ABSTRACT
The workplace is the single most common factor in contributing to back injury as studies of back pain and back injuries at work show. Workplace occurrences fall into three categories: task demands; lack of control over the work situation; and positioning. There is a lack of clarity concerning the cause and effect relationships between identifiable and quantifiable risk factors in low back pain. However, a variety of risk factors has been identified such as: family history; clinical history of low back pain; height; body mass; psychosomatic fear; intelligence; level of education; metabolic cost; cigarette smoking and chronic coughing; strength; pregnancy; and prolonged sitting. Acute backache (lumbago) may be an indicator of a specific condition such as prolapse of an intervertebral disc. Chronic Backache commonly follows an episode of acute backache, which after an initial improvement then remains as a nagging ache, worse after any strenuous activity, particularly if this involves stooping or lifting.
