$100,000,000,000 – Estimated Total Cost (per year) associated with Back Pain in the US (as of 2009).
31,000,000 – Number of Americans experiencing low-back pain at any given time.
80% - Estimated Percentage of the Population who will experience a Back Problem at some point in their lives.
239,800 – Approximate Number of Physical Therapists in the US.
44,000-60,000 – Approximate Number of Chiropractors in the US.
18,000 – Approximate Number of Acupuncturists in the US.
86% - Percentage Reduction of Days in Pain for people with chronic low back pain following a course of Alexander Technique Lessons (according to large-scale clinical study published in the British Medical Journal in 2008).
24 – Number of Alexander Technique Lessons the subjects of the study had.
0 – Number of Adverse Reactions to Alexander Technique intervention in the study.
3000 – Approximate number of Certified Alexander Technique Teachers in THE WHOLE WORLD.
3 – Number of Open Appointments I have for next week.
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A nice thing about writing for my own blog…while I did find this information from reputable sources (e.g. the Department of Labor, University of North Carolina Medical School, Alexander Technique Affiliated Societies, etc.), I am gleefully giving myself a pass on footnoting it all. Feel free to dig in yourself.
Another number I could have dug into, but didn't have the stomach for: opioid addiction statistics in the US.
One more thing...this blog is, in its very nature, reductive. I absolutely realize that there are many, many factors involved in pain, and there are many avenues people might successfully pursue to help themselves. One interesting study I came across found that a hostile work environment and job insecurity were two common features of people suffering from chronic low-back pain.