Prevalence and Causes of Low Back Pain Among Patients Who Attended Physiotherapy Department at Kiu Teaching Hospital Between 1st April 2018 To 30th April 2019

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION ............................................................................................................................. i

APPROVAL ................................................................................................................................... ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.............................................................................................................iii

DEDICATION............................................................................................................................... iv

LIST OF TABLE (S) .................................................................................................................... vii

LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... vii

OPERATIONAL DEFINITION (S).............................................................................................. ix

ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................................... x

CHAPTER ONE............................................................................................................................. 1

1.1 BACKGROUND...................................................................................................................... 1

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT......................................................................................................... 2

1.3 BROAD OBJECTIVE .............................................................................................................. 2

1.4 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES .......................................................................................................... 2

1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ........................................................................................................ 2

1.6 STUDY JUSTIFICATION ........................................................................................................ 3

1.7 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK................................................................................................. 3

LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................... 6

2.1 DEFINITION OF LOW BACK PAIN .......................................................................................... 6

2.2 PREVALENCE OF LOW BACK PAIN........................................................................................ 6

2.3 CAUSES OF LOW BACK PAIN ................................................................................................ 9

2.4 AGE AND GENDER AS RISK FACTORS FOR LOW BACK PAIN ................................................ 9

CHAPTER THREE ...................................................................................................................... 11

METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................................... 11

3.1 STUDY DESIGN .................................................................................................................. 11

3.2 SCOPE OF THE STUDY......................................................................................................... 11

3.3 STUDY AREA...................................................................................................................... 11

3.4 STUDY POPULATION .......................................................................................................... 11

3.5 DATA COLLECTION............................................................................................................ 12

3.6 DATA QUALITY CONTROL................................................................................................. 12

3.7 DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION............................................................................... 13

3.8 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS ............................................................................................... 13

3.9 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY ............................................................................................. 13

3.10 STUDY DELIMITATIONS .................................................................................................. 14

vi

3.11 DISSEMINATION OF RESULTS ......................................................................................... 14

CHAPTER FOUR......................................................................................................................... 15

RESULTS ..................................................................................................................................... 15

CHAPTER FIVE .......................................................................................................................... 21

DISCUSSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION.............................................. 21

5.1 DISCUSSION............................................................................................................ 21

5.2 CONCLUSIONS ....................................................................................................... 23

5.3 RECOMMENDATIONS................................................................................................... 23

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 24

APPENDICES .............................................................................................................................. 26

Appendix I): data collection checklist .......................................................................................... 26

Appendix II): Letter of recommendation to the site .................................................................... 27

Appendix III): Research budget.................................................................................................... 28

Appendix IV): Research plan........................................................................................................ 29

Appendix V): map of south western Uganda showing location of Bushenyi district.................. 30