Low Back Pain in Female Caregivers in Nursing Homes

In such an aged society, various health issues occur in caregivers in nursing homes. Particularly in female caregivers, high blood pressure (Hosono et al., 2009) and coronary heart disease (Lee et al., 2003) have been reported to be at high risk. Additionally, caregivers have high prevalence rates of low back pain (LBP) and a high incidence of worker’s compensation claims for back injuries (Dehlin et al., 1976; Jorgensen et al., 1994; Fujimura et al., 1995). LBP is common in various occupations, its presence being related to activities requiring repetitive lifting and repeated activities for which anomalous postures tend to be adopted (Josephson et al., 1998). Such work characteristics are common among nursing caregivers. The prevalence of LBP in nursing is high in comparison with other occupations and in relation to other types of work (Ahlberg-Hulten et al., 1995). Risk factors include physical work such as manual lifting and transferring of patients, working conditions such as working time and rest during the night shift, and the working environment (Fujimura et al., 1995). Among these factors, exposures to frequent manual lifting and transferring of patients were widely recognized factors.