An Epidemiologic Study of Low Back Pain of Women Working at a General Hospital

Abstract

Background : The aim of this study was to confirm the risk factors for low back pain and injury to improve the prevention and treatment of lower back pain. Materials and Methods : An epidemiologic study of low back pain and injury was performed with questionnaires distributed to 471 women working at Yeungnam university hospital. The differences in low back pain and injuries among various hospital departments were analyzed by a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the relevant factors included in the questionnaire were determined by a factor analysis. Results : The frequency of low back pain in women in the department of diet and in the maintenance department was higher than among the other departments. The frequency of low back pain was mainly related to the frequency of psychosomatic symptoms. In addition, the low back pain was partially related to the frequency of psychosomatic symptoms and partially related to the frequency of pushing during the workday. The degree of disability from low back pain was increased by lifting and hard physical work and was related to the frequency of psychosomatic symptoms and the degree of work dissatisfaction. The frequency of low back injury was increased by increased standing time during work and hard physical work. The frequency of low back injury was related to advancing age and in part to psychosomatic symptoms. Conclusion : Lower back pain and its associated complications are related to psychosomatic factors and type of work. Lower back injury is related to physiological factors such as age. For the prevention and treatment of lower back pain, a multidisciplinary approach is required.