Author/Authors :
Alturkistani, Lujain H College of Medicine - Taif University, Taif City, Saudi Arabia , Hendi, Obadah M. Saudi Orthopedic Program - King Abdualaziz Specialist Hospital, Taif , Bajaber, Ameerah S College of Medicine - Taif University, Taif City, Saudi Arabia , Alhamoud, Mustafa A. College of Medicine - Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia , Althobaiti, Shabab S. College of Medicine - Taif University, Taif City, Saudi Arabia , Alharthi, Turki Abdulaziz College of Medicine - Taif University, Taif City, Saudi Arabia , Atallah, Ayman A. Department of Family Medicine - College of Medicine - Taif University, Taif City, Saudi Arabia
Abstract :
Background: Lower back pain (LBP) refers to pain in the back between the last rib and the
gluteal fold. Recent psychological research indicates a relevant connection between severe pain
and emotional stress. The etiology of musculoskeletal pain shown to be influenced by low social
support, high job demands, and low job control. Methods: A cross‑sectional study of 640 medical
students in Taif University was carried out from November 2018 to April 2019. A standardized
Nordic questionnaire was employed to assess musculoskeletal pain and K10 was used to assess
psychological stress. Results: Our study found 33.3% of medical students reported lower back pain,
20.7% reported lower back pain 0–7 days during the last 12 months, and 18.8% reported reduction
of activity due to lower back pain during the last 12 months. The mean stress score was 22.7 ± 8.8;
20.7% of students with mild stress reported lower back pain. LBP showed non‑significant association
to stress categories (P = 0.409). Conclusions: Our survey found no significant association between
LBP and psychological stress. The three main risk factors associated with lower back pain were
being a 2nd year medical student, female gender, and high working hours.
