Rehabilitation of Patients With Low Back Pain in Hospitals in
Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.
Faith Chinnonye Okere, Verner Marijančić, mag. rehab. educ.
University Of Rijeka, Faculty Of Health Studies, Undergraduate Professional/University Study
Programme Physiotherapy, Croatia
DOI: https://doi.org/10.51244/IJRSI.2025.120800327
Received: 31 Aug 2025; Accepted: 07 Sep 2025; Published: 11 October 2025
ABSTRACT
This Study Investigates The Current Methods Of Diagnosing And Rehabilitating Low Back Pain (LBP),
Prevalence Of LBP In Ibadan, A City In The Southwestern Part Of Nigeria, And Compares Them With
International Practices, Using Croatia As A Case Study. Five Hospitals In Ibadan And Hospitals In Rijeka And
Opatija, Croatia, Served As Data Sources.
An Online Questionnaire Was Distributed To Medical Practitioners-Physiotherapists, Medical Doctors,
Medical Laboratory Scientists And Nurses Across Different Hospitals In The Locations Mentioned Above.A
Total Of 101 Responses Were Collected: 51 From Ibadan, Oyo State And 50 From Croatia. In Ibadan, Oyo
State, 45.1% Of The Respondents Reported That LBP Occurs More Frequently In Women, While Only 3.9%
Said It Is More Common In Men. Occupations Involving Significant Physical Effort Were Identified As A
Major Risk Factor, Cited By 27.5% Of Participants. In Addition, 66.7% Of The Respondents Believed That
Individuals From Any Profession Could Be Affected. Regarding Diagnostic Tools, 66.7% Of Respondents
Confirmed The Availability Of Diagnostic Methods For LBP In Their Hospitals. Knowledge Of Diagnostic
Methods Was High For X-Ray(96%), While Fewer Were Aware Of CT Scans (37.3%), Mris (51%), EMG
(6%), Blood Tests (6%) Urine Tests (2%), Physical Tests (9.8%) And ESR (2%).
The Most Commonly Available Rehabilitation Methods In Ibadan Hospitals Were: Transcutaneous Electrical
Nerve Stimulation(TENS) (66.7%), Kinesitherapy (45.1%), Hydrotherapy( 17.6%), LASER (7.8%),
Biofeedback Training (23.5%), Traction (56.9%), Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Translation(PNF) (29.4%),
Thermotherapy: (3.9%), Phonophoresis (1.9%), Ergonomics (1.9%) And Others.
In Croatia,58.8% Of Respondents Reported LBP As Common Among Both Genders. 24% Reported That LBP
Is Mostly Common Among Females And 16% Stated That LBP Is Mostly Occurring In The Male Gender.
Comparable To The Data Gathered From The Respondents In Ibadan, 24% Of The Participants Responded
That Individuals Engaged In Physically Demanding Occupations Are Mostly Susceptible To Low Back Pain;
16% Reported That Cooperate Workers Are Mostly Susceptible To LBP And 60% Of Respondents Reported
That People From Any Kind Of Profession Can Be Susceptible To LBP. 66% Of The Participants Responded
Positively To The Availability Of Diagnostic Methods For LBP In Their Places Work; 18% Responded
Negatively And An Equivalent Of 18% Also Responded ‘Not Sure’. More Diagnostic Methods Were Reported
To Be Available: X-Ray(20%), CT Scan(2%), EMG(8%), Physical Examination(4%),Particularly MRI(62%).
Rehabilitation Options Were Also More Extensive, With Kinesitherapy(92%), TENS( 88%), Hydrotherapy
(62%), LASER(64%),Traction (34%), PNF (54%), Biofeedback Training (18%), Ultrasound (2%),
Proprioceptive Deep Tendon Reflex(PDTF)(2%), Cyriax(2%), Mulligan Therapy (2%).
Overall, Hospitals In Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria Lack A Comprehensive And Consistent Rehabilitation
Framework For LBP, Falling Short Of International Standards. There Is A Pressing Need For Educational
Programmes And Infrastructure Improvements To Align Ibadan’s Rehabilitation Services With Global
Practices, Thereby Improving The Chances Of Full Recovery Of Patients Diagnosed With LBP And
Ultimately, Enhancing Their Quality Of Life.