STUDIES ON LOW BACK PAIN AMONG WORKERS IN SMALL SCALE CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES : Report 1. Analysis of clinical and radiological findings

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Other Title
  • 建設労働者の腰痛症とその業務起因性 : 第1篇 自覚症状及びレントゲン所見の分析
  • ケンセツ ロウドウシャ ノ ヨウツウショウ ト ソノ ギョウム キインセイ 1 ジカク ショウジョウ オヨビ レントゲン ショケン ノ ブンセキ

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Recently, there has been an increase in the number of workers complaining of low back pain. This is related to the changing patterns of work due to industrialization and automation which have been noted to increase the stress in workers' bodies. Inflexible regulations and attitudes on the part of governmental administration make it difficult to meet the changing needs and the working conditions of the workers. In 1968, a new regulation came into force, which states that low back pain without a history of trauma is admitted as an occupational disorder. However, such cases of low back pain as spondylosis deformans is likely to be attributed to advancing age, and spondylosis or spondylolisthesis would be considered as a congenital anomaly. Physical examinations and X-ray findings among construction workers in Okayama City revealed the following results: 1. Fortyfive percent of the workers complained of the low back pain. 2. Low back pain is related to the type of work performed. And, the worker's posture is related to the occurrence of the low back pain. 3. One third of the workers with low back pain reported a history of low back trauma. 4. Workers with low back pain showed a high incidence of other musculo-skeletal symptoms. 5. Disappearance of physical lordosis, punch tenderness over vertebrae, weakness of extension tendon of the big toe, positive Lasegue test and differences in patellar and Achilles tendon reflexes between both sides were more often observed among the workers with low back pain than among the workers without it. 6. Spondylosis, spondylolisthesis and spondylosis deformans were noted to have high incidence among the workers studied, particularly in the younger age groups. The findings described above indicate that physical and radiologic examinations verify that both trauma and chronic stress are related to the occurrence of the low back pain. We conclude that low back pain is related to the person's occupation. This raises some serious questions regarding the interpretation of the new regulation. There is a great need for additional investigations on low back syndromes.

Journal

  • Sangyo Igaku

    Sangyo Igaku 13 (1), 37-45, 1971

    Japan Society for Occupational Health

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