The burden of low back pain among undergraduate physiotherapy students at the University of Zimbabwe: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE: Globally, non-specific low back pain (NSLBP) is a common cause of morbidity in all people including physiotherapy students. However, no study has investigated the problem among undergraduate physiotherapy students in Zimbabwe. This study was conducted, therefore, to provide evidence of the prevalence, clinical characteristics and consequences of recurrent NSLBP among undergraduate physiotherapy students at the University of Zimbabwe. RESULTS: The final sample had 90 participants, giving a study response rate of 97.8%. The median age of the participants was 22 years. The lifetime prevalence of NSLBP was 56.7% (n = 51) and the mean age of onset for NSLBP was 19.7 years (SD = 1.64 years). The 12-month prevalence of recurrent NSLBP was 38.9% (n = 35). Of the 35, 20 (57.1%) experienced at least three episodes in the last 12 months. Each episode lasted for 1-7 days in most participants (n = 31, 88.6%). The mean intensity of recurrent episodes was 3.37 (SD = 1.43) measured on Visual Analogue Scale. Only 7 (20%) experienced at least one functional limitation due to recurrent NSLBP. Additionally, only 2 (5.7%) sought medical treatment for the pain. However, 6 (17.1%) had to be absent from the university secondary to recurrent NSLBP.