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Low back pain (LBP) is a major cause of disability and the most common work-related musculoskeletal disorder among physiotherapists.
An interesting
fact regarding frequency of low back pain (LBP) among physiotherapy students in
this study was associated with potentially modifiable factors suggesting the
possibility of LBP prevention among the students. Also, the physiotherapy
students are exposed to similar LBP risk factors as physiotherapy practitioners
although possibly at a lower frequency.
Low back pain
(LBP) is a major cause of disability and the most common work-related
musculoskeletal disorder among physiotherapists. This study examined the
prevalence of low back pain among students undergoing training to become
physiotherapists.
Participants were
207 undergraduate clinical physiotherapy students at three universities in
Nigeria. A modified version of a questionnaire used in a previous study was
utilized to obtain demographic, educational activities, and LBP data.
Prevalence of LBP was examined with descriptive statistics while factors
associated with prevalence were explored using chi-square statistics.
More male
students (53.1%) and those in the penultimate year of study (53.1%)
participated in the study. Lifetime, 12-month, 1-month, and 7-day prevalence of
LBP were 45.5%, 32.5%, 17.7%, and 11.5%, respectively. Prevalence of LBP was
not significantly associated with any of the demographic variables. Educational
activities, namely, “having techniques practiced on self for ≤10 hours” and
“treating patients for ≥30 hours,” a month prior to the study were
significantly (p<0.05) associated with higher 1-month and 7-day LBP
prevalence, respectively.
Although the
prevalence of LBP was comparatively low, its association with educational
activities emphasizes the need to incorporate effective LBP preventive
strategies in the training of physiotherapy students.
Pain Research and Treatment 2016
Prevalence of Low Back Pain among Undergraduate Physiotherapy Students in Nigeria
Grace O. Vincent-Onabajo et al.
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