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PubMed2004

Back pain--individual and genetic factors.

BACKGROUND: In research, back pain can be classified in several ways. This presentation will deal with 'self-reported back pain', which is a proxy measure of 'having back pain'. The terms 'individual factors' cover many aspects of human life. They also interact with external factors, such as work and environment. Back pain is prevalent at all ages, although the incidence (onset) probably is highest in the early teens. Causative and modifying factors may differ throughout life and it is not sure that the etiology of 'back pain' remains the same. If we are to prevent and treat back pain in an efficient way, it is essential that we understand the circumstances that bring it on or prevent it from getting better. The mode of action would depend on whether the responsibility lies mainly with the individual, for example through a change of life-style, or with others, for example by altering the work place. METHOD: My presentation will consist of three elements, evidence obtained from: (1). systematic literature reviews, (2). epidemiologic studies, and (3). genetic epidemiologic studies. All the information presented is based on own work and pertains to children/adolescents and adults, mostly in relation to low back pain (LBP). The evidence will be reviewed in the light of 'the weight of evidence' on the topics of: genetics, sedentary life-style, type of work and imaging findings. Also factors relating to social class and physical/psychological robustness will be discussed. RESULTS: There is evidence for a relatively strong genetic component to LBP, both in the young and in adults. Hard work is strongly linked to LBP and there is a moderate link with abnormal imaging findings (spinal pathology in the young and discal degeneration in both the young and the adults). In addition, a weak psychological and psychological constitution appears to be of interest, at least in the young. However, there is no evidence for a causal link between a sedentary life-style and LBP, neither in the young nor in the adults. CONCLUSIONS: Some myths in the area of back pain are dispelled by the evidence in relation to personal and genetic factors and some new elements need considering. It is suggested that we should look for populations at risk, rather than looking for risk factors. Populations at risk would consist of people with a weak psychological and physiological constitution, who more easily than others may develop long lasting back pain as well as other CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Early identification of high risk populations will allow for a selective primary and secondary preventive approach.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Caffeine and chronic back pain.

OBJECTIVE: Tobacco use and other behavioral factors are associated with chronic back pain. Anecdotes suggest excess caffeine use may also be associated with chronic back pain. We compared caffeine consumption by chronic back pain patients with caffeine consumption by controls. DESIGN: Retrospective case-control study. SETTING: A multispecialty outpatient facility. PATIENTS: Sixty new, consecutive patients with chronic back pain compared to 60 new, consecutive patients without chronic back pain. INTERVENTION: Patients were prospectively asked to complete an intake questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Daily caffeine consumption was estimated by analyzing the intake questionnaire. Differences between groups were analyzed by both normal and nonparametric statistics. RESULTS: Consumption of caffeine by patients with chronic back pain averaged 392.4 mg/day. Controls consumed 149.8 mg/ day, a significant difference (p = .0001). Men consumed 86% more caffeine per day than women (p = .02). Age and caffeine consumption showed little correlation (r = .126). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with chronic back pain consume over twice as much caffeine as patients without chronic back pain. Confounding variables and possible mechanisms associating caffeine with chronic back pain are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence of low-back pain in Lesotho mothers.

