Background and Aim : Chronic non-specific low back pain is one of the important health problem in military and different factors have been reported in its emergence. The aim of this study is to determine the association between low back pain and education level, Body Mass Index (BMI), exercise, smoking status ,work status and bad postures in military men.

Materials and Methods : In this non-experimental case-control study, 92 subjects (mean age= 29.16 year, SD= 8.55 year) with chronic non-specific low back pain and 93 subjects (mean age= 26.80 year, SD=9.22 year) without low back pain were selected by simple non-probability method from military centers in Tehran. Evaluation tools of this study included a self-administrated questionnaire, weighting scale and metal tape measure.

Results : According to the results of bivariate logistic regression, risk factors of exercise (P= 0.003), smoking status (P= 0.042), grade of BMI (P= 0.034), bad posture grades including heavy objects lifting movements (P= 0.007), bending movements (P= 0.003), rotating movements from the lumbar (P= 0.011), carrying bulky objects (P= 0.034), carrying heavy objects (P= 0.05) and working in squatting position (P= 0.005) had a significant association with low back pain. Job status (P= 0.999), education level (P= 0.056) and bad postures grades movements like wringing clothes (P= 0.958) had not a significant association with low back pain.

Conclusion : Doing regular exercise and having normal BMI decrease the risk of suffering from low back pain in the military while smoking and doing injurious physical activities during work (lifting heavy objects, bending movements and rotating from the lumbar, carrying bulky and heavy objects, and working in squatting position for a long time) increase the risk of suffering from low back pain.

Key Words : Chronic non-specific low back pain, Military forces, Biomechanical risk factors, Exercise

Background and Aim: One of the main causes of chronic non-specific low back pain is inappropriate working conditions, high repetition of one activity or work heaviness. An appropriate, accurate, inexpensive and easy assessment tools is necessary for measuring intensity of exposure to injurious  work activities, Identify individuals at risk and using appropriate treatment. The aim of this study is to compare the single-item Borg scale with JRPD scale to identify individuals at risk of exposure to injurious work activities in chronic non-specific LBP.

Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional survey study, 92 subjects with non-specific low back pain by mean age of 29.16 (SD= ± 8.55) years and 93 healthy subjects by mean age of 26.80 (SD= ± 9.17) years and matched of work time, age and type of service with subjects with non-specific low back pain were selected by simple non-probability method. Single-item Borg scale and JRPD scale were used to assess the intensity of injurious work activities.

Results: Considering JRPD scale as a criterion scale, the sensitivity rate of 82% and specificity rate of 28% was obtained for single-item Borg scale at the moderate threshold. While the severe threshold for this scale, sensitivity and specificity rate were 25% and 85%, respectively. Also, the results showed that both single-item Borg scale and JRPD scale has significant ability to classify subjects with non-specific low back pain which are exposed or not exposed to injurious work ability (P<0.001). 

Conclusion: The single-item Borg scale has high sensitivity and low specificity at the moderate threshold and above and high specificity and low sensitivity at severe threshold to identify individuals Exposed to injurious work activities in military with chronic non-specific LBP.

Keywords: Injurious work activities, Non-specific LBP, Single-item Borg scale, JRPD scale

Background and Aim: One of the impaired senses in patients with chronic hemiparesis is the sole cutaneous sense. The role of this sense in maintaining the functional balance and mobility is still controversial in these patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the threshold of sole cutaneous sense and functional balance and mobility tests in patient with chronic hemiparesis.

Material and Methods: In this correlational study, seventeen chronic stroke patients by mean age of 59.10 (13.31) years and mean time after injury of 31.70 (23.61) months were selected by simple non– probability method. Functional Reach with ankle and hip strategy (FR), Step Test (ST) in affected and non- affected foot, Bend– Reach test (BR), Timed Up and Go test (TUG) and Berg Balance Scale (BBS) were used for assessment of functional balance and mobility and Semmes- Weinstein monofilaments test was used to measure the cutaneous sense of seven different points of sole in affected and non– affected foot.

Results: The main effect of foot (affected and non– affected foot) and points (seven different points of sole) of cutaneous sense threshold was significant (P˂0.0001) and interaction effect of foot ˣ points not significant (P=0.2).

The cutaneous sense threshold in all seven points of affected sole showed significant (p˂0.05) low to high correlation (r= 0.24-0.81) with all of functional balance and mobility tests. There was not significant correlation between cutaneous sense threshold in seven points of non- affected foot and any of functional balance and mobility tests, with the exception of cutaneous sense threshold of the little toe floor with total, dynamic and static score of BBS, FR with ankle and hip strategy and TUG; cutaneous sense threshold of big toe with static score of BBS and FR with hip strategy; and medial border of sole with static score of BBS and FR with ankle strategy.

Conclusion: The cutaneous sense threshold of affected sole has a more correlation with functional balance and mobility tests. The cutaneous sense threshold of sole in big toe and medial border points has a significant role in functional balance and mobility tests in patients with hemiparesis.

Keywords: Functional balance and mobility, Cutaneous sense threshold, Hemiparesis

Background and Aim: Balance impairment in patients with stroke leads to dependence in activities of daily living. Appropriate, accurate and inexpensive tools are necessary to assess the severity of balance impairment. In order to identify individuals with chronic stroke who have balance impairment and to apply proper treatment, the aim of this study was to examine the sensitivity and specificity of Timed Up and Go (TUG) and Functional Reach (FR) tests, Bend Reach test (BRT) and Step test (ST) in functional balance assessment of patients with chronic cerebrovascular accident.

Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional comparative study, eighty-one patients with chronic stroke by mean age of 58.82 (±13.48) years and the mean past duration of disease 36.33 (28.27) months were selected by simple non-probability method. Functional balance and mobility tests including TUG, FR, BRT and ST were used as index test and the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) was used as reference test.

Results: All of functional balance and mobility tests including TUG, FR, BRT and ST have a significant ability to identify individuals with chronic stroke subjected to the balance impairment compared with BBS(p<0.0001). Sensitivity of functional balance and mobility tests including TUG, FR, BRT and ST in intact and affected feet at the moderate or above threshold were 90, 90, 88, 88 and 90 percent respectively and at the sever threshold were 60, 85, 58, 88 and 60 percent respectively. Specificity of these tests at the moderate or above threshold were 56, 85, 65, 57 and 53 percent, respectively and at the sever threshold were 89, 90, 92, 30 and 92 percent respectively. TUG functional balance and mobility test had the highest agreement with BBS balance test.

Conclusion: TUG functional balance and mobility test are the best tool to identify chronic stroke patients with balance impairment in both moderate or above and severe threshold.

Keywords: Chronic stroke, Balance, Sensitivity, Specificity