BACKACHE AMONGST SOLDIERS

Backache Amongst Soldier

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the occupational predispositions of low back pain in soldiers
Study Design: Descriptive study
Place and Duration of Study: Combined Military Hospital, Bahawalpur, from June 2009 to Jan 2010.
Patients and Methods: A questionnaire was developed to investigate the occupation-related issues in soldiers reporting with low backache in surgical OPD at CMH Bahawalpur. It included personal and occupational factors. The body mass index was also calculated. Of the 107 male soldiers assessed, 90 were enrolled into the study. The statistical analysis was performed by descriptive analysis of the data using SPSS 17.0.
Results: Of all the soldiers evaluated (n=90), 32 (35.6%) were clerks/computer operators, 21(23.1%) were drivers and 14 (15.6%) were signal men. All were males (100%) and the average BMI was 24.8 kg/m2. The 69 (76.7%) patients who had backache had prolonged working hours (average 10.8 hours per day). 68 (75.6%) patients used to sleep over tape/nawar bed and only 12 (13.3%) had been sleeping on mattresses. The onset of pain was sudden in 58 (64.4%) patients. 27 (23.3%) had developed acute backache after prolonged sitting, 21 (30%) after lifting heavy objects. The pain was exaggerated by doing morning physical training 82 (91.1%), prolonged sitting 61 (67.8%) and standing with rifle 24 (26.7%).
Conclusion: Frequency of low back pain in sedentary occupation or soldiers on sitting jobs was higher 69 (76%). The number of working hours on these occupations was associated with occurrence as well as aggravation of low back pain.