Back pain and physical activity: Students of the Medical University of Lublin

At the present time, back pain and posture problems affect a growing number of young people. This is probably due to a changing lifestyle which has led to less physical activity. The aims of our study were to evaluate the prevalence of pain associated with the spine, as well as to ascertain the relationship of these symptoms with the degree of physical activity among a group of students of the Medical University of Lublin. The research group consisted of 301 students (201 women and 100 men) aged between 19 and 27 years. The survey was performed at the turn of the year 2014/2015.

Based on an anonymous questionnaires, we found that treatment and advice obtained at the faulty posture and/or orthopedic clinic benefited slightly more than 32% of all respondents. In this group, about 20% were women, while among men, it was a little over 12%. Physical therapy to treat back problems was also entered into by about 29% of the respondents, while 5% of students undertook such treatment very frequently. What is more, 89% of all respondents stated they regularly attend physical education classes. Moreover, more than 81% of all students surveyed practiced some sport, in this group - about 51% of the respondents stating so were women, and a little over 29% were men. Although medical students are a group of people with high health issue awareness, they are not deprived of problems related to the musculoskeletal system.