Examination of the patients applying to the physical therapy unit of a hospital due to low back pain

Introduction: This study analyzes factors influencing low back pain in patients admitted to the physiotherapy unit of an education and research hospital. Methods: The study sample included 102 patients who applied to the physiotherapy unit and volunteered to join the study. The data were collected using a 23-items questionnaire created by the authors based on a review of the literature. The data were entered into the SPSS Program For comparisons, p values below 0.05 were deemed to be statistically significant. Results: The mean age of the participants was 46.7±14.4 years. By occupation, low back pain was most common among housewives. Of the patients who suffered from lower back pain, 57.8% were overweight or obese. Of those experiencing lower back pain, 73.5% were standing for long time periods, and 67.6% were lifting heavy loads. Of the patients, 69.6% had lower back pain in their families, and 29.4% of the family members with lower back pain were their mothers.Of the patients, 70.6% received drug therapy for the pain. The frequency of low back pain among patients who did not receive drug therapy was higher than that of the patients who received pain medications (p<0.05). Of the patients who had low back pain attacks 11 times or more in a year, the percentage of smokers was 66.7%, while this rate was 35.7% among nonsmokers (p<0.05). The increase in low back pain with body mass index was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Conclusion: Patients applied to the hospital due to low back pain report lifting heavy loads or prolonged standing. Smoking increases the frequency of low back pain. Patients with low back pain also tend to have family members with the condition. With appropriate measures to reduce risk factors, the frequency of low back pain, which hinders daily life activities, can be reduced