{
  "abstract": "Background\n\nLow back pain (LBP) is a leading contributor to non-fatal disability and rehabilitation needs worldwide. Monitoring trends across sociodemographic strata is important for understanding whether the disability burden is changing equitably across health systems.Purpose\n\nTo examine temporal trends and socio-demographic inequalities in the burden of LBP across Socio-demographic Index (SDI) groups from 2003 to 2023 using Global Burden of Disease Study 2023 estimates.Methods\n\nGBD 2023 estimates for LBP prevalence, incidence and years lived with disability (YLDs) were analysed across High, High-middle, Middle, Low-middle and Low SDI groups. Age-standardized rates, all-age numbers, percentage changes and estimated annual percentage changes were calculated. Sex-specific, age-specific and inequality analyses were conducted. The change in all-age YLDs was also partitioned approximately into demographic (population growth and ageing) and epidemiological (age-standardized rate) components.Results\n\nAge-standardized prevalence, incidence, and YLD rates declined modestly across all SDI groups between 2003 and 2023. The greatest decline in age-standardized YLD rates occurred in High SDI countries (-6.2%), whereas Low-middle SDI countries showed the smallest reduction (-2.5%). Despite declining rates, all-age YLD numbers increased in every SDI group, with the largest increase in Low SDI group (+65.2%). In 2023, High SDI had the highest age-standardized YLD rate, followed by Low SDI. Female YLD rates exceeded male rates in all SDI groups, and age-specific YLD rates rose steadily with age. Demographic change alone would have increased YLDs by 28.4% in High SDI and by 51.6-73.9% in the other groups; falling age-standardized rates offset 28.1% of this demographic increase in High SDI but only 7.1-14.1% elsewhere.Conclusion\n\nThe age-standardized rates of LBP declined modestly, but the absolute disability burden increased substantially, particularly in lower-SDI settings. Persistent SDI, sex, and age inequalities indicate the need for scalable, gender-sensitive, and context-responsive rehabilitation services. Outside High SDI settings, improvements in age-standardized rates offset only a small share of demographically driven growth in disability.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Physical Therapy, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.",
    "Department of Health Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.",
    "Department of Physiotherapy, Composite Regional Centre for Skill Development, Rehabilitation, and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.",
    "Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences, Integral University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.",
    "Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Mohammed M Alshehri",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0028-0957"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Mohammad Abu Shaphe",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6046-9543"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Rashid Ali Beg",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5209-3999"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Aafreen Aafreen",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8604-7894"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Shahul Hameed Pakkir Mohamed",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5003-7501"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "G Shankar Ganesh"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Abdur Raheem Khan",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0898-0272"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Monira I Aldhahi",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5255-4860"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/468f4wg78hh7s.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.2147/jpr.s651675",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13678426",
  "id": "468f4wg78hh7s",
  "issns": [
    "1178-7090"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42898646",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2736|Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221809762",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13678426?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13678426",
  "pmid": "42898646",
  "published": "2026-10-14",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/468f4wg78hh7s.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:33Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42898646",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42898646"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2736|Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation",
      "subfield": "pharmacology-toxicology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Socio-Demographic Inequalities in the Burden of Low Back Pain Across Development Strata: Sex-Specific, Age-Standardized Trends in Prevalence, Incidence and Disability from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, 2003-2023.",
  "title_text": "Socio-Demographic Inequalities in the Burden of Low Back Pain Across Development Strata: Sex-Specific, Age-Standardized Trends in Prevalence, Incidence and Disability from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, 2003-2023.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:33Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/468f4wg78hh7s",
  "venue": "Journal of pain research",
  "versions": []
}