Association Between Family History of Surgically Treated Low Back Pain and Adolescent Low Back Pain

Study Design. Cross-sectional. Objective. To study the associations between a family history of surgically treated low back pain (LBP) and adolescent LBP. Summary of Background Data. A family history of LBP is related to adolescent LBP, but whether a family history of back surgery is relevant to adolescent LBP is not known. Methods. A subpopulation of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 was contacted when they were aged between 18 and 19years. The postal questionnaire asked the participants to report their LBP and a relative's (mother, father, sibling) LBP and back surgery, and to provide data on potential covariates. The association between a family history of LBP ("no family history of LBP," "family history of LBP but no surgery," and "family history of LBP and surgery") and adolescent LBP (no LBP, occasional LBP, and frequent LBP) were evaluated using logistic regression analysis with odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusted for sex, smoking, and psychological distress. Results. Of the 1374 adolescents in the study, 33% reported occasional LBP and 9% frequent LBP. Both the "family history of LBP but no surgery" and "family history of LBP and surgery" categories were associated with frequent LBP (adjusted OR [aOR] 2.09, 95% CI 1.38-3.16; aOR 2.23, 95% CI 1.02-4.90, respectively). Occasional LBP was associated with the "family history of LBP and surgery" category. A subgroup analysis of adolescents with a family history of LBP found no statistically significant associations between family history of back surgery and adolescent LBP. Conclusion. Our findings suggest that adolescents who report a family history of LBP have higher odds of frequent LBP irrespectively of a family history of back surgery.