Postgraduate medical residents have an alarmingly high prevalence of low back pain, with significant associations to exercise, lifestyle, work satisfaction, and anxiety.
The study found a 1-year prevalence of low back pain of 67.2% among 195 postgraduate medical residents. Key risk factors included long hours of sitting (74.4%), improper posture (72.8%), fatigue (64.6%), and bad mattress (53.8%).
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Postgraduate medical residents have an alarmingly high prevalence of low back pain, with significant associations to exercise, lifestyle, work satisfaction, and anxiety. The current body of evidence comprises 1 study. EvidenceHub rates the overall confidence at 32/100 (low).
The Claim
Postgraduate medical residents have an alarmingly high prevalence of low back pain, with significant associations to exercise, lifestyle, work satisfaction, and anxiety.
This conclusion is most relevant to: 195 postgraduate medical residents in a tertiary healthcare setting.
What the Research Shows
The conclusion draws on 1 linked study. Highlights from the cited literature:
- ▸Caring for Others, Neglecting Themselves? Risk Factors for Low Back Pain in Medical Postgraduates. (Annals of African medicine, 2026) —
How It Works
The proposed biological pathway:
- ▸Long hours of sitting and working lead to sustained spinal loading
- ▸Improper body posture increases mechanical stress on lumbar spine
- ▸Fatigue reduces muscle support and coordination
- ▸Result: High prevalence of low back pain
Who Might Benefit
Evidence fit by population:
- ▸195 postgraduate medical residents in a tertiary healthcare setting
Recommended Dose
N/A
Limitations & Caveats
Important context when interpreting this evidence:
- ▸Cross-sectional design cannot establish causality
- ▸Reliance on self-reported data may introduce recall bias
- ▸Single-center study limits generalizability
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the lifetime prevalence of low back pain in this study?▼
The lifetime prevalence was 17.4%.
What are the main risk factors for low back pain among medical residents?▼
Main risk factors include long hours of sitting (74.4%), improper body posture (72.8%), fatigue (64.6%), and bad mattress (53.8%).
How many participants were in the study?▼
The study included 195 postgraduate medical residents.
What factors were significantly associated with low back pain?▼
Significant associations were found with exercise, lifestyle, work satisfaction, and anxiety levels.
References
- 1.Mishra P, Waliullah S, Kumar V. “Caring for Others, Neglecting Themselves? Risk Factors for Low Back Pain in Medical Postgraduates..” Annals of African medicine, 2026. PMID: 42437733 DOI: 10.4103/aam.aam_452_26