NEW YORK, Dec 10 (Reuters Health) -- Low rank, high stress, and infrequent
aerobic exercise all contribute to a soldier's risk for disabling lower back
pain, according to a new report.
In a study of 174 soldiers who were discharged due to back injury,
researchers found that these factors, plus older age, were related to injury
risk. Dr. Michael Feuerstein and colleagues at the Uniformed Services University
of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, compared the injured soldiers with
those with no back pain, and discovered that for each year in age, a soldier's
back-injury risk jumped 13%. The injury rate among privates was three to four
times higher than for higher ranking soldiers; soldiers who reported high levels
of job stress had nearly three times the rate of injury; and those who said they
"rarely or never" got aerobic exercise were twice as likely to suffer a lower
back injury.
The study findings are published in the December issue of the Journal of
Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
The findings support the idea that a combination of physical,
psychological and social factors influence workers' risk for on-the-job back
injuries, Feuerstein and colleagues note. Lower rank, for example, may be
related to injury because less experience with a task may up the chances for an
accident. Previous studies, the investigators add, have shown that workers with
less time on the job are more likely to report back problems. Similarly, high
mental stress and job dissatisfaction has been linked to chronic back pain.
Feuerstein's group also found that soldiers who reported low levels of
"social support" or high levels of general stress were more likely than others
to be discharged with lower back pain. Any employee with little support from
family and friends, the authors explain, may be less able to cope with
occupational or personal stress. And, they add, "the tendency to feel
overwhelmed by pain has been associated with increased reports of low back pain,
distress, and disability."
Taken together, these findings suggest that treatment for disabling back
pain should also address the behaviors and psychological and social factors that
play a role in on-the-job back injury.
