Correlation of Pain Intensity and Level of Disability with the Socio-demographic Characteristics in Patients with Chronic Mechanical Low Back Pain

Abstract

Background: Mechanical low back pains are pains occurred due to an anatomic or functional abnormality in the spine that is not associated with inflammatory or neoplastic disease. Socio-demographic characteristics for chronic low back pain are important cause of disability. Disability can be defined as a restriction or lack of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being. Subsequently, this interferes with quality of life and work performance with subsequent burden on a family and community. This study aims to describe the socio-demographic characteristics of patients with chronic mechanical low back pain and asses its relationship with pain intensity and level of disability. Patients with chronic mechanical low back pain who met inclusion criteria participated in this cross-sectional study. All demographic data were taken, and the patients have been classified according to their academic level, their social class according to national readership survey, assess pain severity according to visual analogue scale, and functional disability according to Quebec back pain disability scale. A significant association were found between the level of disability in chronic back pain and each of age, gender, BMI, educational level, residency place, job and type of work and associated comorbid illnesses. Chronic LBP intensity was associated with female gender, primary school education, manual workers and housewives, higher BMI, and disease duration of more than five years.