fifty tractor drivers and (TD) and a control group of fifty non-tractor drivers (NTD) were selected for study from the same ethnic group, economic status and location. All were examined clinically, and data obtained for health and socioeconomic background and MRI scans of the spine were obtained for all the subjects. The level of vibration inputs among the tractor drivers was obtained by measuring the vibrations experienced at the driver seat for three tractor models on village roads and farms. It was observed that the Indian tractor driving farmers were subjected to whole body vibrations, which exceed ISO 2631-1 (1985, 1997) health limits. Tractor driving farmers reported regular back pain more often (56%) than non-tractor driving farmers (32%). However, MRI examination of the study group and control group did not reveal any significant difference in degenerative changes between the two groups, and disc degeneration levels were high in both the groups. Disc degeneration as revealed by MRI investigation is not adequate to predict prevalence of back pain. It is possible that the cause of backache could lie in mechanisms and tissues that undergo changes not demonstrable by MRI and clinical evaluation.