How common is lower back pain? It seems like everyone I know has a bad back.

Lower back pain is incredibly common. In fact, it's estimated that everyone in the United States will experience at least one episode of lower back pain at some point in their life.

According to statistics, the most common reasons for doctor visits are for colds and the flu, followed by back pain.

Acute back pain, what most people experience at some point in their life, is sudden and for a period of less than a month or so. Chronic back pain lasts for three months or more.

Nadine E. Foster et al. Illness perceptions of low back pain patients in primary care: What are they, do they change and are they associated with outcome? In Pain. May 2008. Vol. 136. no. 1-2.