OBJECTIVES: To identify factors that strongly affect the presence of severe low-back pain in mothers living in the Maseru District of Lesotho, to find out whether there is any truth to the widespread belief that rural mothers are more vulnerable to severe low-back pain than their urban counteTparts, and to identify influential factors that are strongly associated with each other. METHODS: A random sample of 4001 mothers was collected from the Maseru District of Lesotho in September 1994 by using sampling techniques of stratification and proportional allocation with respect to size. The following 10 explanatory variables of study were used: intensive farm work, gravidity (number of births plus abortions), residential area, heavy weight lifting, the literacy status of the mother, strenuous manual labor, the availability of basic health services, the income status of the mother, cooking method at home, and breast-feeding. The dependent variable of study was the presence or absence of severe low-back pain. Discriminant and log-linear analyses were done to analyze the data collected. Discriminant analysis was done by using the presence or absence of severe low-back pain as a classifying variable and the 10 explanatory variables that affect the classifying variable. Log-linear analysis was also done by using the same data with 9 of the 11 variables of study. RESULTS: A total of 405 (10.12%) of the 4001 mothers in the study had severe low-back pain at the time of data collection, 513 (12.82%) had moderate low-back pain, and 1422 (35.54%) had mild low-back pain. A total of 319 (78.77%) of the 405 mothers with severe low-back pain were poor, illiterate, and from rural communities. Results from discriminant analysis revealed that the presence of severe low-back pain was strongly affected by intensive farm work, the residential area of the mother, and gravidity of the mother in a decreasing order of strength and led to results similar to those obtained from discriminant analysis. The study also showed that rural mothers and their children were more disadvantaged than their urban counterparts with regard to basic health services. CONCLUSION: Recommendations were made to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Lesotho to improve the provision of basic health services, including health education on the importance of chiropractors to the community.

Discriminant Analysis↗
PubMed2002

A biomechanical comparison of lifting techniques between subjects with and without chronic low back pain during freestyle lifting and lowering tasks.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if chronic low back pain patients perform manual material handling tasks differently from control subjects. DESIGN: Comparative study using a repeated measures design. BACKGROUND: No study evaluated the lifting technique of back pain patients relative to control subjects during free style lifting and lowering tasks. Previous findings suggest that lowering would be more hazardous than lifting to the low back. It would be interesting to evaluate if chronic low back pain patients behave differently than controls when lifting and lowering. METHODS: Thirty-three male subjects (18 controls, 15 suffering from non-specific chronic low back pain) participated. A 12-kg box was lifted (freestyle) from the floor to the hips (1) in front (symmetric task) or (2) to a shelf located at 90 degree on the right (asymmetric task) and was lowered back to the floor. A 3D biomechanical analysis involving the assessment of L5/S1 loading, posture of segments, inertial parameters, and EMG was performed. RESULTS: There was no difference between the groups for postural (trunk and lower limb angles), inertial (trunk velocity and acceleration), and L5/S1 loading (moments and compression) variables. The patients showed abnormally low left lumbar erector spinae (symmetric task, lowering) or high left thoracic erector spinae (all tasks) EMG activation. Significant Group x Action (lifting vs. lowering) interactions were also observed for some inertial and L5/S1 loading variables suggesting that the biomechanical differences detected between lifting and lowering may have a differential influence on the technique used by back pain patients and control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The gross lifting technique of back pain patients was unaltered relative to controls but the activation of paraspinal muscles differed, suggesting that a more detailed biomechanical analysis, such as the use of EMG driven models, might be required to reveal lumbar impairments during lifting. RELEVANCE: To evaluate if chronic low back pain patients use naturally different lifting techniques to prevent pain exacerbation and damaged lumbar tissue overloading.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Does respiration perturb body balance more in chronic low back pain subjects than in healthy subjects?

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether body balance is perturbed more in low back pain patients than in healthy subjects, under the concept of posturo-kinetic capacity. DESIGN: Comparison of posturographic and respiratory parameters between low back pain and healthy subjects. BACKGROUND: It has been demonstrated that respiratory movements constitute a perturbation to posture, compensated by movements of the spine and of the hips, and that low back pain is frequently associated with a loss of back mobility. METHOD: Ten low back pain patients and ten healthy subjects performed five posturographic tests under three different respiratory rate conditions: quiet breathing (spontaneous), slow breathing (0.1 Hz) and fast breathing (0.5 Hz). RESULTS: Intergroup comparison showed that the mean displacements of the center of pressure were greater for the low back pain group, especially along the antero-posterior axis, where respiratory perturbation is primarily exerted. Inter-condition comparison showed that in slow and fast breathing relatively to quiet breathing, the mean displacement of the center of pressure along the antero-posterior axis was significantly increased only for the low back pain group. CONCLUSION: According to the results, respiration presented a greater disturbing effect on body balance in low back pain subjects. RELEVANCE: This study provides information on the causes of the impaired body balance associated with chronic low back pain, which could be used to improve treatment strategy.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

