Half of adults over 40 suffer from back pain

They say life begins at forty – but the 51% of people crippled with back pain would disagree. Experts polling 2000 men and women over the age of 40 have discovered more than half regularly suffer from debilitating aches and pains across their neck and back, with sitting at a desk all day coming in as a top cause.

The most common causes of joint and muscle pain are gardening and lifting heavy shopping bags, but 25% claim years sat in the office chair are to blame.

A further 17% say they can have a bad back following a poor night’s sleep, while a fifth suffer after carrying young children around.

Andrew Gallagher, Chief Operating Officer for Phynova Joint and Muscle Relief Tablets, which commissioned the study, said: “Long-term pain is a huge and growing problem in the UK and has a really damaging impact on people’s lives.

“Living with pain puts a huge strain upon people, often preventing them doing the things they love and triggering mood swings and depression. As a result it can also put a lot of pressure upon people’s relationships.

“As a country, it’s important we start to look more closely at what could be causing this pain and find new ways to manage and treat it.”

Researchers have found many people over the age of 40 feel restricted by their symptoms, and as such can’t always participate in everyday activities. For 36% of people with back pain, things are so bad they have given up all forms of exercise, while 42% find it difficult to walk comfortably.

A fifth of respondents with muscle problems claim to have put on weight as a result of their condition, one in 10 experience mood swings and a fifth have had to take time of work.