Breastfeeding-related thoracic spine pain and correlates in postpartum Nigerian women: A cross-sectional study

Thoracic spine pain (TSP) is a disturbing condition associated with a decreased quality of life among postpartum women. We conducted a cross-sectional survey assessing the prevalence of TSP and associated factors among 400 conveniently recruited postpartum women from four public hospitals in Enugu, Nigeria. We collected data on thoracic spine pain, posture, and mobility using the Oswestry thoracic disability index, an inclinometer, and the tape rule(cm), respectively. We found a 22.5% prevalence of TSP, with over 65% of cases occurring during and after pregnancy. More than half (64.4%) of the participants recorded flexion hypomobility, while 37.3% had extension hypomobility. We found a significant association between TSP and age (chi 2 = 2.493, p = .013), employment status (chi 2 = 11.650, p = .003), and jobs needing repetitive spinal movements like neck bending (chi 2 = 9.491, p = .023). TSP is fairly common in postpartum women with associated factors of younger age and being in jobs that require repetitive spinal movements.