Musculoskeletal pain post-COVID-19 in patients undergoing physical therapy in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

Research

Ohoud S. Alnamlah¹  Maha M. Almarwani¹ 

[1] Rehabilitation Sciences Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, 11433, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia;

关键词: COVID-19;    Musculoskeletal pain;    Physical activity;    Physical therapy;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12891-023-06647-9

 received in 2023-02-03, accepted in 2023-06-16,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic has posed a challenge to the physical therapy service. In addition to pandemic-associated treatment interference, many recovered COVID-19 patients developed new or worsening musculoskeletal pain as a sequela of COVID-19, which has been shown to affect the musculoskeletal system. The objective of the study was to examine musculoskeletal pain post-COVID-19 in patients undergoing physical therapy in Saudi Arabia.MethodsThe design of the study was a cross-sectional study. We approached patients attending physical therapy clinics who had COVID-19. Data were collected through an electronic survey consisting of multiple-choice questions related to sociodemographic data and pain. Pain severity was rated on a 10-point numerical rating scale.ResultsA total of 85 recovered COVID-19 patients participated in this study, 30 had musculoskeletal pain prior to getting COVID-19, while 55 acquired it after. The most affected sites for musculoskeletal pain were the lower back and shoulder. Mean pain levels reported increased from 4.48 ± 2.54 pre-COVID-19 to 6.92 ± 8.06 post-COVID-19 (mean difference, 1.61 ± 2.61; t = 5.68; p < 0.0001). Mean pain scores did not associate significantly with demographic or clinical factors. Patient responses skewed toward increased pain as well as decreased activity levels after being infected with COVID-19 versus pre-COVID-19 (all p < 0.0001).ConclusionsRecovered COVID-19 patients reported increased pain intensity and frequency, together with reduced activity levels, relative to pre-COVID-19 levels, without effects of sociodemographic or clinical characteristics.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023