An investigation into the strategies used by osteopaths for the prevention of their own low back pain

Philip Ainsley                                                                                                Supervisor Emma Chippendale
Abstract

Low back pain is a common disabling condition that has not yet been explained fully. Osteopathic principles may offer additional information to aid in understanding the low back pain phenomenon.

The investigation sampled 100 osteopathic practitioners, of which there 54 valid respondents, and investigated the methods of prevention of low back pain that these practitioners were using for their own low back pain.

The results show that there is a group of individuals for whom preventative strategies were ineffective in reducing the occurrence of low back pain. There are a group of individuals for whom preventative strategies were considered to be effective in reducing the occurrence of low back pain. Of those individuals who were successful in their prevention of low back pain the strategies used need to be appropriate to their personal needs.

Further investigation is required to determine which individuals will benefit from prevention strategies, and to determine which prevention strategies would be optimal for those individuals.