ArticleBMC musculoskeletal disorders2019
Factors influencing disability in patients with chronic low back pain attending a tertiary hospital in sub-Saharan Africa.
Article in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 53 citations in OpenAlex.
- Health-care utilisation for low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of population-based observational studies.Rheumatology international · 2019Pooled it
- Association of demographics, lumbar active range of motion and disability in chronic low back: a baseline data analysis of a randomized controlled trial from Pakistan.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2024Trial
- Psychosocial and functional difficulties in older adults with chronic non-specific low back pain.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- Prevalence and factors associated with chronic low back pain in students of the university of Dschang: a cross-sectional study in a sub-Saharan university.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Health-related quality of life among patients with low back pain attending rehabilitation facilities in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Exploring the Biopsychosocial Impact of Chronic Low Back Pain in Workers Through Artificial Intelligence-Driven Phenotyping.JOR spine · 2025Article
- Prediction of Back Disability Using Clinical, Functional, and Biomechanical Variables in Adults with Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Effects of Respiratory Muscle Training on Functional Ability, Pain-Related Outcomes, and Respiratory Function in Individuals with Low Back Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Review
- Importance of an Integrated Assessment of Functional Disability and Work Ability in Workers Affected by Low Back Pain.Safety and health at work · 2024Article
- Low back pain treatment adherence barriers in Eswatini private physiotherapy practices: A pilot study.The South African journal of physiotherapy · 2024Article
- A Qualitative Investigation of the Psychosocial Impact of Chronic Low Back Pain in Ghana.BMJ open · 2023Article
- Health-related quality of life in patients with low back pain in a low resource setting: a cross-sectional study at a tertiary hospital in Uganda.African health sciences · 2023Article
- Exploring patients' lived experience on the barriers to accessing low back pain health services.African journal of primary health care & family medicine · 2022Article
- Magnetic resonance imaging findings among young adults with low back pain at Nsambya hospital.BMC medical imaging · 2022Article
- A cross-sectional hospital-based study of correlates of disability in patients with chronic low back pain in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2022Article
- Risk factors for low back pain outcome: Does it matter when they are measured?European journal of pain (London, England) · 2022Article
- A Scoping Review on the Epidemiology of Chronic Low Back Pain among Adults in Sub-Saharan Africa.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Anxiety Symptoms and Associated Factors Among Chronic Low Back Pain Patients in China: A Cross-Sectional Study.Frontiers in public health · 2022Article
- World Health Organisation Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0): development and validation of the Nigerian Igbo version in patients with chronic low back pain.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2020Article
- Observational
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundVery little is known about the burden of chronic low back pain in Africa. This study aimed at assessing disability and associated factors in chronic low back patients in Cameroon.
methodsWe carried a hospital-based cross-sectional study including patients suffering from low back pain (LBP) of at least 12 weeks' duration. Disability was assessed using the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ). RMDQ > 4 described persons with dysfunctional levels of disability. Multivariable linear regression was used to investigate factors associated with higher RMDQ scores hence greater disability. Variables investigated included; gender, age, marital status, employment status and type, smoking history, alcohol consumption, income, pain intensity, LBP duration, psychological wellbeing, sleep satisfaction, leg pain, numbness/paresthesia, bowel/bladder dysfunction symptoms (BBDS), body mass index (BMI), and days of work absence.
resultsA sample of 136 adults (64% female) with a mean age of 50.6 ± 12.2 years participated in the study. Median duration of LBP was 33 (25th - 75th percentile: 12-81) months. Mean RMDQ score was 12.8 ± 6. In multivariable linear regression, pain intensity (β = 0.07, p = 0.002), longer days of work absence (β = 0.15, p = 0.003) and BBDS (β =2.33, p = 0.029) were associated with greater disability. Factors such as consumption of alcohol (β = - 3.55, p = 0.005) and higher psychological wellbeing scores (β = - 0.10, p = 0.004) significantly contributed to less disability (lower RMDQ scores). Dysfunctional levels of disability were present in 88.1% of patients.
conclusionCLBP is associated with significant disability and this relationship is driven by several factors. Multidisciplinary management strategies especially those targeted to improve pain control, manage BBDS and improve psychological wellbeing could reduce disability and improve quality of life.
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