Back ache all in the mind says Belgian boffin

24 March 2004

BRUSSELS – Most people suffering from back ache have nothing physically wrong with them, a Belgian expert on back disorders announced on Wednesday.

Liesbeth Goubert, a psychologist working at Gent university, argued that 90 percent of all back complaints are caused by psychological problems such as stress or depression.

Despite this, says Goubert, most back pain sufferers still insist on being given some sort of medical treatment, usually painkillers, for their ailments.

According to Goubert, back complaints are very common in Belgium. The psychologist, who has just completed a thesis on the question, found that four out of ten Belgians had suffered from some sort of back pain in the past six months.

Other studies have shown that between 58 and 84 percent of adults suffer from back complaints at some point in their lives.

But, insists Goubert, only 10 percent of these cases are caused by physical problems.

Subject: Belgian news