WHO guideline for non-surgical management of chronic primary low back pain in adults in primary and community care settings 

NOW AVAILABLE IN 6 UN LANGUAGES

The World Health Organization (WHO) is pleased to announce that the executive summaries for the Chronic Primary Low Back Pain (CLBP) guideline are now available in 6 UN languages.

Click below to download the first-ever guidelines on managing chronic primary low back pain (LBP) in primary and community care settings. These guidelines list interventions for health workers to use and also to avoid during routine care.

Low back pain is the leading cause of disability globally. In 2020, approximately 1 in 13 people, equating to 619 million people, experienced LBP, marking a 60% increase from 1990. Cases of LBP are expected to rise to an estimated 843 million by 2050, with the greatest growth anticipated in Africa and Asia, where populations are getting larger and people are living longer.

Chronic primary LBP, referring to pain that lasts for more than 3 months and is not due to an underlying disease or other condition, accounts for the vast majority of chronic LBP presentations in primary care, commonly estimated to represent at least 90% of cases. For these reasons, WHO has issued guidelines on chronic primary LBP.

The Guidelines are available below in the following languages: 

•  ARABIC
•  CHINESE
•  ENGLISH
•  FRENCH
•  RUSSIAN
•  SPANISH

For those who missed the online guideline launch event in December, the video is also available.