DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2015.v03i01.048

Pages: 234-243

Most epidemiological data concerning low back pain are from high-income countries and there is very little information about low back pain in the population in developing countries. Back pain affects 60-80% of people at sometime in their lives. Acute low back pain is one of the most common reasons for adults to see a family physician. Although most patients recover quickly with minimal treatment, proper evaluation is imperative to identify rare case of serious underlying pathology. Low back pain is the pain of variable duration in the lumbar region of the spine. It is a cause of physical morbidity and disability. In recent times it has become a major medical concern across the globe. Low back pain occurs as a result of multiple factors. Patient education and medications are beneficial. The aim of the study is to evaluate the different causes of low back pain, occupational and risk factors, association with age and sex of the patient and their life styles. Three hundred patients seeking primary medical attention for the main symptom of low back pain and presenting to the Orthopaedic Centre of Udai Health Care from January 2011 to July 2014, were recruited in this study. All patients were thoroughly interrogated (occupational, trauma, infection, diabetes mellitus, smoking, alcohol and medication history), subjected to a rigorous clinical examination and a battery of investigations. The study found association between low back pain and various factors. Prevention is the best strategy for avoiding low back pain but is realistically hard to practise because the problem of low back pain has many environmental and intrinsic risk factors.