title: Association between lifting and use of medication for low back pain: results from the Backworks Prospective Cohort Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate relationships between lifting and lowering of loads and risk of low back pain resulting in medication use (M-LBP).
  
  
  METHODS
  At baseline, worker demographics, psychosocial factors, hobbies, LBP history, and lifting and lowering (quantified using the Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation) were assessed. A cohort of 258 incident-eligible workers was followed up for 4.5 years to determine new M-LBP cases and changes in lifting/lowering requirements. Proportional hazards regression with time-varying covariates was used to model associations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Factors predicting M-LBP included peak lifting index (PLI) and composite lifting index (PCLI), LBP history, anxiety, and housework. In adjusted models, PLI and PCLI showed exposure-response relationships with peak hazard ratios of 3.8 and 4.3, respectively (P ≤ 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lifting of loads is associated with increased risk of M-LBP. The PLI and PCLI are useful metrics for estimating the risk of M-LBP from lifting.
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Occupational Science and Technology (Drs Kapellusch, Garg, and Tomich), and Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (Dr Boda), University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (Drs Hegmann, Thiese, and Bloswick), University of Utah, Salt Lake City; School of Rural Public Health (Dr Moore), Texas A&M University, College Station; Department of Mechanical Engineering (Dr Merryweather), University of Utah, Salt Lake City; Infinity HealthCare (Dr Foster), Milwaukee, Wis; and Department of Mathematics and Statistics (Dr Malloy), American University, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: Jay M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kapellusch
authors.forename: Arun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garg
authors.forename: Sruthi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boda
authors.forename: Kurt T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Hegmann
authors.forename: J Steven
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Matthew S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Thiese
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Merryweather
authors.forename: Suzanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tomich
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bloswick
authors.forename: Elizabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Malloy
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D017770:Lifting; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult