The Prevalence and Associated Factors of Neck Disability Among Physiotherapists in Saudi Arabia

Background/Objectives: Years lived with disability due to neck pain have been in-creasing among young adults in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and globally. Literature on neck disability among working physiotherapists is lacking in Saudi Arabia. This study aims to determine the prevalence of neck disability and associated risk factors and quality of life (QoL) among working physiotherapists in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 411 registered physiotherapists in Saudi Arabia. Neck Disability Index (NDI) and World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaires were used along with descriptive data. Prevalence rates were analysed in number and frequency. The chi-square test and Kruskal-Wallis tests were applied to analyse the association and difference between the variables. Multinomial logistic regression is applied to predict the risk variables. Results: The median age was 27 years, and results revealed that 54.25% of the physiotherapists had neck disability; of them, 42.31% had mild, 9.98% moderate, and 1.71% severe, and only one male physiotherapist (0.25%) had complete neck disability. The workplace and its relationship with NDI were significant at 0.0001, but logistic regression was insignificant at p > 0.05. Conclusion: Majority of physiotherapists experienced some degree of neck disability, predominating mild symptoms and higher in females than males in Saudi Arabia. None of the risk factors were predictors of NDI. Furthermore, the quality of life of the therapists was not significantly impacted, likely due to the mild nature of neck disability. Therefore, future studies are required with additional risk factors to assess neck disability.