Is Rhinoplasty Surgery a Risk Factor for Low Back Pain among Otorhinolaryngologists?

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between low back pain and performing rhinoplasty and presents the data related to the prevalence of low back pain among the otorhinolaryngologists included in a sample. The questionnaire prepared by the researchers was completed by volunteer otorhinolaryngologists who participated in the 22nd International Rhinocamp Congress. The questionnaire prepared to investigate low back problems contained items to obtain the demographic features of the participants, whether they were performing septorhinoplasty, how many years they had been performing this procedure, whether they had any problem (ache, pain, or discomfort) in the lumbar region, whether they had been hospitalized or had surgery due to this problem, low back pain frequency and intensity, and the presence of low back pathologies (e.g., protrusion, perforated disc, and bulging) detected by magnetic resonance imaging. The research was performed with the participation of 110 otorhinolaryngologists, of whom 37.3% (n = 41) were women and 62.7% (n = 69) were men, 79.1% (n = 87) were performing rhinoplasty surgery, and 69.1% (n = 76) had low back pain. Low back pain was reported in 72.4% (n = 63) of the doctors performing rhinoplasty and 56.5% (n = 13) of those who did not perform this surgery. There was a statistically significant relationship between the presence of low back pain and whether the doctors performed rhinoplasty surgery (χ² = 4.151; p = 0.042 [< 0.05]). In addition, the complaints of low back pain were affected by the number of years the doctors had been performing rhinoplasty (p = 0.001 < 0.01). Low back pain was found to be frequent among otorhinolaryngologists performing rhinoplasty. Training, exercises, and performing the operation in a position that will prevent the occurrence of lower back pain can improve quality of life and minimize labor loss caused by pain among rhinoplasty surgeons.