The relationship between psychosocial work characteristics and low back pain: underlying methodological issues.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the current epidemiological evidence linking psychosocial work characteristics with low back pain. BACKGROUND: Psychosocial work characteristics have been widely evaluated as potential risk factors for low back injury. However, studies with different study populations and using various types of measures have had conflicting results. METHODS: This review is the most extensive to date, reviewing 66 articles that have provided empirical evidence about the relationship between psychosocial work characteristics and initial reporting of lower back pain. The studies are reviewed with an emphasis on certain methodological issues: controlling for potential confounding; timing of the data collection; and measurement of the exposures and outcomes. RESULTS: The results of this review suggest that controlling for potential confounding from occupational biomechanical demands had a large influence on the associations found between psychosocial work characteristics and lower back pain. In addition, the use of accurate and reliable measures for the occupational exposures (biomechanical and psychosocial) and the lower back pain outcomes appears to influence the strength of the associations found between psychosocial work characteristics and lower back pain. CONCLUSION: Given the methodological concerns discussed in this review, it is difficult to draw strong causal inferences from this literature. However, it does appear that psychosocial characteristics are related to some lower back pain outcomes, and that employees' reactions to psychosocial work characteristics (e.g., job dissatisfaction and job stress) are more consistently related to lower back pain than are the psychosocial work characteristics themselves (e.g., work overload, lack of influence over work, quality of relationships with coworkers). RELEVANCE: This review attempts to identify and address methodological issues in the literature evaluating the relationship between psychosocial work characteristics and lower back pain. Implications for future research are presented.

Humans↗
PubMed2002

Back-neck pain and symptoms of anxiety and depression: a population-based twin study.

BACKGROUND: Clinical and epidemiological studies have shown an association between anxiety and depression and pain in the back and neck. The nature of this relationship is not clear. This study aimed to investigate the extent to which common genetic and environmental aetiological factors contribute to the covariance between symptoms of anxiety and depression and back-neck pain. METHODS: Measures of back-neck pain and symptoms of anxiety and depression were part of a self-report questionnaire sent in 1992 to twins born in Norway between 1967 and 1974 (3996 pairs). Structural equation modelling was applied to determine to what extent back-neck pain and symptoms of anxiety and depression share genetic and environmental liability factors. RESULTS: The phenotypic correlation between symptoms of anxiety and depression and back-neck pain was 0.31. Individual differences in both anxiety and depression and back-neck pain were best accounted for by additive genetic and individual environmental factors. Heritability estimates were 0.53 and 0.30 respectively. For back-neck pain, however, a model specifying only shared- and individual environmental effects could not be rejected. Bivariate analyses revealed that the correlation between back-neck pain and symptoms of anxiety and depression was best explained by additive genetic and individual environmental factors. Genetic factors affecting both phenotypes accounted for 60% of the covariation. There were no significant sex differences. CONCLUSION: The results support previous findings of a moderate association between back-neck pain and symptoms of anxiety and depression, and suggest that this association is primarily due to common genetic effects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Incidence of foot rotation, pelvic crest unleveling, and supine leg length alignment asymmetry and their relationship to self-reported back pain.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of pelvic unleveling, foot rotation, and supine leg length alignment asymmetry in a nonclinical population and to examine the validity (sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values) of these visual tests and their relationship to self-reported back pain. DESIGN: Volunteers answered a questionnaire regarding back pain and were then examined by a chiropractor who was unaware of the status of their back pain. PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-four unscreened volunteers answered the questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The association of visual tests with back pain and their validity indices; Visual Analogue Scale ratings. RESULTS: Fifty-one percent (n = 74) of volunteers examined had supine leg length alignment asymmetry (LLA). Pain intensity on a Visual Analogue Scale was significantly higher (P <.001) for those demonstrating supine LLA than for those without LLA. Those with back pain and recurrent back pain were significantly (P <.001) more likely to have supine LLA. The validity indices of the supine leg check showed acceptable levels for sensitivity (74%), specificity (78%), and positive predictive value (82%) [corrected] in recurrent back pain. Findings also indicated a high incidence of supine LLA in volunteers with chronic back pain (85%). CONCLUSION: The results indicated that, in this group of volunteers, the supine leg length alignment check had clinical validity as a stand-alone test for recurring back pain. Further testing on a larger, statistically defined cross-section of the population is recommended.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Isodynamic evaluation of trunk muscles and low-back pain among workers in a steel factory.

