Prevalence of Low back pain in Physiotherapists among Emirates Health Services: A cross-sectional Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37506/e6tbhz08Keywords:
Low Back Pain, Emirates Health Services, United Arab EmiratesAbstract
Low back pain is a prevalent issue among physiotherapists, with nearly 80% experiencing it during their careers1. Key risk factors include prolonged standing, patient lifting, repititive movements, and poor ergonomic satisfaction and leads to increased sick leave and attrition rates.This study aims to explore the prevalence, risk factors, and impact of LBP on physiotherapists in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), focusing on male and female physiotherapistsaged 30 to 50 years. The Oswestry Low back pain Disability questionnaire was used to access the functional disability related to LBP. The study lasted 6 months. 62.3% of participants experienced Mild LBP while performing work tasks, with 14.3% reporting severe pain during weight lifting. LBP is identified as the most common work-related health issue among physiotherapists, leading to reduced work productivity, absenteeism, and lower health-related quality of life.
Female physiotherapists are more susceptible to musculoskeletal disorders due to their body composition. The study recommends improving head-neck and trunk posture, adopting correct manual handling techniques, self-protection strategies, stress management, and reducing prolonged sitting. Policymakers should implement programs to reduce the clinical and economic burden of LBP on healthcare professionals.
Downloads
References
Pellissier B, Sarhan F-R, Telliez F. Work-related, non-specific low back pain among physiotherapists in France: prevalence and biomechanical and psychosocial risk factors, as a function of practice pattern. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Mar; 20(5): 4343.
GBD 2021 Low Back Pain Collaborators. Global, regional, and national burden of low back pain, 1990-2020, its attributable risk factors, and projections to 2050: a systematic analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Lancet Rheumatol. 2023;5(5):e316-29.
Çınar-Medeni Ö, Elbasan B, Duzgun I. Prevalence of low back pain among physical therapists in Kuwait. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil. 2017;30(3):451-459. doi: 10.3233/BMR-160571.
Molumphy M, Unger B, Jensen GM, Lopopolo RB. Incidence of work-related low back pain in physical therapists. Phys Ther. 1985 Apr;65(4):482-6. doi: 10.1093/ptj/65.4.482.
Mierzejewski M, Kumar S. Prevalence of low back pain among physical therapists in Edmonton, Canada. Disabil Rehabil. 1997 Aug;19(8):309-17. doi: 10.3109/09638289709166544.
Alghadir A, Zafar H, Iqbal ZA, Al-Eisa E. Work-related low back pain among physical therapists in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Workplace Health Saf. 2017 Aug;65(8):337-345. doi: 10.1177/2165079916670167. Epub 2017 Jan 25.
Bryndal A, Glowinski S, Grochulska A. Influence of occupation on the prevalence of spinal pain among physiotherapists and nurses. J Clin Med. 2022 Sep 23;11(19):5600. doi: 10.3390/jcm11195600.
Balakrishnan R, N. A. B. M. N. Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among physiotherapists in Sabah: A cross-sectional study. 2016;3(1):336-343.
Ansari A, Ali MS. Prevalence of low back pain among females in physiotherapy compared to medicine college in University of Hail. MOJ Women’s Health. 2021;10(2):41-44.
Iqbal Z, Alghadir A. Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among physical therapists. Med Pr. 2015;66(4):459-469.
Anyfantis ID, Biska A. Musculoskeletal disorders among Greek physiotherapists: traditional and emerging risk factors. Safety Health Work. 2018;9(3):314-318.
Cromie JE, Robertson VJ, Best MO. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders in physical therapists: prevalence, severity, risks, and responses. Phys Ther. 2000;80(4):336-351.
Fourré A, Vanderstraeten R, Ris L, Bastiaens H, Michielsen J, Demoulin C, et al. Management of low back pain: do physiotherapists know the evidence-based guidelines? Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 May;20(9):5611.
Nicol V, Verdaguer C, Daste C, Bisseriex H, Lapeyre É, Lefèvre-Colau MM, et al. Chronic low back pain: a narrative review of recent international guidelines for diagnosis and conservative treatment. J Clin Med. 2023 Feb;12(4):1685.
Rezaei B, Mousavi E, Heshmati B, Asadi S. Low back pain and its related risk factors in health care providers at hospitals: a systematic review. Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2021 Oct;70:102903.
Hall A, Penney T, Simmons K, Peters N, O’Brien D, Richmond H. Physical therapy management of low back pain: a survey of physiotherapists’ current assessment and treatment practices. Physiother Can. Winter 2022;74(1):66–74.
Wu A, March L, Zheng X, Huang J, Wang X, Zhao J, et al. Global low back pain prevalence and years lived with disability from 1990 to 2017: estimates from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Ann Transl Med. 2020;8(6):299. doi:10.21037/atm.2020.02.175.
Kędra A, Kolwicz-Gańko A, Sitarski D, Ewertowska P, Czaprowski D. Low Back Pain and Everyday Functioning of Students. Ortop Traumatol Rehabil. 2016 Jan-Feb;18(1):31-9. doi: 10.5604/15093492.1198840. PMID: 27053307.
Truter P, Attwooll L, Flanagan P, McGinty C, Taylor R, Hince D, Wand BM. Comparing multi-disciplinary low back pain care in the ED to the Australian clinical care standard: The possible influence of profession, experience and back pain beliefs. Int Emerg Nurs. 2023 Nov;71:101351. doi: 10.1016/j.ienj.2023.101351. Epub 2023 Sep 25. PMID: 37757581.
West DJ, Gardner D. Occupational injuries of physiotherapists in North and Central Queensland. Aust J Physiother. 2001;47(3):179-86. doi: 10.1016/s0004-9514(14)60265-8. PMID: 11552874.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Baker Sharafuddin, Aji Gopakumar, Ahammed Jamsheer MP, Yazar Musthafa
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.