#lowbackpain on TikTok: A New Frontier for Orthopaedic Medical Education

Abstract

Introduction: Low back pain has become a substantial health problem in all developed countries. Many healthcare professionals and content creators have begun sharing their treatment methods and opinions through social media, especially the video-based platform TikTok. TikTok has been downloaded more than 2.6 billion times with over a billion daily users. Its influence on public health makes it imperative that information be accurate and safe. This study aims to analyze TikTok's most popular content on lower back pain and how orthopaedic surgeons contribute on this growing platform. Objectives: To analyze TikTok's most popular content on lower back pain and how orthopaedic surgeons are and can contribute on this growing platform. Methods: A TikTok search conducted on April 22, 2023, using the terms ‘#lowerbackpain'and ‘#lowbackpainrelief,’ resulted in numerous videos, 100 of which met inclusion criteria. Videos were included if they were related to the content, had more than 1000 views, were in English, and were not duplicates. Video characteristics were recorded and evaluated for quality by two reviewers using DISCERN. A two-sample t-test was used to assess differences. Results: Overall, the top videos on lower back pain had an average of 2,061,396 views, with a mean DISCERN score of 34. The mean total DISCERN score was 36 and 34 for physicians and nonphysicians, respectively, while the video by the orthopaedic surgeon (n = 1) scored 31. The most recommended treatments included at-home exercises (n = 75) and visiting a chiropractor (n = 4). Conclusion: We find that the information presented by nonphysicians offered quick, at-home fixes to medical problems without offering any research or proven data to support their claims. We cannot overlook Tiktok's immense influence in the realm of orthopaedic health as it has become a sphere of information dissemination and education. Thus, we suggest that there is not necessarily a need for a greater number of surgeons and/or resident physicians to involve themselves on the platform, but rather the involvement of governing bodies and spine societies to put out position statements for our patients.