Bed rest used to be the advice given to those with lower back pain, but now we know that the sooner someone can get moving again, the better. Experts now tend not to recommend bed rest at all, since lying down for more than 48 hours may actually delay recovery, as the body stiffens and weakens.
With an ageing population, it is estimated that by 2050, there will be more than 800 millionSydney, part of the Global Burden of Disease Study, drawing on data from more than 100 countries.
