PHYSICAL LOADING AND PERFORMANCE AS PREDICTORS OF BACK PAIN IN HEALTHY-ADULTS - A 5-YEAR PROSPECTIVE-STUDY

We investigated muscle strength, aerobic power, and occupational and l eisure-time physical loading as predictors of back pain in a 5-year fo llow-up study. A cohort of 456 adults aged 25, 35, 45 and 55 years, fr ee of back pain, participated in measurements of anthropometric charac teristics, aerobic power and muscle strength characteristics at baseli ne. The subjects' levels and types of physical activity and occupation al physical loading were also determined. At 5 years after the baselin e examinations 356 of these subjects (78.1%) were reached by mail, and 262 of them (73.6%) properly completed and returned a questionnaire i ncluding a detailed back pain history for the 5 years following the ba seline measurements. Of this number 56 subjects (21%) who reported bac k pain ( > 30 on a scale from 0 to 100) and functional impairment duri ng the 5-year follow-up composed the marked back pain group. Other sub jects (n = 71, 27%) noting lesser symptoms were included in the mild b ack pain group; 135 subjects (52%) reported having had no back pain. T he subjects with marked back pain were on average taller than the subj ects without back pain, while no such difference was found in body mas s. Heavy occupational musculoskeletal loading (P = 0.005) and high gen eral occupational physical demands (P = 0.036) predicted future back p ain. Leisure-time physical activity, aerobic power or muscle strength characteristics were not predictive of future back pain.