PREVALENCE OF SLEEP DISTURBANCE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH PAIN INTENSITY IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN ATTENDING PHYSIOTHERAPY CLINICS IN YOBE STATE, NIGERIA: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide and is frequently accompanied by sleep disturbance, which may worsen pain perception, impair physical function, and reduce quality of life. Despite the growing recognition of this relationship, evidence from northern Nigeria remains scarce. This study determined the prevalence of sleep disturbance among patients with chronic low back pain attending physiotherapy clinics in Yobe State, Nigeria, and examined its relationship with pain intensity and selected demographic characteristics. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 45 patients with CLBP who were recruited purposively from two tertiary hospitals in Yobe State. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), while pain intensity was measured using the Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). Pearson's correlation, independent- samples t test, and one-way analysis of variance were used to examine the relationships between sleep quality, pain intensity, and demographic variables, with statistical significance set at p < .05. All participants (100%) had poor sleep quality (PSQI > 5), with a mean PSQI score of 9.4 ± 2.3, while the mean pain intensity was 5.2 ± 1.4, indicating moderate pain. There was no statistically significant correlation between pain intensity and sleep quality (r = 0.04, p = .795). Likewise, no significant associations were found between sleep quality and sex (p = .810), marital status (p = .259), pain duration (p = .570), or body mass index (p > .05). These findings indicate that sleep disturbance is highly prevalent among patients with CLBP attending physiotherapy clinics in Yobe State, although the relatively small sample size and hospital-based recruitment may limit the generalizability of the findings. The absence of a significant association between pain intensity and sleep quality suggests that psychological, behavioural, and socioeconomic factors may play a greater role in sleep disturbance than pain severity alone. Routine assessment of sleep quality should therefore be incorporated into physiotherapy practice, with management adopting a holistic biopsychosocial approach to optimize patient outcomes