Prevalence and risk of spinal pain among physiotherapists in Poland

Abstract

Background The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence, symptoms of, and risk factors for spinal pain in physiotherapists, as well as to analyse the correlation between these factors and the nature of the work, anthropometric features of the respondents, and the level of their physical activity. Methods The study was conducted among 240 physiotherapists (71 male and 169 female) with a mean age of 38.7 years. They were divided into three groups: physical therapy (37), kinesitherapy (158) and massage (45). Physiotherapists were evaluated with a specially designed questionnaire, the postural discomfort chart, the Neck Disability Index (NDI) questionnaire, and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) questionnaire. Results The analysis showed a 91.7% incidence of spinal pain in physiotherapists (91.1% for kinesitherapy, 97.3% for physical therapy, and 88.9% for massage). The study revealed that 50.2% of physiotherapists indicated one to five pain episodes in their careers. Most respondents reported pain in the lumbosacral spine (82%) and the cervical spine (67%). Most respondents (58.5%) scored the pain as moderate (VAS scale). Carrying (62.6%) and torso bending (37.4%) were indicated as the causes of pain. Conclusions Physiotherapists demonstrate a high prevalence of spinal pain. Physical activity reduces the frequency of pain episodes.

Influence of Occupation on the Prevalence of Spinal Pain among Physiotherapists and Nurses

“…In our study, age and years of work experience correlated with the intensity of back pain in both nurses and physiotherapists. Similar observations were also reported by other researchers [ 2 ]. However, Mannion et al came to different conclusions in their prospective study.…”

“…Neck pain (NP) and low back pain (LBP) are common musculoskeletal disorders, one of the major causes of disability globally [ 1 , 2 ]. LBP is regarded globally as the second most common cause of physical disability [ 3 ].…”

“…The etiology of NP and LBP is multifactorial, and the most important risk factors include age [ 19 , 20 ], sex [ 21 , 22 ], work experience [ 19 , 23 , 24 ], overweight, sedentary lifestyle [ 22 ], psychological stress [ 24 ], manual mobilization/care of patients, and insufficient education in ergonomics [ 19 ]. Occupational factors related to NP and LBP include a fast-paced work environment, repetitive movement patterns, insufficient recovery time, weight lifting, other strenuous manual effort, awkward postures, mechanical pressure, bending, twisting, vibrations, and low temperature [ 2 , 25 ].…”

“…Musculoskeletal diseases are a serious problem for working nurses and physiotherapists [ 2 , 26 ], and LBP is the most important of them, with a prevalence of 30–60% [ 27 ]. Occupational back pain has negative consequences, including absenteeism from work, loss of optimal functionality, growing costs of treatment and care, and occupational disability [ 28 ].…”

Validation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of the Spanish Version of the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire (PSQ-S)

“…However, it should be noted that different factors could influence pain sensitivity: race [ 23 ], ethnicity [ 24 ], sex [ 25 ], age [ 26 ], biology (presence of inflammatory molecules) [ 27 ], stressors [ 28 ], personality [ 29 ], sleep [ 30 ], profession [ 31 ], etc. Comprehending these factors could be helpful in the early identification of the risk of pain and its timely management [ 32 , 33 ].…”