Relationship between backpack weight and incidence of low back pain in senior high students

Abstract

Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders that can impair daily activities. The causes of LBP are mostly non-specific, including the abnormalities in the soft tissues or form of muscles, ligament injuries, and muscle spasms or fat igue. One of the causes of LBP is carrying excess weight. If the load carried exceeds 15% of body weight, the person who carried the weight will experience musculoskeletal disorders. Students may carry a backpack with a weight that exceeds the recommended weight and this weight will put pressures on the muscles, ligaments, and tendons, causing tension and acute neck pain. These students then will have a higher risk of suffering LBP. The aimed of this study was to identify the relationship between the backpack load and the incidence of low back pain in students. Using the cross-sectional analytical method, this study was performed on a total of 63 students from a senior high school in Cimahi, Indonesia. Subjects were selected using the multistage random sampling and data on the sociodemographic, backpack load, and low back pain were collected and analyzed using the chi-square test. Results showed that 45 students (71.4%) experienced LBP, while the average weight of the backpack carried by these students 6.59 kg (p <0.001). Thus, there is a significant relationship between the excessive backpack weight and the incidence of LBP among students