hospitalizations among active service members4; much more active-duty personnel might be seen informally and triaged back to training without recorded visits within the MHS.