Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Pain and Its Relation with Disability Risk Factors in Abbottabad Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

Rizwan Ullah Shah; Urooj Zeb Qureshi; Aina Ali; Zonera Zain Khan; Wardah Ansar

doi:10.55735/xk6ddk44

Authors

Rizwan Ullah Shah Women Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences, Abbottabad, Pakistan
Urooj Zeb Qureshi Women Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences, Abbottabad, Pakistan
Aina Ali Women Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences, Abbottabad, Pakistan
Zonera Zain Khan Women Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences, Abbottabad, Pakistan
Wardah Ansar Women Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences, Abbottabad, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55735/xk6ddk44

Keywords:

Chronic neck pain, Disability risk, Musculoskeletal pain, Neck disability index

Abstract

Background: Musculoskeletal pain is a major global health concern that affects individuals’ physical function, mental health, and quality of life. It is commonly linked with occupational strain, poor posture, and sedentary lifestyles. In developing regions like Pakistan, limited awareness and inadequate healthcare access contribute to the rising burden of musculoskeletal pain. Objective: To find the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and its relevant disability risk in the population of Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Methodology: This cross-sectional study, conducted at the Women Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences Clinic, Ayub Medical College, and the Combined Military Hospital, Abbottabad, from June to November 2024. A total of 377 was estimated using the Rao-soft sample calculation; however, 362 patients aged above 18 years were recruited, using convenience sampling. Patients with a history of drug addiction, diagnosed with brain tumors, or a history of surgery, fractures were excluded. After ethical approval, consent was taken from the patient before collecting data. The questionnaire included demographic characteristics, the Neuromusculoskeletal Questionnaire for identifying pain, and the neck disability index for disability of various activities. Respondents’ descriptive data with given codes were saved in MS Excel. Inferential statistics for the non-probability sampling included association analysis using chi-square and Spearman’s correlation to find the association strength between demographic factors, pain, and disability factors. Results: Results showed that the highest number of patients in the study were females (63.5%) patients mainly housewives (29%), and belonged to middle socioeconomic status (79.8%). The most prevalent MSP was noticed for the neck (24.6%), shoulder (10.5%), and lower back (7.2%). Neck pain showed a significant (p<0.05) weak to moderate association with disability domains, whereas shoulder and elbow pain showed a significant (p<0.05) weak association with several disability domains. Conclusion: The study concluded that most patients having musculoskeletal pain had neck, shoulder, and lower back issues. Neck pain showed the highest adverse disability factors like pain, lifting, work, driving, and recreation than any other musculoskeletal disorders in the Abbottabad population. Community-based physiotherapy, stress management, and lifestyle modifications by healthcare interventions need to be implemented immediately.

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