Acute Low Back Pain Among Both Medical and Non-Medical Students During Covid-19: A Cross Sectional Study in Jordan

Aim of the work: This study aimed to examine the prevalence and intensity of low back pain (LBP) among medical students compared to their non-medical peers at Jordanian universities. Additionally, it explored the influence of COVID-19 lockdowns on LBP frequency. Methodology: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2020 to August 2021. Data from 162 students were gathered via an online self-administered structured questionnaire. Pain characteristics were identified, and pain severity was assessed using a numeric scale of 0 to 10. Results: The mean age for medical and non-medical students was 22.29 and 22.63 years, respectively. The majority of participants in both groups were female. The prevalence of LBP was 1.20% higher in the non-medical group compared to the medical group. The pain was intermittent and more pronounced during the daytime for both groups. Among medical students who engaged in online learning, 55.0% did not report LBP. Conversely, 55.6% of non-medical students who participated in distant learning experienced LBP. Both groups reported similar pain severity scores: 4.27 out of 10 for medical students and 4.40 out of 10 for non-medical students. Conclusion: The prevalence of LBP among undergraduate students is notably high, especially among non-medical students. There was no observed correlation between prolonged studying hours or computer/laptop usage and the development of LBP among medical students compared to their non-medical counterparts.