Media release

From: The Royal Society

• Pain in the back – Instead of being simply a symptom of modern living, this study suggests chronic back pain was not uncommon prior to industrialisation. Researchers assessed self-reported pain prevalence, perceived causes and predictors among Tsimane forager-farmers in the Bolivian Amazon. They found pain was highly prevalent throughout life and habitual subsistence labour is a primary cause. Sex differences in pain were minor and unassociated with a woman’s prior reproductive history.

Summary: Pain is among the most debilitating human health conditions. Some chronic pains, including of the lower back, are thought to result from novel lifestyles or environments that our forager ancestors never experienced. Here we show among Bolivian forager-farmers that pain is highly prevalent throughout life, and that habitual subsistence labour is a primary cause. Contrary to prior notions, sex differences in pain are relatively minor, and pain is unassociated with a woman’s prior reproductive history. While sedentary, urban living can exacerbate pain vulnerability, our study suggests that chronic back and other pain was not uncommon prior to industrialization.