Prevalence of Lower Back Pain and its Relation to Stress Among Medical Students in Taif University, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Lower back pain (LBP) refers to pain in the back between the last rib and the gluteal fold. Recent psychological research indicates a relevant connection between severe pain and emotional stress. The etiology of musculoskeletal pain shown to be influenced by low social support, high job demands, and low job control.

Methods: A cross‑sectional study of 640 medical students in Taif University was carried out from November 2018 to April 2019. A standardized Nordic questionnaire was employed to assess musculoskeletal pain and K10 was used to assess psychological stress.

Results: Our study found 33.3% of medical students reported lower back pain,
20.7% reported lower back pain 0–7 days during the last 12 months, and 18.8% reported reduction of activity due to lower back pain during the last 12 months. The mean stress score was 22.7 ± 8.8; 20.7% of students with mild stress reported lower back pain. LBP showed non‑significant association to stress categories (P = 0.409).

Conclusions: Our survey found no significant association between
LBP and psychological stress. The three main risk factors associated with lower back pain were being a 2nd year medical student, female gender, and high working hours.

Keywords: Low back pain, medical students, stress