Slumped sitting posture is associated with chronic low back pain amongst older adults in long-term care facilities: a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION

Older adults residing in long-term care facilities spend a prolonged time on their seats and are more susceptible to poor sitting postures, such as slumping and side leaning, as well as low back pain (LBP). Poor postures might increase the risk of LBP, but no study has focused on this frail population before. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the association between the severity of posterior pelvic tilt and pelvic obliquity with chronic LBP among the older adults in long-term care facilities.

METHODS

A pressure mapping test was performed to determine the antero-posterior displacement of the center-of-pressure, and the interface pressure of the ischial tuberosities, which were further translated into two indices to quantify the severities of posterior pelvic tilt and pelvic obliquity. Multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the correlation between the presence of LBP with the two indices, and two potential confounders, body weight status and ambulatory status.

RESULTS

Sixty-eight participants completed the study. 50% of participants (N=34) reported chronic LBP. Multivariate regression (Nagelkerke R2=0.282, p=0.003) revealed that the severity of posterior pelvic tilt was positively correlated with the presence of chronic LBP. (adjusted OR=2.127, p=0.014), but a significant association between pelvic obliquity and LBP was not detected.

CONCLUSION

A greater extent of slumping during sitting was shown to be positively associated with reports of chronic LBP amongst older adults receiving residential care. These two conditions are possibly interrelated. Proactive seating assessment and interventions may have potential in improving poor sitting postures and LBP.

CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: not applicable.