Does the performance of five back-associated exercises relate to the presence of low back pain? A cross-sectional observational investigation in regional Australian council workers

© 2018 Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Objectives Investigate the relationships between the ability/inability to perform five physical test exercises and the presence or absence of low back pain (LBP). Setting Regional Australian council training facility. Participants Consecutive participants rec...

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Main Authors: Gabel, C., Mokhtarinia, H., Hoffman, J., Osborne, J., Laakso, E., Melloh, Markus
Format: Journal Article
Published: BM J Group 2018
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/71371
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author Gabel, C.
Mokhtarinia, H.
Hoffman, J.
Osborne, J.
Laakso, E.
Melloh, Markus
author_facet Gabel, C.
Mokhtarinia, H.
Hoffman, J.
Osborne, J.
Laakso, E.
Melloh, Markus
author_sort Gabel, C.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description © 2018 Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Objectives Investigate the relationships between the ability/inability to perform five physical test exercises and the presence or absence of low back pain (LBP). Setting Regional Australian council training facility. Participants Consecutive participants recruited during 39 back education classes (8-26 participants per class) for workers in general office/administration, parks/gardens maintenance, roads maintenance, library, child care and management. Total sample (n=539) was reduced through non-consent and insufficient demographic data to n=422. Age 38.6±15.3 years, range 18-64 years, 67.1% male. Methods Cross-sectional, exploratory, observational investigation. LBP presence was ascertained from a three-response option questionnaire: 0=none/rarely (no) 1=sometimes (some), 2=mostly/always (most). Statistical correlation was performed with the number of the five test exercises the individual successfully performed: (1) extension in lying: 3 s; (2) 'toilet squat'; feet flat, feet touched: 3 s; (3) full squat then stand up: 5 times; (4) supine sit-up, knees flexed: 10 times; and (5) leg extension, supine bilateral: 10 times. Interventions Nil. Results For the group 'no-some', 94.3% completed 4-5 test exercises, while for group 'With', 95.7% completed 0-1 test exercises. The relationship between LBP presence and number of exercises performed was highly significant (?2(10)=300.61, p<0.001). Furthermore, multinomial logistic regression predicting LBP (0=no, 1=some, 2=most) from the number of exercises completed, substantially improved the model fit (initial-2LL=348.246, final-2LL=73.620, ?2(2)=274.626, p<0.001). As the number of exercises performed increased, the odds of reporting 'some LBP' or 'most LBP' dropped substantially (ORs of 0.34 and 0.17, respectively). Conclusion The ability to complete/not complete five test exercises correlated statistically and significantly with a higher LBP absence/presence in a general working population. Training individuals to complete such exercises could facilitate reductions in LBP incidence; however, causality cannot be inferred. Randomised trials are recommended to establish the potential efficacy of exercise-based approaches, considering these five selected exercises, for predicting and managing LBP.
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
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publishDate 2018
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-713712019-01-15T07:28:37Z Does the performance of five back-associated exercises relate to the presence of low back pain? A cross-sectional observational investigation in regional Australian council workers Gabel, C. Mokhtarinia, H. Hoffman, J. Osborne, J. Laakso, E. Melloh, Markus © 2018 Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Objectives Investigate the relationships between the ability/inability to perform five physical test exercises and the presence or absence of low back pain (LBP). Setting Regional Australian council training facility. Participants Consecutive participants recruited during 39 back education classes (8-26 participants per class) for workers in general office/administration, parks/gardens maintenance, roads maintenance, library, child care and management. Total sample (n=539) was reduced through non-consent and insufficient demographic data to n=422. Age 38.6±15.3 years, range 18-64 years, 67.1% male. Methods Cross-sectional, exploratory, observational investigation. LBP presence was ascertained from a three-response option questionnaire: 0=none/rarely (no) 1=sometimes (some), 2=mostly/always (most). Statistical correlation was performed with the number of the five test exercises the individual successfully performed: (1) extension in lying: 3 s; (2) 'toilet squat'; feet flat, feet touched: 3 s; (3) full squat then stand up: 5 times; (4) supine sit-up, knees flexed: 10 times; and (5) leg extension, supine bilateral: 10 times. Interventions Nil. Results For the group 'no-some', 94.3% completed 4-5 test exercises, while for group 'With', 95.7% completed 0-1 test exercises. The relationship between LBP presence and number of exercises performed was highly significant (?2(10)=300.61, p<0.001). Furthermore, multinomial logistic regression predicting LBP (0=no, 1=some, 2=most) from the number of exercises completed, substantially improved the model fit (initial-2LL=348.246, final-2LL=73.620, ?2(2)=274.626, p<0.001). As the number of exercises performed increased, the odds of reporting 'some LBP' or 'most LBP' dropped substantially (ORs of 0.34 and 0.17, respectively). Conclusion The ability to complete/not complete five test exercises correlated statistically and significantly with a higher LBP absence/presence in a general working population. Training individuals to complete such exercises could facilitate reductions in LBP incidence; however, causality cannot be inferred. Randomised trials are recommended to establish the potential efficacy of exercise-based approaches, considering these five selected exercises, for predicting and managing LBP. 2018 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/71371 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-020946 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ BM J Group unknown
spellingShingle Gabel, C.
Mokhtarinia, H.
Hoffman, J.
Osborne, J.
Laakso, E.
Melloh, Markus
Does the performance of five back-associated exercises relate to the presence of low back pain? A cross-sectional observational investigation in regional Australian council workers
title Does the performance of five back-associated exercises relate to the presence of low back pain? A cross-sectional observational investigation in regional Australian council workers
title_full Does the performance of five back-associated exercises relate to the presence of low back pain? A cross-sectional observational investigation in regional Australian council workers
title_fullStr Does the performance of five back-associated exercises relate to the presence of low back pain? A cross-sectional observational investigation in regional Australian council workers
title_full_unstemmed Does the performance of five back-associated exercises relate to the presence of low back pain? A cross-sectional observational investigation in regional Australian council workers
title_short Does the performance of five back-associated exercises relate to the presence of low back pain? A cross-sectional observational investigation in regional Australian council workers
title_sort does the performance of five back-associated exercises relate to the presence of low back pain? a cross-sectional observational investigation in regional australian council workers
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/71371