A cross-sectional study was conducted to explore the relationship between dynamic parameters of trunk muscle strength and the occurrence of low-back pain (LBP). Isodynamic strength measurements were performed among 31 male maintenance workers with spells of low-back pain in the past 12 months and 28 maintenance workers without a history of low-back pain. In general, workers with low-back pain showed a lower trunk muscle performance than the workers without low-back pain. Only the measures of torque during lateral movement differed significantly between both groups. Regression analysis revealed the importance of the nature of low-back pain for trunk muscle strength. Most parameters of trunk muscle strength were significantly decreased among workers with chronic low-back pain of a rather severe nature, showing reductions from 18% to 50%. None of the work-related risk factors for low-back pain contributed significantly to the prediction of trunk strength measures. The study suggests that isodynamic evaluation of trunk muscle strength may assist in determining objective measures for the severity of low-back pain rather than in evaluating a subject's capability of successfully coping with a specific work load.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Pain catastrophizing and kinesiophobia: predictors of chronic low back pain.

By using a population-based cohort of the general Dutch population, the authors studied whether an excessively negative orientation toward pain (pain catastrophizing) and fear of movement/(re)injury (kinesiophobia) are important in the etiology of chronic low back pain and associated disability, as clinical studies have suggested. A total of 1,845 of the 2,338 inhabitants (without severe disease) aged 25-64 years who participated in a 1998 population-based questionnaire survey on musculoskeletal pain were sent a second questionnaire after 6 months; 1,571 (85 percent) participated. For subjects with low back pain at baseline, a high level of pain catastrophizing predicted low back pain at follow-up (odds ratio (OR) = 1.7, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.0, 2.8) and chronic low back pain (OR = 1.7, 95% CI: 1.0, 2.3), in particular severe low back pain (OR = 3.0, 95% CI: 1.7, 5.2) and low back pain with disability (OR = 3.0, 95% CI: 1.7, 5.4). A high level of kinesiophobia showed similar associations. The significant associations remained after adjustment for pain duration, pain severity, or disability at baseline. For those without low back pain at baseline, a high level of pain catastrophizing or kinesiophobia predicted low back pain with disability during follow-up. These cognitive and emotional factors should be considered when prevention programs are developed for chronic low back pain and related disability.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Low back pain in steelplant workers.

The association between low back pain and occupational work loads, lifestyle factors and socio-demographic factors was examined in 469 steelplant workers (436 men, 33 women), aged 40 +/- 12 years (mean +/- SD). Fifty-one per cent had experienced low back pain during the preceding year. The strongest associations were found between recent low back pain and domestic recreational activities (> or = 3 h/week vs. 0-2 h/week), and between recent low back pain and work pace (too fast vs. adequate), with odds ratios (95% confidence limits) of 3.0 (1.5-5.8) and 2.3 (1.2-4.2), respectively. We considered a subject to have a particularly severe history of low back pain if, due to low back trouble, he (i) had ever been admitted to a hospital, (ii) had ever had to change work, or (iii) had had more than one week's accumulated sick leave during the preceding year. There was a strong association between a severe low back pain history and lifetime occupational exposure to heavy and frequent lifting at work. Forty-seven per cent of severe low back pain events could be ascribed to heavy and frequent lifting, assuming the associations were causal. We conclude that domestic recreational activities may be an important potential confounder in studies on occupational risk factors for low back pain, and that, based on the results of this and of other studies, a case for prevention still seems to exist regarding lifting of heavy burdens in the work environment.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Low back schools. A critical review.

