Low Back Pain Prevalence and Characteristics in Caregivers of Stroke Patients: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and features of low back pain (LBP) among stroke caregivers. Method: Participants included 64 caregivers of stroke survivors in our inpatient clinic. Age, gender, body weight, FIM^™, and Brunnstrom Scale of patients and low back pain history, Short Form-36 (SF-36), Beck Depression Measure (BDM), and Oswestry Disability Scale (ODS) of caregivers were reported. Descriptive statistics, Spearman correlation, and Mann-Whitney U test were used. Results: Fifty-three (82.8 %) of caregivers had LBP. Stroke survivors of caregivers with LBP (group 1) had significantly lower FIM^™ scores when compared with stroke survivors of caregivers without LBP (group 2) (P < .05). All SF-36 subscores and total score of group 1 except mental health were significantly lower than SF-36 scores of group 2. Discussion: The lifetime, 12-month period, and point prevalence of LBP were 44.1%, 34.0%, and 19.7%, respectively, in our country. Caregivers had a higher frequency of LBP in this study. However it was a study with a small number of participants. There are many studies about stroke caregivers’ depression and life quality. LBP should also be investigated.

Keywords:

• caregivers
• low back pain
• stroke