A new study from the University of Sydney reveals that people with depression are 60 per cent more likely to develop low back pain in their lifetime. While patients often suffer the two conditions, this is the first study to review all relevant research in the field and show that depression may actually trigger back pain, with low levels of exercise and sleep cited as contributory factors.

The new study, published in Arthritis Care and Research, analysed data from 11 international studies, including a total of 23,109 who were not currently experiencing back pain. It found that people with symptoms of depression had a much higher risk of developing low back pain in the future, compared with those showing no symptoms of depression.

The risk of low back pain also increased in patients with more severe levels of depression, and was not impacted by whether depression was self-reported or clinically diagnosed.

“Our study suggests we would have much better outcomes if we treated depression and back pain simultaneously, but this would require health professionals from different fields to work together more closely,” said Dr. Paulo Ferreira, University of Sydney, Faculty of Health Sciences.

Lead author and physiotherapist Marina Pinheiro said further research needed to explore the causal relationship between the two conditions.

“While this study tells us there is definitely a link between depression and back pain, it doesn’t tell us why,” said Pinheiro. “It could be people with depression often have lower levels of physical activity and poor sleep, or due to issues with neurotransmitters, which impact both mood and pain thresholds.”