The impact of occupational risk factors on the development of lower back pain in industrial workers

Introduction. Spondylogenic back pain is common in the working-age population and often results in a working disability. In order to ensure professional decision-making and inform preventive measures, occupational risk factors for low back pain (LBP) need to be identified.

Material and methods. Using a regular medical check-up examination data, we analyzed the prevalence and the odds ratio of LBP in 3215 individuals working in physically demanding jobs and exposed to physical inactivity and vibration.

Results. No statistically significant differences in LBP prevalence were found between workers exposed to low total physical activity (PA), in and out of work, and those exposed to physical overwork (38.9% и 33.8% respectively). Physical inactivity in the workplace and hypodynamia during leisure-time cause similar effects and increase the risk of LBP by 1.5 times. A combination of occupational factors such as a constrained posture (class 3.1-3.2 according to the National Labor Legislation) and whole-body vibration increases LBP risk up to 78.7%. Whereas the combination of a constrained posture, prolonged sedentary position, and whole-body vibration, increases LBP prevalence up to 84.21% (OR: 80).

Conclusions. The highest risk of LBP (OR: 80.0) was assigned to the combination of constrained posture, prolonged sedentary position, and whole-body vibration. The obtained data suggest that both low PA and physical overwork increase the risk of LBP, whereas moderate PA reduces it.