A Prospective Study of the Role of Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Fitness in Industrial Back Pain Complaints

Abstract

The authors conducted a prospective study of risk factors for Industrial back pain complaints among 3,020 aircraft manufacturing employees. The study subjects completed a cardiovascular risk questionnaire, and were asked about their smoking status and past medical history, Including previous back problems. Premorbid submaximal treadmill testing to predict maximum oxygen uptake (V_O2max) was completed In 2,434 subjects who were not excluded from testing due to cardiovascular risk screening. During several years of subsequent follow-up, 279 subjects reported back problems. Those who reported smoking at the time of the premorbid examination were significantly more likely to report a subsequent back problem than nonsmokers (P = 0.002). When controlling for sex and age, cardiovascular fitness, as measured through V_O2max, was not predictive of future back Injury reports (P = 0.26).