Prevalence of low back pain in pregnant women and its impact on activities of daily living

Objective: To determine the prevalence of pregnancy-related low back pain (LBP) in the third trimester and to assess its harmful impact on everyday life such as standing, walking, sitting, lifting, travelling, and sleeping. Methodology: We included 103 pregnant women in 3rd trimester using a purposive sampling technique at Independent Teaching Hospital from June 2018 to February 2019. Visual analogue scale (VAS) to measure pain intensity and Oswestry disability Index (ODI) questionnaire were used to assess functional limitations. Date were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: The prevalence of LBP was 83.5%. Out of 103, 22.1% women had severe pain that comes and goes. Activity of daily livings (ADLs) including personal care, lifting, walking, sitting, standing, sleeping, social life, and travelling were positively correlated with disability level of the participants (P<0.05). Conclusion: There was high prevalence of LBP in pregnant women. As pregnancy progresses in the last trimester, the intensity of pain and the degree of disability increase, which affects the quality of life and ADL.