Abstract
BACKGROUND: Low back pain is a common presenting symptom among workers in primary health care facilities, including physicians. AIM: This study aimed to identify the magnitude, determinants and sequence of the problem of low back pain among physicians working at the King Salman Armed Forces hospital, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out among physicians who are working at King Salman Armed Forces Hospital, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. A previously validated self-administered questionnaire was utilised for data collection including demographic information and data related to low back pain and its characteristics and outcome. RESULTS: The study included 254 physicians. Their age ranged between 23 and 66 with a mean ± SD of 36.0 ± 9.3 years. Almost two-thirds (66.9%) were males. Most of the physicians (76.4%) ever had LBP whereas 70.5% had LBP in the last 12 months. The only significant factor associated with LBP in the past 12 months was physicians` speciality as all ophthalmologists and majority of emergency physicians and anaesthesia/intensive care physicians (88.9%) compared to only 14.3% of nephrologists and neurologists expressed LBP in the last 12 months. Overall, the association between physicians' speciality and a history of LBP in the last 12 months was statistically significant, p = 0.014. Absence from work because of LBP in the last 3 months was mentioned by 15% of physicians. CONCLUSION: Low back pain is a very common health problem among physicians working at the King Salman Armed Forces hospital, Saudi Arabia. A considerable proportion of them was absent from work because of LBP.