Idiopathic musculoskeletal pain in Indian children–Prevalence and impact on daily routine

Objectives

To study the prevalence of idiopathic musculoskeletal pain (IMSP) in school going children and its impact on daily life.

Methods

One thousand eighteen apparently healthy school children aged 5–16 years were assessed and analysed for IMSP and its associated problems. Standard tests for significance were applied.

Results

One hundred and sixty-five (16.2%) children mostly males (55.2%) reported IMSP. Lower limbs (52.1%) were the most common location of pain. More than 1 year of pain history was present in 15%. Thirty-seven percent children complained of discomfort during walking, 30.9%, had pain during physical exercise, 29.2% had difficulty attending lessons and 4.2% had interference in pursuing hobbies. The children were also further sub grouped into preadolescents and adolescents. There was significant difference in pain duration and duration of each pain episode in the two groups (p = 0.01). A significant number of children (21.2%) with IMSP reported school absenteeism (p < 0.001). A significant number of adolescents had history positive for contact sports (p = 0.001). Sleep disturbances were also reported to be higher in children with IMSP (29% vs. 5.7%, p = 0.001). Other associated problems in children with IMSP found were day time tiredness (51.1%), headache (47.3%) and abdominal pain (24.8%).

Conclusions

Prevalence of IMSP in school children aged 5–16 yrs was found to be 16.2% and a significant percentage of these children experience interference with daily activities including school absenteeism.