Effectiveness of Back Strengthening Exercise on Pain and Disability among the Nursing Students with Mechanical Low Back Pain

Introduction: Health is a fundamental right. Every human being has the right to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health. According to WHO, health is a state of complete physical mental, social and spiritual well-being, not merely an absence of disease or infirmity (Potter PA, Perry AG, 2010). The musculoskeletal system is particularly vulnerable to external forces. These forces can cause alteration in the structure of bone or soft connective tissue, resulting in functional disruption. The consequences may be deformity, alteration of body image, mobility, pain, or permanent disability. These problems may produce long-term health problems that interfere with activities of daily living and quality of life (Lewis SM, Heitkemper MM, Dirksen SR, 2007).
Materials and Methods: A pre-experimental study was carried out to assess the effectiveness of back strengthening exercise on pain and disability among nursing students with mechanical low back pain in Index Nursing College, Indore.
The objectives of the study were to assess the intensity of low back pain and disability before and after the back strengthening exercises, assess the effectiveness of back strengthening exercise on low back pain, disability and associate the level of low back pain with selected demographic variables. One group pre-test post-test design was used and a purposive sampling technique was applied.
Results: Samples were selected using case detection proforma. 60 students who met the inclusion criteria were recruited for the back strengthening exercise intervention. The intervention was carried out daily for 30 minutes for 30 days. The severity of low back pain and disability before and after the intervention were assessed using the Numerical pain rating scale and Modified Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire respectively. The analysis revealed that the post-test pain and disability score was significantly less than the pre-test pain and disability score.
Conclusion: Thus back strengthening exercise was found to be effective in reducing low back pain and disability among the nursing students. There was no significant association between the pre-test pain score and the selected demographic variables like age, height, weight, course of study, year of study, activities aggravating low back pain