Effectiveness of the training program on the low back pain and functional disability in industrial workers

Low back pain (LBP) as a common musculoskeletal disorder is a well-known complaint of industrial workers. This study was performed to determine the effect of back school training program on quality of life in workers with chronic low back pain. Two hundred and fifty workers with chronic LBP (identified through interviews in a factory), were randomly divided into two groups of control and intervention and then the intervention group received the back school training course. In this study, Back School was a multi-purpose, multi-dimensional, patient-centred team training program in which the participants received the necessary training in five groups of 25 workers with 4 training sessions. Data were collected at two intervals before and after the intervention by using the SF-36 questionnaire, LBP visual analogue scale and the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ). Statistics analysis such as descriptive statistics, t-test and analysis of variance were used to analyse the data. The results showed that the psychological component and the physical component of quality of life after intervention were significantly different between the two groups. In addition, after the intervention, a decrease in the functional disability and LBP scores were observed in the intervention group. The results showed that a structurally strong and well-organized training schedule such as back school program could be practically useful for reducing and relieving pain and also improving functional ability in workers of industrial settings.