A Study of Correlation Lumbar Lordosis, Stress, Central Adiposity with Low Back Pain in Undergraduate Medical Students.

OBJECTIVE

Low back pain (LBP) is a multifactorial musculoskeletal condition that reduces productivity at work and causes disability. Due to their lengthy lectures and heavy workload, medical students are more prone to experience LBP. This study aims to investigate the relationship between central adiposity, stress, lumbar lordosis and LBP.

METHODS

This study uses a cross-sectional analytical observational design. A total of 73 medical students served as the study's sample. Respondents self-completed the K-10 psychological assessment and the Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire. Physical examination was then carried out to identify central adiposity and lumbar lordosis. Respondents having a history of malignancy, deformity, or spinal injury are excluded.

RESULTS

In the prevalence of LBP, 53.21% of respondents reported not experiencing LBP symptoms, while the remaining 46.79% experienced pain. Central adiposity had no significant association with LBP (p=0.872). Although moderate stress was common among those with LBP, stress did not show a clear association in the chi-square test. Logistic regression showed that lumbar lordosis had the strongest impact on the presence of LBP, with an odds ratio of 10.524 (p=0.001), and stress also contributed to LBP complaints (p=0.044).

CONCLUSION

This study shows LBP is correlated with lumbar lordosis and stress; however, central adiposity is not correlated with LBP.