Occupational Low Back Pain among OPD Patients in Tertiary Care Center

Low back pain is an silent epidemic. There is an increased prevalence of LBP among working population in developing countries. Increased forward bending and lifting heavy weight appears to be a significant risk factor, other being bad posture and weak core muscles. Observational study was carried out in a tertiary care center and patients visiting the orthopedics OPD with back pain were asked about their work profile, age, sex, nutritional status and off duty work hours. Overall incidence of low back pain in industrial workers was 43.92 % among which 26.59 % patients had back pain for more than 6 weeks. Low back pain causes major disability than any other disease. It is one of the major cause for economic burden in developing countries. Better understanding of the work physiology and better back ergonomics can significantly reduce the incidence and prevalence of the disease.