Sedentary Lifestyle and Nonspecific Low Back Pain in Medical Personnel in North-East Poland

Abstract

Introduction The sedentary lifestyle is defined as prolonged sitting both at work and during leisure time, with energy expenditures of below 600 MET · min/week. The sedentary lifestyle is a well-known predictor of obesity and other components of the metabolic syndrome. The influence of the sedentary lifestyle and associated factors on nsLBP is still being discussed. Aim The aim of this study was to assess the influence of a sedentary lifestyle and its associated metabolic predictors on the prevalence of nsLBP in nurses and paramedics. Materials and Methods The study included 609 participants, aged 30-60 years, who were residents of north-east Poland. Data was collected using a questionnaire (based, in part, on the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire), and included details of sociodemographic profile, chronic illnesses, and a short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Results Nearly half (49.59%) of the respondents reported decreased physical activity, and in the group with recurring nsLBP this figure was 67.59%. Univariate logistic regression modelling found that leading a sedentary lifestyle caused a 3.5-fold increase in the incidence of recurring nsLBP (p<0.001). Excessive coffee consumption significantly increased the likelihood of recurring LBP (OR=16.44, 95% CI: 8.55-31.61), and cigarette smoking increased the likelihood of both recurrent and chronic LBP. The likelihood of chronic low back pain was significantly increased by components of metabolic syndrome such as high blood pressure (over 9-fold), type 2 diabetes (over 3-fold), and hyperlipidemia (over 2-fold) (p<0.001, p<0.001, and p<0.01, respectively). Conclusions A sedentary lifestyle significantly increased the incidence of recurring low back pain, while increased physical activity had a significant effect on the presence of chronic low back pain. In the sedentary lifestyle group, conditions classified within metabolic syndrome were found to significantly increase the chances of developing nonspecific low back pain.

Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity and its Association Among Patients with Low Back Pain

“…The sedentary lifestyles often predominate in older age which can cause several health issues including LBP. Physicians and health-promoting authorities have a responsibility to promote physical activity amongst older people [11]. Even though obesity is often correlated with low physical activity in LBP patients, surprisingly we could not find any relation between these variables [18].…”

“…According to our data RAPA 1, most of the patients with back pain were sedentary 117 (32.5%) and underactive 176 (48.9%). Citko et al concluded similar results in their study and found that the sedentary lifestyle significantly increased the incidence of recurring LBP [11]. It is evident that a person who sits too much was more likely to experience back pain [12].…”

Estimation of work-related back pain syndrome in emergency medical services personnel

“…ratownicy ze stażem pracy do 5 lat odczuwali ból umiarkowany (4,02 pkt), a pracujący w zawodzie powyżej 5 lat odczuwali nawet silny ból wg skali VAS (5,68 pkt) [13]. Wpływ stażu pracy na nasilanie się dolegliwości bólowych kręgosłupa odnotowali także inni autorzy badający różny personel medyczny [16,17].…”

“…Wyniki te zasługują na szczególną uwagę, gdyż wcześniej nie rejestrowano w bazie danych publikacji oceniających wyłącznie ratowników pod kątem niepełnosprawności ze względu na ZBK. Dotychczas kwestionariusz Oswestry był wykorzystywany do oceny niesprawności innych grup pracowników służby zdrowia, takich jak: lekarze, pielęgniarki, fizjoterapeuci i sanitariusze, również narażonych na występowanie ZBK w związku z wykonywaną pracą -WRMSDs [16][17][18][19]. Badając różny personel medyczny, w tym lekarzy, pielęgniarki i sanitariuszy pakistańskiego szpitala, Tanzil i wsp.…”

The effects of whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) in comparison to a multimodal treatment concept in patients with non-specific chronic back pain—A prospective clinical intervention study

“…A sedentary lifestyle, which is more common in countries with a high human development index, shows a significantly increased incidence of recurring back pain [6][7][8]. The reduced physical activity, which characterizes the sedentary lifestyle, leads to a reduction of muscle power and strength in particular of the trunk [9].…”