An epidemiological study of chronic low backache in young adult patients in a tertiary care hospital in south india

Author: 
Dr Dan Isaac Luke and Dr Joe Joseph Cherian

Introduction: Low back pain is the most common orthopaedic problem affecting most individuals at some point in their lives. According to World Health Organization (WHO) low back pain is rated as the leading cause of disability and is the most common cause of outpatient department consultation(1). The aim of the present study is to evaluate the existence of potential risk factors related to low back pain in young adults and to describe their sociodemographic details.
Methodology: This study was done as a cross sectional study on all the patients presenting to the outpatient department of the Department of Orthopaedics, St. John's Hospital with chronic back pain between April 2016 and April 2018 who met the inclusion criteria.
Results: In our epidemiological study, Low back pain is predominant in males. Low back pain was observed to be prevalent in 58.2% males and 41.8% of females. Our study shows various risk factors like repetitive movements, vibrations, sitting in same posture for long time and lifting heavy weights, during work are significantly associated with Low back pain.
Conclusion: It was found that chronic low back ache in the young adult population of South India had multiple risk factors of which the predominant ones are their occupation and the mental status of them. Hence the low back pain among young adults can be considered aptly as a silent epidemic indeed and it is the need of the hour to take adequate measures against the same.

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DOI: 
http://dx.doi.org/10.24327/ijcar.2020.21711.4274
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