The purpose of this article is to review and evaluate the empirical literature concerning low back schools. Although the low back school is a popular method of dealing with the growing number of patients with back pain, a general lack of studies exists of the effectiveness of this intervention technique. The studies that have been conducted, moreover, often lack control conditions and appropriate measurement techniques. The goal of most schools is to increase "self-care" behaviors and thereby decrease other related problems, such as pain intensity and absenteeism. The literature, however, provides limited support for the idea that a low back school can influence variables such as the number of health care contacts, sick leave, work status, pain intensity or duration, activity level, or medication consumption. Whether the patient's level of knowledge improves as a result of attending the low back school is unclear. Some evidence suggests that patients' attitudes toward back care do change. We conclude, therefore, that more information is needed about the effects of low back schools so that they may be improved. A central concept of low back school programs that should be examined is patient compliance. How well patients comprehend the material presented in the low back school or whether the school results in behavioral changes in the participants remains to be determined.

Back Pain↗
PubMed1995

Influence of physical, psychological and behavioural factors on consultations for back pain.

Over 34,000 questionnaires were used to study occurrence and consultations for back pain in the community. The 12-month period prevalence was 24% and 13% of the sample consulted a doctor. Elderly women were at greatest risk of back pain. The consultation rate increased in both sexes throughout middle age, but declined in men over the age of 55 yr. Back pain was associated with the Goldberg General Health Health Questionnaire score suggesting psychiatric morbidity [odds ratio (OR) = 2.05; confidence interval (CI) 1.89-2.23], obesity (OR = 1.59; CI 1.40-1.79), and cigarette smoking (OR = 1.52; CI 1.36-1.70). Vigorous daily activity was positively associated with back pain in men aged 18-39 yr (OR = 1.37; CI 1.02-1.85), and women aged 18-39 yr (OR = 1.50; CI 1.08-2.09), but was negatively associated with back pain in women aged over 65 yr (OR = 0.35; CI 0.16-0.76). Alcohol consumption was also negatively associated with back pain (OR = 0.72; CI 0.62-0.85). The prevalence of arthritis, constipation and respiratory disorders was increased in those who consulted for back pain corrected for the other variables. Thus back pain was substantially more common in women compared to men over 55 yr. Psychiatric morbidity, cigarette smoking and obesity were associated with back pain at all ages, but the effect of physical exercise appeared to change with age. Further studies are required to explain the sex differences and nature of the associations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Low-back pain in adolescent athletes.

In this 3-yr longitudinal study we investigated the occurrence of low-back pain and anatomic changes in the low back in relation to loading and injuries among 98 adolescents: 33 nonathletes (16 boys, 17 girls), 34 boy athletes (17 ice hockey, 17 soccer players), and 31 girl athletes (17 figure skaters, 14 gymnasts). During the 3-yr follow-up, low-back pain lasting longer than 1 wk was reported by 29 (45%; 95% CI, 32%-57%) athletes and by 6 (18%; 95% CI, 7%-35%) nonathletes (P = 0.0099). Acute back injury was reported by 17 of 19 subjects who also reported low-back pain (89%; 95% CI, 67%-99%) and by 2 of 63 of those without prolonged low-back pain (3%; 95% CI, 0%-11%) (P < 0.0001). Among 43 girls participating in baseline and follow-up MRI examinations of the lumbar spine, new MRI abnormalities were found in 6 of 8 reporting acute back injury (75%; 95% CI, 35%-97%) and in 8 of the remaining 35 girls (23%; 95% CI 10% to 40%) (P = 0.018). In conclusion, excessive loading that involves a risk for acute low-back injuries during the growth spurt is harmful to the lower back.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Back injuries in industry: a retrospective study. III. Employee-related factors.

