SYDNEY, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- People with diabetes have a 35-percent higher risk of experiencing low back pain and a 24-percent higher risk of having neck pain than those without diabetes, an Australian meta-analyses revealed on Friday.
Researchers from the University of Sydney reviewed the data from eight previous studies to show that diabetes and back pain coexist at a disproportionately high rate, although they did not establish a direct causal link between the two.
"Diabetes and low back pain and neck pain seem to be somehow connected. We can't say how but these findings suggest further research into the link is warranted," the paper's senior author, associate professor Manuela Ferreira from the University's Institute of Bone and Joint Research said.
"Type 2 diabetes and low back pain both have a strong relationship with obesity and lack of physical activity, so a logical progression of this research might be to examine these factors in more detail. Our analysis adds to the evidence that weight control and physical activity play fundamental roles in health maintenance."
An estimated 382 million people live with type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease, while the majority of adults will experience neck and lower back pain at some point in their life.
The team said that their findings call for further research to determine how these afflictions are connected and potentially alleviate some of their effects.
