Association between low back pain perception and occupational in hospital nursing professionals

Low back pain can be defined as pain and/or discomfort between the coastal margins of the lowest rib and the gluteal fold, and it can cause motor dysfunction, loss of productivity, and changes in job function. There is a greater number of nursing professionals in hospital environments, and, regardless of their numerical contingent, they have the highest percentage of absenteeism due to this condition.

To evaluate the association between perception of low back pain and occupational stress in hospital nursing professionals.

Eleven nurses and 95 practical nurses (n = 106) were evaluated on their perception of low back pain (Visual Analogue Scale) and occupational stress (job stress scale) using the Demand-Control Model. The chi-square test was used to assess associations between categorial variables (p < 0.05).

Low back pain was reported by 74% of the study sample (n = 81). Assessment of occupational stress using the Demand-Control Model showed that 54.7% (n = 58) had low psychological demand and 63.2% (n = 67) had high control at work. Active work was observed in 33% (n = 35) and low demand at work in 30.2% (n = 32). There were no significantly associations between the perception of low back pain and the occupational stress domains described by the Demand-Control Model (p = 0.721).

Although there was a high prevalence of low back pain in this sample of nursing professionals, it was not associated with occupational stress.