Study of Dimensions of Low Back Pain and Its Characteristics among Operating Room Nurses in Ahvaz Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background and Aim: Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders among operating room nurses, and numerous studies have well explained its causes and factors. However, studies focusing on the characteristics and dimensions of low back pain and its relationship with influencing factors have not been conducted. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of the type of LBP, duration of back pain, and severity of back pain, and their relationship with the demographic characteristics of operating room nurses. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 350 operating room nurses at Ahvaz teaching hospitals in Iran in 2023. Data were collected using a questionnaire that included demographic information and LBP characteristics. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS. Results: 64.8% of the subjects were female, 63.5% were married, and their mean age was 33.83±7.02 years. The prevalence of LBP among operating room nurses was 74.3%. In 60.7% of participant who have LBP, the first experience of back pain was in the past 5 years. The most common diagnosis of LBP was muscular disorders (29.9%). Also, 57.3% of them had pain only in the lower back and 42.7% of them had LBP radiating to the legs. We found no statistically significant relationship between the duration and severity of LBP and demographic characteristics (P<0.05). A statistically significant relationship was found between the type of LBP and gender and level of education, as well as between the duration of LBP and severity of LBP (P<0.05). Conclusion: The findings of this study showed a high prevalence of LBP among operating room nurses, and differences in the type of LBP were observed based on gender and educational level, which may be attributed to individual factors. Additionally, the significant relationship between the duration of LBP and its severity may indicate the effect of the long duration of LBP on its severity, which suggests that providing counseling and treatment programs for nurses who are in the early stages of LBP.