Low back pain at the third age: distribution and prevalence at the Physical Therapy School Clinic from the Southwestern Bahia State University, Brazil

Abstract The degeneration of the spine inherent in the aging process, along with the higher length of exposure to burdens through life, may cause a tendency of the elderly to suffer from low back pain. Therefore, this study is aimed at determining the prevalence and characterization of low back pain on elderly attended in the geriatrics sector of the Physical Therapy School Clinic from the Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia. It's a descriptive, cross-sectional study accomplished through research of 44 records of patients who suffered from low back pain, aged 60 or more, from both sexes, among 131 records of elderly, with a prevalence of 33.6%. The subjects were mainly women, belonging to age group of 60 to 69 years, and retired. It was verified that 21 (47.73%) of the elderly had low back pain of unknown origin; 19 (43.18%), chronic pain, and 26 (59.09%), irradiation to the lower extremity. Through this study, a high prevalence of low back pain in elderly people was found, and it is an important data to precocious intervention and prevention, so as to improve the quality of life of this population. for institutionalization.