Background: Low back pain as a symptom affects many individuals around the globe regardless of their economic status or sociodemographic characteristics. During the 2019 COVID-19 pandemic, students found themselves obligated to sit down for long periods of time. The aim of this current study is to investigate the impact of these prolonged periods of sitting down in front of computers on developing a new episode of low back pain. Methods and Materials: This research adopted an observational cross-section study design. Students who are currently enrolled or had experienced distance learning classes in the last 6 months were eligible to participate. An online-based questionnaire was developed by the investigators through reviewing the literature with relevant objectives. McNemar’s test was used to compare certain variables between two periods before and during online distance learning. We used paired t-tests to compare pain intensity before, during, and after online learning, while a chi-square test was used to investigate correlations between factors influencing low back pain. Results: A total of 84 students participated in the study—46 (54.8%) females and 38 (45.2%) males. Before online distance learning, only 42.9% of participants reported low back pain, while only 20% had a back injury. The mean pain scores before, during, and after online distance learning were (2.85 ± 2.16, 4.79 ± 2.6, and 4.76 ± 2.7), respectively. The pain scores before online learning were significantly lower than pain scores during and after online distance learning (p < 0.05), respectively. Conclusion: The study findings suggested that low back pain prevalence increased among students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research should study participants’ behavior during the online learning and assess the long-run impact of distance learning among high-school and undergraduate students.

Objective The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of using combination of TENS with back strengthening exercises and the use of back strengthening exercises only on pain relief and improving the performance of the activities of daily living on patients with chronic low back pain. Materials and method Twenty patients (age between 30–50 years from both sexes) with classical low back pain were divided into two groups randomly: Group A (treatment group) and Group B (control group). Each group has 10 patients. The TENS combined with back strengthening exercises were applied to the treatment group three times a week over 6 weeks for 30 minutes per session 15 minutes -TENS ON- 15 minutes back strengthening exercises, the control group was treated with the -TENS OFF- placebo and back strengthening exercises three times a week over 6 weeks for 30 minutes per session 15 minutes TENS OFF 15 minutes back strengthening exercises. The two groups were assessed for pain and activity of daily living (at baseline, after 6 weeks, and after 12 weeks to study the carry over effect). For pain assessment we have used VAS scale and for the assessment of activities of daily living we have used Ka Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living. Results The results showed that there was a significant improvement in TENS ON/Back strengthening exercises group therapy in comparison with TENS OFF/Back strengthening exercises group.

Objective To investigate the effect of aquatic exercises in treatment of low back pain and to compare these effects with land based exercises. Subjects and Method Thirty patients from both sexes between 20–45 years old with chronic low back pain due to bad posture and lack in activity of daily living were referred to take part of this study; they were recruited from outpatient clinic of Al_Tamayuz Physical Therapy Center (Amman–Jordan), during the period extending from Oct 2013 up to Dec 2013. They were randomly divided into two groups: experimental group (A) treated with Aquatic exercises, and experimental group (B) treated with Land based exercises. Both groups received treatment three times a week for eight weeks (24 sessions of 1 hour duration). Baseline measurements included lumbar flexibility measured by modified Schober test, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) and Barthel Index was taken for both groups before and after intervention. Results There was a significant improvement in all outcome measures for both groups after the end of treatment. A significant improvement (p < 0.05) was obtained in experimental group (A) compared to experimental group (B) in spinal mobility. Both exercises media were relevant in the treatment of chronic low back pain with a significant improvement in experimental group (A).