Aim: To analyze the associations between pain duration, pain levels, anthropometric measures, perceived stress and biochemical markers in women with low back pain. Materials & methods: Forty-two participants were submitted to body mass, height, abdominal circumference, cortisol and creatine kinase (CK) collections. Pain duration, pain levels and stress were analyzed through specific questionnaires. Results: There were positive correlations between abdominal circumference and body mass, duration of pain and age, abdominal circumference, CK and age, CK and BMI, CK and abdominal circumference, and CK and duration of pain (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The higher the level of tissue damage over the years, the greater the tendency for higher levels of low back pain perception. Central fat was related to greater load on the spine.
Keywords: chronic pain; cortisol; low back pain; pain perception; physiological stress; spine.
Lay abstract Low back pain (LBP) is one of the factors that hinders the routine and productivity of women. LBP can cause functional disability and negatively interfere with work activities. The increase in pain can be caused by mechanical postural factors (such as behavioral habits), traumatic (such as accidents), and psychosocial factors (such as physical inactivity). Chronic LBP can influence behavioral aspects due to adaptations of pain feedback, such as postures to avoid pain and sedentary lifestyle. In this study, we observed that duration of LBP was related to higher levels of creatine kinase, which is an enzyme of our body that can be related to tissue damage. Moreover, the abdominal circumference, due to the accumulation of fat in this region, presented correlation with higher levels of tissue damage by creatine kinase and longer exposure time with LBP.