Alcohol and low-back pain: A systematic literature review

Background: The role of lifestyle factors is an important issue in the prevention and treatment of disease. Although certain lifestyle factors in relation to low-back pain have evoked much interest, interest has not focused on alcohol consumption. An appraisal of the epidemiologic literature seems warranted. Objectives: To establish if there is evidence in the literature for a causal link between alcohol consumption and low-back pain. Data Sources: Nine original research reports published between 1987 and 1995 were obtained through a MEDLINE search for the years 1992 to 1998, with various combinations of the terms 'alcohol,' 'substance abuse,' 'life-style,' 'risk factor,' 'epidemiology' and 'low back pain.' An additional manual search was made of relevant bibliographies without limitation for year of publication. Data Synthesis: A systematic review was made of the epidemiologic literature to uncover any evidence for a causal relation between alcohol consumption and low-back pain. Results: None of the studies reported a positive link between alcohol consumption and low-back pain, and no positive gradient was found in studies that included an analysis of the dose-response. None of the studies was prospective in design. Conclusions: Alcohol consumption does not seem to be associated with low-back pain, but well-designed specific alcohol/low-back pain-centered studies are lacking.