New research reveals the physical and psychosocial factors that significantly increase the risk of low back pain onset. The trial results, which were published online ahead of print February 9 in Arthritis Care & Research, show that being engaged in manual tasks involving awkward positions will increase the risk of low back pain by 8 times. People who are distracted during activities or fatigued also significantly increase their risk of acute low back pain.
“Understanding which risk factors contribute to back pain and controlling exposure to these risks is an important first step in prevention,” said Manuela Ferreira, PhD, Associate Professor at the George Institute for Global Health and Sydney Medical School at the University of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. “Our study is the first to examine brief exposure to a range of modifiable triggers for an acute episode of low back pain.”
Manuela Ferreira, PhD
For this case-crossover study, Dr. Ferreira and colleagues recruited 999 participants from 300 primary care clinics in Sydney, Australia, who had an acute low back pain episode between October 2011 and November 2012. Participants were asked to report exposure to 12 physical or psychosocial factors in the 96 hours prior to the onset of back pain.
The study found that:
• The risk of a new episode of low back pain significantly increased due to a range of triggers, from an odds ratio of 2.7 for moderate to vigorous physical activity to 25.0 for distraction during an activity.
• Back pain risk was highest between 7:00 am and at noontime.
• Age moderated the effect of exposure to heavy loads, with an odds ratio for individuals age 20, 40, or 60 at 13.6, 6.0, and 2.7, respectively.
“Understanding which modifiable risk factors lead to low back pain is an important step toward controlling a condition that affects so many worldwide,” said Dr. Ferreira. “Our findings enhance knowledge of low back pain triggers and will assist the development of new prevention programs that can reduce suffering from this potentially disabling condition.”