“A STUDY TO ASSESS THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LUMBAR SUPPORT ON BACKACHE AMONG POST- OPERATIVE PATIENTS UNDERGONE ABDOMINAL SURGERY AT SELECTED TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL, COIMBATORE.

Aims and Objectives : Backache is pain felt in the back. It may be acute, sub-acute or chronic depending on the duration. Lumbar support is cheap and effective method to reduce the backache Method: Quasi experimental time series non-randomized pre-test post-test control group design was adopted in this study. 40 study participants were selected using purposive sampling technique. The level of backache was assessed by using Modified Oswestry Backache Assessment (OBA) Scale. Pre-test was conducted 4 hours after surgery and after that lumbar support was given for 1 hour for three days 0, 1st and 2nd POD to interventional group and after each intervention post-test was conducted among both interventional and routine care group. Results and discussion: The study findings stated that, the interventional group pre-test mean, and SD was 2.9 ± 0.4, the calculated‘t’ value was 0 at the level of p<0.05. On 1st post-test mean and SD was 2.8 ± 0.5 the calculated’ value was 1 at the level of p<0.05. 2nd post test mean and SD was 1.9 ± 0.4, the calculated‘t’ value was 9 at the level of p<0.05 and 3rd post-test mean and SD was 1.1 ± 0.5, the calculated‘t’ value was 17 at the level of p<0.05. Clinical variable body mass index (χ2 = 20.000) found to be associated with level of backache. Conclusion: Lumbar support was an effective method to reduce the level of backache among post-operative patients undergone abdominal surgery .