Comparison of physical fitness between rice farmers with and without chronic low back pain: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To compare physical fitness between rice farmers with chronic low back pain (CLBP) and a healthy control group.

Material And Method: Sixty-eight rice farmers with CLBP were matched according to age and sex with healthy farmers. All subjects underwent nine physical fitness tests for body composition, lifting capacity, static back extensor endurance, leg strength, static abdominal endurance, handgrip strength, hamstring flexibility, posterior leg and back muscles flexibility and abdominal flexibility.

Results: There was no significant difference between CLBP and healthy groups for all tests, except the static back extensor endurance. The back extensor endurance times of the CLBP group was significantly lower than that of the control group (p = 0.002).

Conclusion: Static back extensor endurance is the deficient physical fitness in CLBP rice farmers. Back extensor endurance training should be emphasized in both prevention and rehabilitation programs.