Low back pain among nursing professionals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: Prevalence and risk factors

Abstract

Background: Lower back pain (LBP) is often work-related and is commonly observed among nurses. LBP occurs below the 12th rib and above the gluteal fold. In nurses, back disorders are mainly associated with heavy physical activity, such as lifting and moving patients.

Objective: The aim of the presented work is to evaluate the prevalence, risk factors, and associations of personal characteristics, general health status, and physical load with complaints of LBP.

Methods: In this study, sixty nurses were randomly chosen to answer self-administered questionnaires. The results were analyzed using the SPSS system.

Results: An incidence rate of 61.7% for LBP among nurses was noticed. Among the sites of injury, LBP predominated with a rate of 51.2%. Severity of injury mostly ranged between mild to moderate levels of severity, and 20% of the nurses with LBP were working in obstetrics and gynecology units. Our study also showed that 66.7% of the participating nurses had experienced LBP only after taking on nursing jobs.

Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that nurses working in Jeddah exhibit a high prevalence of lower back pain. In order to reduce the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among nurses, the physical therapist's role is vital and nurses' practice of relaxation and stretching exercises in between work schedules is mandatory.

Keywords: Lower back pain; nurses; physical work load; risk factors.