Can the Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation Predict Low Back Pain Incidence in a '90-day-pain-free-cohort'?

摘要

LBP is a major public health concern with enormous human and economic burden. The validityof the Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation (RNLE), a widely used job assessment tool, has not beenstudied previously in individuals with past LBP. The primary aim of this research was to studythe relationship between RNLE measures and incident LBP episode risk after a 90-day pain freeperiod using a prospective study design. One hundred and thirty industrial workers wereidentified as eligible to become an incident case for LBP. Univariate relationships between RNLEmeasures and incidence of LBP episode were studied using the Cox proportional hazards model.Significant associations between RNLE measures and incident LBP risk were found. It isconcluded that the RNLE is predictive of incident LBP episode risk in individuals with past pain.