Associated factors with low back pain in pregnant women

Sunday, 17 August 2014
Exhibit hall (Dena'ina Center)
Luana S Vianna , Botucatu Medical School, Botucatu, Brazil
Ana Carolina M Santini , Botucatu Medical School, Botucatu, Brazil
Gladys A Dias , Botucatu Medical School, Botucatu, Brazil
Elisiane S Santos , Botucatu Medical School, Botucatu, Brazil
Liamara C Assis , Marília Sciences School, Marilia, Brazil
Adriano Dias, DrPH , Botucatu Medical School, Botucatu, Brazil
INTRODUCTION:  Biomechanical imbalances promoted by pregnancy contribute to the pain in the lumbar area, which are the most prevalent complaints in pregnancy. Low back pain is defined as a set of painful manifestations in the lumbar, lumbosacral or sacroiliac areas, which may radiate to the lower limbs. The aim of this study was to verify the prevalence of low back pain in pregnancy and its association with several covariates of interest in pregnant women, in Botucatu, São Paulo State, Brazil.

METHODS:  This cross-sectional study was developed in Obstetrics Service of Botucatu Medical School. 781 pregnant women were interviewed between April 2011 and August 2013. All pregnant women who underwent prenatal care in the service were eligible for the study, except those who refused to participate and/or had not showed preserved cognitive capacity to answer to the evaluation tool, composed by a structured questionnaire containing general and specific clinical data and description of back pain. The analyzed covariates were age, gestational age, weight, height, body mass, parity, physical activity and oral contraceptive use. In the exploratory analysis were used univariate logistic regression models and the variables those p-values ≤0.25 were chosen for the multiple conditional logistic regression model.

RESULTS:  From the 781 women interviewed, 155 (19.8%) presented suggestive complaints of back pain. In the univariate analysis, the variables “age” and “more than one pregnancy” were eligible for the multiple model. By adjusting the multiple conditional logistic regression model we observed that “more than one pregnancy” variable was the only that remained in a final model as a factor associated with low back pain (OR=1.912, CI95%=1.326-2.762).

CONCLUSIONS:  Low back pain was highly prevalent among the pregnant group studied, but less than have been showed by the literature. Have had more than one previous pregnancy was the only factor associated with low back pain in this case series.