To evaluate the impact of back injuries on industry, the authors conducted a retrospective analysis of injuries occurring among a group of 31,200 employees of The Boeing Company, a large industrial manufacturer in Western Washington. They analyzed 4,645 injury claims (including 900 back injuries) made by 3,958 different employees. Two previous articles give an overview of the study, provide a detailed analysis of the costs associated with these back injuries, and analyze the characteristics of the injury. This article focuses on employee-related factors associated with back injuries. Claims were categorized according to severity, as indicated by total incurred cost (TIC), the sum of the medical costs, and indemnity costs. High-cost claims were defined as those with a TIC greater than $10,000 and low-cost claims as those with a TIC less than $10,000. Employees younger than 25 years of age had a statistically significant increased risk of back injury, although their claims tended to be low-cost ones. This finding tends to discredit the premise that back problems are related to aging of the lumbar spine. While older employees had a lower injury rate, they did have a significantly increased risk of incurring high-cost back injury claims. The 31-40-year age group was the most susceptible to high-cost back injuries. Newer employees tended to have a significantly increased risk of back injury. The data show that women had fewer injuries than men but a statistically significant increased risk of becoming a high-cost injury claim.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Variation in lumbar sagittal mobility with low-back trouble.

The influence of low-back trouble on lumbar sagittal mobility was explored in 958 individuals aged 10 to 84 years. Experience of low-back trouble was determined by questionnaire, and categorized as none, a previous history, or a current spell. Maximal mobility was estimated from flexicurve records of back surface curvature. The results for adults revealed that mean mobility values were reduced by both previous and current low-back trouble, particularly in the upper lumbar region, when compared with nonsufferers. Stepwise regression analyses showed that variation in mobility was best accounted for by the cumulative effects of age and sex. These variables accounted for approximately one-third of the variation in mobility: low-back trouble only accounted for an additional 1%. At the extremes of the range, both hypomobility and hypermobility were identified as risk indicators for low-back trouble. Relative hypermobility was not confined to subjects with no history of back trouble; some current sufferers had particularly high levels of mobility. Similarly hypomobility was found in nonsufferers as well as in those with back trouble. The data indicated that young adults (notably males) with previous low-back trouble may not recover their previous mobility on symptomatic resolution. The finding of hypermobility in current sufferers indicates that mobilization therapy may not be appropriate for such patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Lumbar muscle fatigue and chronic lower back pain.

There currently is a clinical need for an objective technique to assess muscle dysfunction associated with chronic lower back pain. A Back Analysis System for objectively measuring local fatigue in the back extensor muscles is presented. The reliability and validity of this technique was evaluated by testing chronic low-back pain patients and control subjects without back pain. Concurrent surface electromyograms (EMG) were detected from multiple back muscles during sustained isometric contractions at different force levels of trunk extension. Median frequency parameters of the EMG power density spectrum were monitored to quantify localized muscle fatigue. Results indicated: 1) high reliability estimates for repeated trials; 2) significant differences (P less than 0.05) in median frequency parameters between lower back pain patients and control subjects for specific combinations of contractile force level and muscle site tested; 3) Median Frequency parameters correctly classified lower back pain and control subjects using a two-group discriminant analysis procedure. The applicability of this technique as a treatment outcome measure and diagnostic screening method for lower back pain patients is discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Lumbar muscle usage in chronic low back pain. Magnetic resonance image evaluation.

Methods for detecting recruitment patterns of the lumbar muscles during exercise in patients with chronic low back pain are limited. This article discusses the use of magnetic resonance imaging with Roman chair extension exercise to examine lumbar muscle usage in five normal volunteers, five chronic low back pain patients without surgery, and five chronic low back pain patients with surgery. Changes in signal intensities of psoas, multifidus, and longissimus/iliocostalis with graded exercise were measured at three lumbar disc levels. At rest, there was a difference between multifidus and longissimus/iliocostalis signal intensity in chronic low back pain subjects without surgery (P = 0.0162) and in chronic low back pain subjects with surgery (P = 0.0036), but not in normal subjects. At peak exercise, there was a difference in signal intensities between multifidus and longissimus/iliocostalis in all groups (normal volunteers, P = 0.0069; chronic low back pain patients without surgery, P = 0.0125; chronic low back pain patients with surgery, P = 0.0060). The exercise response was attenuated in chronic low back pain patients with surgery. Thus, MRI demonstrates static and dynamic differences in lumbar paraspinal musculature in chronic low back pain subjects compared to normal subjects.

Exercise↗