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Prevalence of Lower Back Pain and its Relation to Stress Among Medical Students in Taif University, Saudi Arabia
Lujain H Alturkistani1, Obadah M Hendi2, Ameerah S Bajaber1
1Medical Student, College of Medicine, Taif University, Taif City, Saudi Arabia.
Background:
Lower back pain (LBP) refers to pain in the back between the last rib and the gluteal fold. Recent psychological research indicates a relevant connection between severe pain and emotional stress. The etiology of musculoskeletal pain shown to be influenced by low social support, high job demands, and low job control.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study of 640 medical students in Taif University was carried out from November 2018 to April 2019. A standardized Nordic questionnaire was employed to assess musculoskeletal pain and K10 was used to assess psychological stress.
Results:
Our study found 33.3% of medical students reported lower back pain, 20.7% reported lower back pain 0-7 days during the last 12 months, and 18.8% reported reduction of activity due to lower back pain during the last 12 months. The mean stress score was 22.7 ± 8.8; 20.7% of students with mild stress reported lower back pain. LBP showed non-significant association to stress categories (P = 0.409).
Conclusions:
Our survey found no significant association between LBP and psychological stress. The three main risk factors associated with lower back pain were being a 2nd year medical student, female gender, and high working hours.