Non-specific musculoskeletal pain in preadolescents. Prevalence and 1-year persistence

TLDR

The authors conducted a 1‑year prospective cohort study of 1,756 third‑ and fifth‑grade children using a structured pain questionnaire to quantify the prevalence and persistence of self‑reported musculoskeletal pain and related disability. At follow‑up, 92.7 % of participants remained, and 52.4 % of those with weekly pain at baseline still reported pain, with neck pain most persistent and girls more affected; widespread pain occurred in 7.5 % and persisted in 29.7 %, while multi‑area pain was linked to greater disability, indicating that about half of preadolescents with frequent pain experience persistence comparable to adult patterns.

Abstract

A 1-year follow-up study of 1756 third- and fifth-grade schoolchildren was conducted with a structured pain questionnaire to assess the prevalence and persistence of self-reported musculoskeletal pain symptoms and disability caused by pain. At follow-up, 1626 (92.7%) children participated in the study. Pain at least once a week persisted in 270 (52.4%) of the 564 children who reported musculoskeletal pain at least once a week in at least one part of the body at baseline. Of the regional pain symptoms, neck pain had highest persistence and, in girls, significantly more than in boys. Persistence of pain was not related to school grade. Widespread pain, determined as in the criteria for fibromyalgia, was found in 132 children (7.5%) and persisted in 35 children (29.7%, 95% CI 21.9–38.4) at follow-up. Disability was more severe in children with pain symptoms in more than one area. This study showed that about half of the preadolescents complaining of musculoskeletal pain at least once a week at baseline had persistent pain symptoms at follow-up. The prognosis of widespread pain in preadolescents was almost the same as the previous findings in adults.