PREVALENCE OF WORK RELATED LOW BACK PAIN AMONG CLINICAL PHYSICAL THERAPISTS IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

AIM: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of work related LBP among clinical physical therapists working in Pakistan.
METHODS: A cross sectional survey was carried out using a self modified questionnaire. Study population was consisting of 140 clinical physical therapist selected by convenient sampling. Questionnaires were distributed by self-approach to the nearby physical therapists while questionnaires to provinces other than K.P.K were distributed by email and TCS services. Percentages and frequencies were calculated for age, weight, gender, questions and bar charts were applied.
RESULTS: Prevalence of work related LBP was 72.9%. The participants having moderate LBP were 33.6% and 30% were having mild symptoms while 7.9% were having severe LBP. Among the subjects 44 (31.4%) were having sub-acute LBP and 19 (13.6%) were having acute LBP while 38 (27.1%) were having chronic LBP. The common risk factors identified in this study were treating large number of patients, performing different manual therapy techniques, working in same position for a long time, transferring or lifting dependent patients and repetition of tasks.
CONCLUSIONS: Physical therapists in Pakistan are relatively at high risk of work related LBP. The prevalence of LBP in physical therapists in Pakistan is high and consistent with the prevalence in other countries