Study Identifies 60 as Key Age Threshold for Increased Risk of Back Disorders

"Individuals aged 61-70 faced a 39% to 71% higher risk for LBD and a 31% to 74% higher risk for DD compared to those aged 40. However, there was no strong association between age and cervical disorders. The findings suggest that targeting individuals over 60 for preventive interventions could help reduce the risk of these conditions," the researchers reported in the European Spine Journal.

The study was conducted by Rubén López-Bueno, Department of Physical Medicine and Nursing, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain, and colleagues to examine the prospective links between age and the risk of low back disorders, dorsal disorders, and cervical disorders and to identify a potential age threshold for an increased risk of back disorders.

For this purpose, the researchers used a prospective cohort from the UK Biobank, consisting of adults with no history of back disorders. , Using hospital register diagnoses, they examined the relationship between different age groups and the risk of back disorders. The associations were analyzed through restricted cubic splines, adjusting for factors such as sex, racial and ethnic background, tobacco use, Townsend Deprivation Index, alcohol consumption, educational attainment, employment status, self-reported health, diet quality, body mass index, medication use, physical activity, and handgrip strength.

Key Findings:

• The analytic sample included 74,191 participants (mean age 55.2 years; 57% women), followed up for 7.9 years.
• A total of 3,297 (4.3%) cases of incident low back disorders (LBD), 1,224 (1.6%) cases of dorsal disorders (DD), and 792 (1.0%) cases of cervical disorders (CD) were recorded.
• A curvilinear association between age and LBD was observed, with significantly higher risks at ages 61 (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.39) and 70 (HR = 1.71), compared to 40 years.
• Similarly, the association of age with DD showed a curvilinear pattern, with significant risks at ages 60 (HR = 1.31) and 70 (HR = 2.74).
• There was no significant association between age and cervical disorders (CD).

"Our findings revealed that the risk of low back disorders and dorsal disorders increases significantly after the age of 60, while there was no such association for cervical disorders," the researchers wrote.

"This suggests that targeting individuals over 60 for preventive interventions and health programs could be crucial in reducing the risk of LBD and DD in the aging population," they concluded.

Reference:

López-Bueno, R., Andersen, L., Núñez-Cortés, R. et al. Age-threshold for increased risk of developing back disorders: prospective cohort with 74 000 individuals from the UK Biobank. Eur Spine J (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-025-08686-3