Conclusions Leisure time physical activity may reduce the risk of chronic LBP by 11%–16 % .
Background There are plausible mechanisms whereby leisure time physical activity may protect against  low back pain ( LBP )  but there have been no quality systematic review s and meta-analyses of the subject .
Objective This review aims to assess the effect of leisure time physical activity on non-specific LBP .
Are risk factors for atherothrombotic disease associated with back pain sickness absence? The Whitehall II Study.
STUDY OBJECTIVE : To explore the previously stated hypothesis that risk factors for atherothrombotic disease are associated with back pain . DESIGN : Prospect i ve ( mean of four years of follow up ) and retrospective analyses using two main outcome measures : ( a ) short ( < or = 7 days ) and long ( > 7 days ) spells of sickness absence because of back pain reported separately in men and women ; ( b ) consistency of effect across the result ing four duration of spell and sex cells . SETTING : 14 civil service departments in London . PARTICIPANTS : 3506 male and 1380 female white office-based civil servants , aged 35 - 55 years at baseline . MAIN RESULTS : In age adjusted models , low apo AI was associated with back pain across all four duration -sex cells and smoking was associated across three cells . Six factors were associated with back pain in two cells : low exercise and high BMI , waist-hip ratio , triglycerides , insulin and Lp(a ) . On full adjustment ( for age , BMI , employment grade and back pain at baseline ) , each of these factors retained a statistically significant effect in at least one duration -sex cell . Triglycerides were associated with short and long spells of sickness absence because of back pain in men in fully adjusted models with rate ratios ( 95 % confidence intervals ) of 1.53 ( 1.1 , 2.1 ) and 1.75 ( 1.0 , 3.2 ) respectively . There was little or no evidence of association in age adjusted models with : fibrinogen , glucose tolerance , total cholesterol , apoB , hypertension , factor VII , von Willebr and factor , electrocardiographic evidence of coronary heart disease and reported angina . CONCLUSIONS : In this population of office workers , only modest support was found for an atherothrombotic component to back pain sickness absence . However , the young age of participants at baseline and the lack of distinction between different types of back pain are likely to bias the findings toward null . Further research is required to ascertain whether a population sub-group of atherothrombotic back pain can be identified
Conclusions Leisure time physical activity may reduce the risk of chronic LBP by 11%–16 % .
Background There are plausible mechanisms whereby leisure time physical activity may protect against  low back pain ( LBP )  but there have been no quality systematic review s and meta-analyses of the subject .
Objective This review aims to assess the effect of leisure time physical activity on non-specific LBP .