Effects of Recreational Physical Activity and Back Exercises on Low Back Pain and Psychological Distress: Findings From the UCLA Low Back Pain Study

doi:10.2105/AJPH.2004.052993

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Am J Public Health. 2005 October; 95(10): 1817–1824.

doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2004.052993

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TABLE 3—

Adjusted Cross-Sectional Associations of Back Exercise and Recreational Physical Activity With Pain Ratings, Disability, and Psychological Distress

	Most Severe Pain,^a OR (95% CI)	Average Pain,^a OR (95% CI)	Back Disability,^a OR (95% CI)	Psychological Distress,^b OR (95% CI)
Back exercise
Never	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00
Seldom (< 1 d/wk)	1.48 (1.09, 2.00)	1.49 (1.14, 1.94)	1.59 (1.19, 2.12)	1.05 (0.78, 1.42)
Sometimes (1–3 d/wk)	2.13 (1.63, 2.79)	1.56 (1.20, 2.01)	1.85 (1.44, 2.38)	0.98 (0.77, 1.25)
Often (4–7 d/wk)	2.12 (1.57, 2.85)	1.56 (1.18, 2.06)	1.61 (1.22, 2.13)	0.95 (0.73, 1.23)
Physical activity (weekly metabolic equivalent task score)
0	1.00	1.00	1.00	1.00
0.1–10.49	0.78 (0.55, 1.09)	0.83 (0.60, 1.13)	0.72 (0.52, 1.01)	0.77 (0.56, 1.06)
10.5–25.9	0.68 (0.49, 0.95)	0.63 (0.46, 0.85)	0.60 (0.44, 0.82)	0.68 (0.50, 0.91)
≥ 26	0.62 (0.44, 0.87)	0.72 (0.52, 0.99)	0.48 (0.35, 0.66)	0.60 (0.44, 0.83)

Note. OR = odds ratio; CI = confidence interval. Average back pain and most severe low back pain were defined as ratings of 2 or higher on a 0–10 numerical scale; low back disability was defined as a score of 3 or above on the 0–24 Roland–Morris Low Back Disability Questionnaire; psychological distress was defined as a mental health index score of less than 76.

^aAdjusted for age, gender, baseline duration of low back pain episode, number of previous low back pain episodes, assigned treatment group, social support, strategy for coping with pain, internal health locus of control, baseline mental health index score, baseline value of outcome variable, muscle strengthening and flexibility exercising, and follow-up week. Back exercise effect estimates were also adjusted for physical activity level, and physical activity effect estimates were adjusted for back exercise.

^bAdjusted for age, gender, baseline duration of low back pain episode, number of previous low back pain episodes, assigned treatment group, social support, strategy for coping with pain, internal locus of control, baseline mental health index score, baseline low back pain and disability levels, muscle strengthening and flexibility exercising, and follow-up week. Back exercise effect estimates were also adjusted for physical activity level, and physical activity effect estimates were adjusted for back exercise.