Relationship between daily physical activity level and low back pain in young, female desk-job workers

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between daily physical activity (PA) level and low back pain (LBP) in young women. Material and Methods: Two hundred forty three female, desk-job workers aged 20-40 voluntarily participated in the study. The participants were assessed by the use of Oswestry Disability Index for measuring LBP disability and by the use of the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire for PA assessment. The 1-way ANOVA test was used for comparing the mean values according to the physical activity level groups. Correlations between the average LBP disability score and all the other variables were obtained using Pearson's correlation analysis. The level of statistical significance was p < 0.05. Results: Significant differences were found for LBP disability score between the results of 3 different PA groups (p < 0.05) (low, moderate and high PA groups). The correlation between the average LBP disability score and body weight (r = 0.187, p < 0.01), body mass index (r = 0.165, p < 0.01), vigorous MET score (r = 0.247, p < 0.01) and total PA MET score (r = 0.131, p < 0.01) were significant. Conclusions: The main finding of this study is that there is a U-shaped relationship between PA and LBP disability score in young women. A moderate level of daily physical activity and preventing body weight and fat gain should be recommended in young, female desk-job workers in order to prevent and manage low back pain.

Associations between television viewing and physical activity and low back pain in community-based adults

“…[12] Two other studies found a U-shaped relationship between physical activity and LBP. [14,15] In contrast, we found no significant association between physical activity and LBP intensity or disability. Although 2 previous studies measured LBP by asking a single question “whether the participants had back pain in the last 12 months,” [8,12] our study assessed LBP intensity and disability using a valid and reliable instrument.…”

“…[3] The 4 studies of adult populations included in this review were all cross-sectional in nature and reported inconsistent results. [8,12,14,15] One study consisting of participants aged 18 to 23 years, 45 to 50 years, and 70 to 75 years showed that physical activity was negatively associated with LBP. [8] In contrast, another study found that participants who were suffering from LBP often experienced a lower physical activity during leisure time.…”

“…Some studies showed beneficial effects of physical activity, [5–8] whereas others showed no effect [9,10] or even a detrimental effect. [11–13] A further 2 studies [14,15] have reported a U-shaped relationship between physical activity and LBP. Television viewing is one of the most common leisure-time behaviors that involves prolonged sitting in the domestic setting.…”

The association between obesity and back pain in nine countries: a cross-sectional study

“…Furthermore, although not statistically significant, a U-shaped association between physical activity and back pain was observed notably in countries such as Finland and Spain where the moderate category had the lowest odds for back pain. This U-shaped association where both low and high levels of exercise are associated with a higher risk of back pain as compared with a moderate amount of exercise has been reported previously [ 32 , 33 ]. The exact mechanism underlying the association between low physical activity and higher odds for back pain is uncertain but at least one explanation may be that those with back pain are avoiding physical activity due to fear that it would exacerbate the pain [ 34 ].…”

Low back pain and physical activity – A 6.5 year follow-up among young adults in their transition from school to working life

“…As part of The Young Finns study the researchers found low level of PA to be an independent risk factor for low back pain (LBP) in 24 to 39 year olds [ 14 ]. This relationship was also reported by others studying a similar age group [ 15 ] and concerning general pain in children [ 16 ]. Some of the few prospective studies carried out on school children have not been able to show that PA at baseline can predict LBP at follow-up [ 17 , 18 ].…”