International Journal of Orthopaedics Sciences

Evaluation of causes and preventive measures of low back pain: A retrospective study

2021, Volume 7 Issue 3

Evaluation of causes and preventive measures of low back pain: A retrospective study

Author(s): Dr. Navneet Krishna Saxena and Dr. T Sankaralal
Abstract: Introduction: Most epidemiological data concerning low back pain (LBP) are related to developed and industrialized countries but little information about LBP in the general population in developing and low-income countries. Back pain affects 60-80% of people at some time in their lives. Acute low back pain is one of the most common reasons for adults to visit Orthopaedist. Though most patients recover quickly with minimal intervention, proper evaluation is imperative to identify rare case of serious underlying pathology.
Aim of the study: The aim of the study is to evaluate the different causes of low back pain, occupational and risk factors, association with age and sex of the patient and their life styles.
Materials and Methods: The present study is a retrospective study of 40 patients of low back pain between the age group of 21-85 years of both sexes who were admitted and treated at Department of Orthopaedics from August 2020 to December 2020. The information was collected from the patients regarding their occupation, education, obesity, smoking, tuberculosis, diabetes, alcohol consumption, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and any history of trauma. The clinical diagnosis of cases was done and confirmed radiologically. A proforma was prepared and the patient’s age, sex, duration of symptoms, place of living and the cause for low back pain was noted. A thorough neurological examination was also performed.
Results: The author tabulated 40 patients of low back pain into four categories according to age and noted the number of cases in each group. The highest number of cases (12) is observed in the age group of 51-60 years (40%) and the lowest number of cases (2) is observed in the age group of 71-80 years (6%). All patients were inquired about (occupational, trauma, infection, diabetes mellitus, smoking, alcohol and medication history), subjected to a clinical examination and a series of investigations. In 40 cases of LBP studied, the most common cause for back pain was disc prolapse (44%). The next common causes were lumbar spondylosis, spondylolisthesis and lumbar spinal stenosis (17%, 10% & 10% respectively). The research found association between low back pain and various factors. Prevention is the key for avoiding low back pain but is realistically hard to practice because the problem of low back pain has many environmental and intrinsic risk factors.
Conclusion: Low back pain affects a large percentage of the population and is difficult to diagnose. Orthopaedist must accept the diagnostic ambiguity that often accompanies the condition. Identification of etiological and various risk factors, cause for back pain and type of occupation and instituting preventive measures, as well as rehabilitation of patients can lead to a meaningful reduction in the incidence of devitalizing back pain.
Pages: 169-174  |  585 Views  114 Downloads
How to cite this article:
Dr. Navneet Krishna Saxena, Dr. T Sankaralal. Evaluation of causes and preventive measures of low back pain: A retrospective study. Int J Orthop Sci 2021;7(3):169-174. DOI: 10.22271/ortho.2021.v7.i3c.2742
 
International Journal of Orthopaedics Sciences
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