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.
