Effects of lumber and back muscle exercise training program based on the theory of protective motivation on intensive care unit nurses with chronic low back pain

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the effects of lumber and back muscle exercise training program based on the theory of protective motivation on nurses' chronic low back pain and improving effect on the fear-avoid belief. Methods By convenience sampling, a total of 40 nurses in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in a Class Ⅲ general hospital were selected from April to June of 2017, based on the theory of protective motivation, the back muscle exercise training program was designed and the intervention was carried out. Before intervention and 8 weeks after intervention, Visual Assimilation Scale (VAS) , Roland Morris Dysfunction Questionnaire (RMDQ) , the Chinese Version of the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ-CHI) were used to evaluate the implementation effects of the training program. Results 8 weeks after intervention, the nurses' score of chronic low back pain in VAS dropped from (4.60±1.17) to (2.58±0.96) , RMDQ score dropped from (10.05±4.03) to (4.40±1.46) , and FABQ score dropped from (65.63±10.49) to (49.28±7.54) , all with statistical differences (P<0.05) . Conclusions The training program based on the theory of protective motivation can alleviate the symptoms of chronic low back pain and reduce the fear-avoidance belief level of nurses when facing operation or behavior that may potentially cause chronic low back pain. Key words: Nurses; Chronic low back pain; Protective motivation theory; Occupational protection; Exercise