Police Officer Back Health: Preliminary Findings
Zutz, A. and Anderson, G.

Methods:

Reported Lower Back Pain – Eighty six percent of the officers
p having
g lower back p
pain. Of those,, 55% reported
p
report
occasional, 25 % often., and 10 % daily back pain; 37 %
reported that their pain limits them from standing for prolonged
periods of time, while 27 % report that it limits them
from prolonged sitting; 53 %
claim that their sleep is affected.
The length of time they
experienced back pain was
positi el related to years
positively
ears of
service (r=0.53; p < 0.05) but
not age (r=0.38; p>0.05).
6
5
4
3

r=

2
1

The research involved a two part questionnaire that was
distributed to a convenience sample (n= 30) of general duty police
officers during their shift briefing.
The back health questionnaire was a multi-categorical
questionnaire collecting
q
g individual demographical
g p
data,, workplace
p
circumstances, and self-reported lifestyle behaviors, physical
activity and fitness, low back pain and back pain with daily living.
In addition to the questionnaire the Oswestry Disability
Questionnaire was included to assess the level of disability
attributed to back pain.
Descriptive statistics and Pearson two-tailed bivariate correlations
were
ere calc
calculated
lated using
sing SPSS v.12
12 soft
software.
are Data were
ere ttypically
picall
expressed as a percent of the total sample, and where applicable,
percent of those reporting LBP.

Discussion:

Job Descriptions – Job descriptions of the respondents
varied. The majority of police officers were currently working in
either general duty (33%) or investigation (38%).

Yearrs of Service

Many sources attribute lower back pain to occupation.
Understanding the physical requirements of police work and the
literature linking driving and heavy lifting, twisting and turning, one
could predict a high incidence of lower back problems in the police
force. While Brown et al. found the one-year prevalence rates of
lower back pain in RCMP members to be within those reported for
the general population (25-62%), police officers fall within the
upper end of normal with prevalence rates of 44-62%. The
purpose of this study was to develop a method to explore the
prevalence of LBP in general duty police officers, while examining
the level of disability associated with the LBP and factors that the
officers attribute to LBP occurrence.

r=0.21; P>0.05

0

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Oswestry Disability Score

Time off work – The majority of the officers (90%) report that
they have used 0-4 days of their sick leave in the last 12
months to cover days when LBP limited their function.

Duty
D
t Belt and Police Car – Sixty
Si t one percent (61%) of the
police officers attributed their low back pain to the police
belt/vest and the seat in the police car, while 39% attributed
sitting or driving for long periods of time to lower back pain.

The high incidence rate of LBP in police officers, with little time
taken for recovery from injury and ineffective use of the health care
system, reinforces the need for effective prevention and treatment
methods. While the majority LBP has an etiology in muscular
strain, officers sought chiropractic care and bone-base treatment.
Further, without complete recovery, officers were using a
pharmaceutical based treatment that would leave them drowsy
and less capable of making quick and concise decisions.
Absenteeism due to lower back trouble, the use of analgesics to
control lower back pain, and occupation are important risk
indicators of self-reported work incapacity. For this reason, LBP
education, treatment and prevention should be undertaken by
police agencies.

Oswestry Questionnaire –Of those reporting LBP most (94%)
fell into the Minimal Disability Category while 6% reported a
Moderate Disability.
y The Oswestryy Disabilityy Score was
significantly related to years of back pain (r=0.62; p<0.05).

References:
Brown, J.J., Wells, G.A., Trottier, A.J., Bonneau, J. and Ferris, B. (1998). Back pain
in a large Canadian police force. Spine. (23) 7: 821-827.
Fairbank JJ.C.,
Fairbank,
C Davies
Davies, JJ.B.,
B Couper,
Couper J.
J and O’Brien
O Brien, J.
J (1980).
(1980) The Oswestry low
back pain disability questionnaire. Physiotherapy. (66)8:271-273.

Treatment and Response to Treatment – Of those officers
afflicted with back pain, most responded well to various
treatments. Treatment: (65%) physician (22%), physiotherapy
(17%), chiropractic care (50%) , massage therapy (33%).
Medications (58%): analgesic (26%), anti-inflammatory (37%),
muscle relaxants (27%)

Results:
Subject’s age ranged from 31-50 years, with 2 female respondents
p
With a response
p
rate of 71 p
percent,, the
and 19 male respondents.
data received indicates that most officers have or had experienced
LBP.

Research in policing, while having identified that lower back pain is
a major concern, has not clearly demonstrated those factors
associated with higher incidence of lower back pain. The high
incidence of lower back pain may be associated with many
occupational stressors – the physical stress of arresting a suspect,
suspect
driving, getting in and out of a vehicle with body armor and gun
belts – or lifestyle related issues that are associated with police
work – shift work, sedentary nature of the job, and lower fitness
with increased years of service; body armor, vehicular exposure
and sports participation may be associated with a more rapid
onset of back pain in asymptomatic police officers. Prolonged
sitting and sustained posture in combination with exposure to
whole body vibration may also leave police susceptible to LBP .
Further, after remaining in a static position for a prolonged period
(such as sitting while driving), subsequent reactions and
movements are more likely to cause injury (such as suspect
control, arrest, or getting in and out of a car).

JUSTICE INSTITUTE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA