People who must perform manual tasks involving awkward positions are significantly more likely to suffer with low back pain, a new study has found.

Almost 10% of the world's population will experience back pain at some point in their lives and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is the leading cause of disability globally.

In fact, the WHO states that low back pain has a bigger impact on global health than diabetes, lung cancer or malaria, yet little is known about how to prevent it.

"Understanding which risk factors contribute to back pain and controlling exposure to these risks is an important first step in prevention. Our study is the first to examine brief exposure to a range of modifiable triggers for an acute episode of low back pain," explained Dr Manuela Ferreira of the University of Sydney in Australia.

The researchers looked at almost 1,000 people from 300 different GP clinics who had suffered with acute low back pain between October 2011 and November 2012. The participants reported on their exposure to 12 physical or psychosocial factors in the four days prior to the onset of their pain.

The study found that those carrying out manual tasks in awkward positions were eight times more likely to experience low back pain. People who were tired or distracted during activities were also much more likely to experience pain.

The study also found that the risk of suffering back pain was highest between 7am and noon.

"Understanding which modifiable risk factors lead to low back pain is an important step toward controlling a condition that affects so many worldwide. Our findings enhance knowledge of low back pain triggers and will assist the development of new prevention programmes that can reduce suffering from this potentially disabling condition," Dr Ferreira concluded.

Details of these findings are published in the journal, Arthritis Care & Research.