Assessing the Relationship between Level of Disability and Quality of Life among Patients with Low Back Pain at FOCOS Orthopaedic Hospital

Abstract

Background Low back pain (LBP) is a common musculoskeletal disorder that comes about as a result of injuries and disorders involving the musculoskeletal system. Causes of LBP include poor posture, improper lifting, arthritis etc. Objective The main aim of the study was to assess the effect of the level of disability (LOD) on the quality of life (QOL) among patients with LBP at FOCOS orthopaedic hospital. Method The study made use of a descriptive cross-sectional design and involved 222 patients with LBP from FOCOS orthopaedic hospital. The study adopted the Oswestry Disability Questionnaire and the Short Form - 36 (SF-36) to measure level of disability and quality of life. STATA software was used to analyse the data. Multivariable Poisson regression model were used to assess the relationship between the LOD and QOL. Results The study revealed that 16.2% of respondents had minimal disability and majority (66.6%) of the patients had a severe disability. Again, most 170 (76.6%) of the respondents had a low QOL and 52 (23.4%) had a high QOL. Also, patients with moderate disability have a higher odds (a OR =35.00) of having a low QOL as compared with patients with minimal disability. Similarly, patient with severe disability have a higher odds(a OR =19.44, 95% CI =7.478-50.558) of having a low QOL than patients with minimal disability. Conclusion The study revealed a significant relationship between the LOD and QOL among patients with LBP.