Relationship between physical activity intensity and nonspecific low back pain during working hours of hospital ward nurses

<p> Purpose: The purpose of this study was to measure the level of physical activity during work and investigate its association with nonspecific low back pain. </p><p>Methods: 58 full-time female hospital ward nurses were included in the study. During the day shift, an activity meter was used to measure and record data, and after classifying activities into sitting, low-intensity physical activity, and mid- to high-intensity physical activity categories, the duration and intensity of each activity was calculated. In addition, the number and duration of breaks from work and interruptions in spells of sitting were also measured. </p><p>Results: A multiple regression analysis with the amount of change in low-back pain as the target variable and age, sitting patterns, mid- to high-intensity physical activity, and domain score as explanatory variables found significant differences in sitting patterns. Setting the amount of change in low-back pain as the target variable and age, total number of breaks from work, average length of spells of work and rest, and number of spells as the explanatory variables, multiple regression analysis found significant differences between the total number of breaks in work and rest. </p><p>Conclusion: Increases in lower back pain among ward nurses before and after their shifts was shown to be associated with sitting patterns. Inadequate breaks from work and spells of sitting could be a risk factor for developing and/or aggravating low back pain.</p>