Low Back Pain (LBP)

Low back pain (LBP) is one of the leading causes of disability and work absence globally, affecting not just the individual, but also extending to families, communities and society at large. Whilst the prevalence of LBP is high, with over 70 percent of people experiencing some LBP at some point during their lives, most will resolve within a few months (Campbell et al, 2013). Problems arise when pain persists beyond the expected period of healing or when it exceeds 12 weeks in duration. An estimated 40 percent of people who present with acute LBP continue to report symptoms after 3 months and

Experience: When I first arrived Noah was just starting to work with a guy dealing with lower back pain. Noah decided after some exercises to hook him up to a lumbar traction machine. Unlike the cervical one I’d seen before, this machine pretty much worked the opposite way. The person was hooked up so there upper body was firmly fastened, and then the machine would slowly pull on their pelvic area and stretch/release the lower vertebrae. We then met a young woman who was having some knee pain. Noah explained beforehand that she’d been injured on the job and had recently had knee surgery so it was perfectly possible that she’d torn her meniscus again. We went through very basic movement tests with her to see where her pain was. Noah provided

Chronic Pain is described as a long lasting pain that people experience beyond a normal healing time (Hasenbring, Rusu & Turk, 2012). This time is usually up to three or six months prior to an incident (Hasenbring, Rusu & Turk, 2012). Chronic back pain can include common diagnosis of muscle spasms, back strain, or myofasical syndrome (Weiner & Nordin, 2010). There are three different types of chronic back pain; simple musculoskeletal back pain, spinal nerve root pain and serious spinal pathology (Jackson & Simpson, 2006). (Hasenbring, 2012)

Low back pain (LBP) is a common condition worldwide; approximately 50-80% of adults suffer from LBP at least once during their lives [1, 2]. LBP represents a major health problem because of its prevalence, high probability of recurrence, consequences, and healthcare cost [3-6]. LBP has physical, psychological, and economic impacts on individuals. Furthermore, LBP is still the primary cause of absenteeism and disability in every industrialized society [226].

Method: Eleven subjects ranging in age from 18 - 65 were selected based on diagnosis of leg and low back pain. Those who participated in this study reported pain no longer than six months and no less than one month. These patients were screened using a standardized lumbar spine evaluation. Patients AROM, flexibility, medical history, strength, gait, neurology, and soft tissue were also evaluated and measured prior to testing. The test was designed using an A-B-A design where A is the baseline condition and B was intervention with the use of the PBWS. The

Chronic low back pain has been shown to have a significant impact on individuals, their families, professional life, and communities. It is one of the most common health problems causing suffering and disability, and it is a leading cause of physical inactivity. In addition to the physical impairments and professional detriments, chronic low back pain increases the financial burden to the healthcare system by augmenting medical treatment costs. Muscle strengthening activity, on the other side, has been used clinically to treat low back pain. However, there is an inconclusive data regarding the preventative effect of muscle strengthening activity on low back pain. Thus, we wanted to see if being engaged in muscle strengthening activity reduces

Search strategies for this review will be established to access both published and unpublished materials. Firstly, a search of the literatures will be conducted using numerous online databases. Similarly, a range of research methods that assist in finding appropriate journal articles will be utilised. These include consideration about which topics that most define chronic low back pain management and different interventions used for management of this condition. Further, to ensure whether the study is appropriate and relevant to the research question, both an inclusion and exclusion criteria will be considered. Thus, articles will be included if they meet the following principles: published between 2002 and 2016, articles related to nursing and health professionals, and written in the English language and Peer-reviewed articles as well.

Back pain is one of the most common health complaints in the United States and around the world. Back pain affects 8 out of 10 people at some point during their lives.1 One quarter of the US adult population describes having low back pain at least one day over a three month period; 7.6% of the population reported severe acute low back pain in a one year period. 2 In a survey conducted by the National Institute of Health Statistics, 28.4% population reported low back pain as the leading source of pain. 3

Low back pain is multidimensional, involving structural, mechanical, psychological and social influences that ultimately results in a complex presentations. There are several clinical practice guidelines for LBP evaluation and management to include the Quebec Task Force on Spinal Disorders (1987), the U.S.

When experiencing acute or severe low back to mid back pain that is preventing rest, the image to the left demonstrates two positions that may take the pressure off and reduce pain. Both of these are lying on the floor or a flat, firm surface with the knees bent and the neck supported, yet not hyper-flexed (chin close to or on the chest). The use of warm, moist heat is recommended over ice or cold. A cold pack on the lower back may increase sustained muscular contraction in effect increasing rather than decreasing pain.

The modified position gave patients painful and uncomfortable feelings that the traditional position was able to avoid. This discomfort is what caused the complaints of pain form patients that made it impossible to finish a session of traction. The force of traction was noted earlier by patients in the modified position, which leads researches to question if this position puts the muscles in a more injury prone position. The authors concluded that there is no difference in the effectiveness of differing positions of the arms while traction is

Harvard Health Publication, Harvard Medical School (2012). “The real world benefits of strengthening your core”, it is mentioned in this article, “A healthy back. Low back pain- a debilitating, sometimes excruciating problem affecting four out of five Americans at some point in their lives- may be prevented by exercises that promote well-balanced, resilient core muscles, when back pain strikes, a regimen of core exercises is often prescribed to relieve it, coupled with medications, physical therapy, or other treatments necessary.”

To enhance their interpretation of findings, univariate analysis was performed for each of general lower back pain (LBP) risk factor initially, then, a multivariate model was built for each risky OR activity. The chosen method of statistical analysis of this study is excellent as it will not only find if the risk factors and risky activities relate to LBP, it will also find to which degree each of the risky activities relate to it. As the authors aim to specify the findings related to OR staff, it is suitable to apply multivariate model only on the risky activities of OR staff.

The main purpose of this trial by Petersen et al. (2002) was to compare the efficiency of two treatment programs for chronic low back pain. Treatments included the use of spinal stabilization and the McKenzie approach which are known as main interventions frequently used for the treatment of chronic low back pain. The stabilization method emphasises on retraining of specific deep or local stabilizing muscles of the spine while maintaining the lumbar region in a neutral position. Conversely, McKenzie model involves an inspection that includes repeated end-range spinal movements. Thus, patients were invited to response to these repeated movements to determine a category and a way of preference for therapeutic exercise. In this study, McKenzie group demonstrated statistical improvements (p=0.04) in all dependent variables that were assessed. It was therefore recorded that more than 50% of participants who followed McKenzie treatment demonstrated centralization of symptoms with repeated movements; thus, as per authors, Petersen et al. (2002), McKenzie therapy could be considered as a predictor of patient outcomes.

I agree that back injuries continue to be a topic of concern in health care. It is estimated that over 9,000 injuries occur daily to healthcare providers (Brown, 2003). Hospital have made attempts to reduce the number of back and other injuries with the introduction of lift equipment, but this has caused little improvement in injuries. I work on a psychiatric unit and there are no over the bed lift systems or even portable Hoyer lifts on the unit. This causes staff to use physical power and strength to move patients. Injuries in healthcare are 4 times higher than any other field (Medical New Today, 2013). Annual training of lift equipment and proper body mechanics needs to be done to ensure that healthcare staff are up to date and knowledgeable