Prevalence of low back pain-related disability and its impact on quality of life among primigravida women following caesarean delivery: A multi-center cross-sectional study

Authors

  • Maheen Bashir Department of Allied Health Sciences, Rashid Latif Medical College of Physical Therapy, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Sumayya Fareed Department of Allied Health Sciences, Rashid Latif Medical College of Physical Therapy, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Muhammad Ateeb Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, The University of Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
  • Marium Zafar Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Faisalabad, Pakistan
  • Sara Akram National Business School, The University of Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.52461/ijnms.v5i1.4403

Abstract

Background: The post-partum period after Caesarean C-section is really the most difficult and crucial period for a woman, in which Low pelvic pain lasts for almost 6 weeks between the 12th vertebra and the gluteal fold. It is of unknown cause and pathophysiology with severe backache, sometimes associated with epidural and spinal anesthesia before caesarean, which tends to reduce their quality of life and later on affects their activities of daily living.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of low back pain-related disability and its Impact on quality of life among primigravida women following caesarean deliveries, thereby informing supportive practice and policy.

Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study was done employing non-probability convenience sampling, on 150 females with a maximum age of 25–35 years from multiple hospitals in Lahore. The SF12 questionnaire is used for assessing the quality of life, and the Oswestry low back disability index for disability. All eligible primigravida women took part in the study, with a response rate of 100%.

Results: The prevalence of low back pain-related disability accounts for 46% of participants' mild disability, 25.3% of moderate disability, and 24.7% of the participants having severe disability, which significantly affects their quality of life. One third (31.3%) of the participants reported poor health in general, whereas 92% of participants claimed that their moderate activities were also somewhat restricted. In addition, 62.7% of women reported that their discomfort and pain interfered with their regular employment.

Conclusion: Overall, the study found that the majority of participants had moderate-severe levels of low back pain-related disability, which could have a negative impact on their quality of life. Physiotherapists should play a vital role in the improvement of low backache and in minimizing disabilities.

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Published

2026-06-30

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2026): International Journal of Natural Medicine and Health Sciences

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Maheen Bashir, Sumayya Fareed, Muhammad Ateeb, Marium Zafar, Sara Akram

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