COVID-19 lockdown and low back pain among students of healthcare faculties at Northern Border University, Saudi Arabia

Aim: The study aimed to investigate low back pain (LBP) among students of three healthcare faculties at Northern Border University (NBU) and the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on LBP among study participants Materials and Methods: This study was a cross-sectional descriptive electronic questionnaire-based survey The questionnaire collected data on LBP risk fac-tors, severity and disability, frequency, and implemented protective measures Also, the effect of COVID-19, which has altered lifestyles over the past 3 months, on LBP among the participants was evaluated Results: Three hundred nine percipients were voluntarily enrolled in the study Among the participants, 123 (39 8%) reported at least one LBP attack in their medical history during their lifetime Multivariate analysis showed that diabetes mellitus, neck pain and prolonged sitting were the most independent risk factors (p-values= 0 001, 0 003, and 0 000, respectively) Based on the Oswestry disability scoring, most of (73/123) participants with LBP reported no disability (59 3%) The majority of participants with LBP (32 4%) reported one attack per month The proper sitting practice has been shown to be the most commonly applied protective measure (51% of LBP cases) Interestingly, during the last 3 months, 25/123 (20 4%) of the participants reported their first attack of LBP Also, LBP intensity was reported to be increased in 21/123 (20 6%) participants, and the frequency was increased in 36/123 (29 4%) LBP cases whose life patterns were altered by COVID-19 Discussion: Medical students are more prone to LBP due to various causes COVID-19 lockdown has also been shown to initiate LBP and worsen already exist-ing LBP among participants