Correlation between pre-employment screening X-ray finding of spondylolysis and sickness absenteeism due to low back pain among policemen of the Israeli police force.

STUDY

DESIGN

A historical prospective case/control study of the significance and correlation between pre-employment findings of L5-S1 spondylolysis and sickness absenteeism due to low back pain among police officers.

OBJECTIVES

Examining the importance of pre-employment lumbar spine radiographs as a prediction of work absenteeism.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Spondylolysis is a defect in the pars interarticularis. Its etiology remains controversial, it is a common condition among young athletes, and it carries genetic predisposition. Although described mostly as an incidental radiographic finding in the adult population, spondylolysis is implicated as a contributing factor to low back pain, although the cause-and-effect relation is not clear.

METHODS

One hundred and sixty-nine police officers with L5-S1 spondylolysis were identified out of 3988 examined. Incidence density of sickness absenteeism due to low back pain was calculated for the patients and the controls. The Cox's proportional hazard model was used for comparison between the two groups, controlling for possible confounding variables.

RESULTS

Similar incidence of sickness absenteeism due to low back pain was found among the patients and controls. The total duration of sickness absenteeism, however, was 2.7 times higher in the spondylolysis group than the controls. Prevalence of spondylolysis is origin specific, denoting genetic predisposition to this condition. Total sickness absenteeism not related to low back pain was not significantly different between the two study groups.

CONCLUSIONS

There is low predictive value of pre-employment lumbar spine radiograph as a screening tool predicting sickness absenteeism due to low back pain. Spondylolysis, however, may increase the duration of sickness absenteeism in patients with low back pain.