Document Type : Original Articles

Author

• Marzieh Saeidi

Physiotherapist, Fateme-Zahra Hospital Najaf-Abad, Treatment Management of Isfahan Social Security, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Rehabilitation, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Improvement in technology can induce inactivity which, in turn, may result in postural problems and cause Musculo-Skeletal Disorders (MSDs). The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between poor posture and Low Back Pain (LBP) neck pain (NP) among female staff members working in Fateme-Zahra Hospital of Najaf-Abad city, Isfahan-Iran.Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 37 female staff members of above-mentioned hospital (mean age: 32.47 ± 5.36) were selected through simple randomized sampling. A physiotherapist examined them with regard to the status of their posture, back and neck and then completed a questionnaire relating to their history of LBP and demographic data.Results: The mean scores of posture tests, back tests and the risk of MSDs were 0.89 ± 1.16, 1.39 ± 1.93 and 15.28 ± 6041 respectively. The prevalence of LBP was 68.4% as compared to that of NP which was 28.9%. Pain intensity was significantly correlated with the risk score for MSDs, repetitive motions, moving/lifting heavy loads, doing tasks in awkward posture and the score of back test. There was no significant relationship between pain intensity and the score of posture test.Conclusion: The results of this study showed a high prevalence of LBP and NP in female personnel of Fateme-Zahra Hospital. Repetitive motions, moving/lifting heavy loads, doing tasks in awkward posture were the most important factors associated with LBP and NP in the studied population. According to low mean age of studied participants and high prevalence of LBP and NP among them and also to high scores of the risk for MSDs, it is necessary to pay attention to job-related ergonomic factors for controlling and reducing the prevalence of MSDs and their associated risk factors.Keywords: Poor posture, Low back pain and Neck pain