Spine pain in the firefighter profession

Abstract

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders mainly affecting the spine constitute one of the major social problems. Frequently, they constitute the cause of prolonged absence at work. Working in a fire brigade is specific because of the physical strain, working time under adverse conditions or stress related to rescue operations. Material and Methods: The study group comprised 61 firefighters, 60 men (98.36%) and 1 woman (1.64%). The age of examined firefighters ranged 20–56 years old. The average age of the examined persons was 33.77 years old and the average working service in a fire brigade was 9.59 years. The following research instruments were applied as the study methods: own survey, the Numerical Rating Scale, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) – long version and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) questionnaire. The Pearson correlation coefficient at significance level of p < 0.05 was used for determining the dependencies among the variables. Results: Knowledge of ergonomic lifting and handling principles concerning heavy loads was reported by 84% of the group, the remaining 16% declared ignorance of such rules. The dependence of pain on the length of service of the examined was insignificant and amounted to 0.281 Pearson’s r. The results of the ODI questionnaire did not significantly change statistically with age. Conclusions: The IPAQ confirmed the high level of physical activity of the study population. Even though the study group was small, the results of ODI showed a minor degree of disability.