EPIDEMIOLOGY

Association Between Sleep Disturbance and Low Back Pain

A 3-Year Longitudinal Study After the Great East Japan Earthquake

Yabe, Yutaka MD, PhD^a; Hagiwara, Yoshihiro MD, PhD^a; Sekiguchi, Takuya MD, PhD^a; Sugawara, Yumi PhD^b; Tsuchiya, Masahiro PhD^c; Yoshida, Shinichirou MD, PhD^a; Tsuji, Ichiro MD, PhD^b

Author Information

^aDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Miyagi, Japan

^bDivision of Epidemiology, Department of Health Informatics and Public Health, Tohoku University Graduate School of Public Health, Miyagi, Japan

^cDepartment of Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Tohoku Fukushi University, Miyagi, Japan

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Yoshihiro Hagiwara, MD, PhD, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Tohoku University School of Medicine, 1-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8574, Japan; E-mail: [email protected]

Received 1 July, 2021

Accepted 9 August, 2021

The manuscript submitted does not contain information about medical device(s)/drug(s).

Health Sciences Research Grants (H24,25-Kenki-Shintei-002 [Fukkou]) from the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare of Japan funds were received in support of this work.

No relevant financial activities outside the submitted work.

SPINE 47(4):p 361-368, February 15, 2022. | DOI: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000004234

Study Design.

A longitudinal study.

Objective.

The aim of this study was to clarify the association between sleep disturbance and low back pain (LBP) using 3-year longitudinal data after the Great East Japan Earthquake, with a focus on the duration or frequency of sleep disturbance and the effect of sleep disturbance on LBP.

Summary of Background Data.

Sleep disturbance and LBP are common health problems in the general population and natural disaster survivors. However, a longitudinal study in this field is rare, and the association between sleep disturbance and LBP has not been clarified.

Methods.

A 3-year longitudinal study was conducted among people living in disaster-stricken areas after the Great East Japan Earthquake (n = 2059). Sleep disturbance and LBP were assessed at 4, 5, 6, and 7 years after the disaster. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association between the duration or frequency of sleep disturbance and LBP, and the effect of preceding sleep disturbance on the onset of LBP. The χ² test and crude and multiple logistic regression models were used in data analysis.

Results.

The duration and frequency of sleep disturbance were significantly associated with LBP, and the effect was stronger with longer duration and increased frequency of sleep disturbance. Furthermore, the duration and frequency of preceding sleep disturbance were significantly associated with the onset of LBP, and the effect was stronger with an increase in the duration and frequency of sleep disturbance.

Conclusion.

Sleep disturbance is associated with LBP in a dose-dependent manner. Attention should be paid to sleep disturbance for the treatment and prevention of LBP, especially with regard to the duration and frequency of sleep disturbance.

Level of Evidence: 3

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Association Between Sleep Disturbance and Low Back Pain