運動器疼痛は他臓器関連症状のリスク因子である

抄録

   Musculoskeletal pain and other clinical complaints are known to increase with age, however its relationship to these symptoms remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the correlation between musculoskeletal pain and other clinical complaints. Questionnaires containing self–reported complaints collected from 3891 people over 30 years old were used for our study. Serf–reported complaints comprised of 33 items including three musculo­skeletal disorders (knee, low back, neck) and another thirty complaints. Firstly, we divided subjects into the following eight different categories by their musculoskeletal condition; a group without musculoskeletal disorder (Control), a group with knee pain alone, a group with low back pain alone, a group with neck stiffness alone, three groups which had overlapping pain in above two regions and a group with overlapping pain in all regions. Secondly, we investigated the epidemiological background and analyzed the number of other complaints in each group.
   In terms of epidemiological background, the ages in groups with any musculoskeletal disorders were significantly higher than those in control. Moreover, groups with musculoskeletal disorders except low back pain alone were significantly more prevalent in women. Groups with any musculo­skeletal disorders had significantly greater numbers of other complaints compared to control. Comparing the three groups with mono–regional pain, we discovered the number of other complaints was more significant in the group with neck stiffness than in the other two groups. The theoretical number of other complaints in a group with pain in all regions was significantly greater than the sum in each group with mono–regional pain.
   These findings suggest that musculoskeletal disorders are not only a regional problem but also affect other organs in the human body, followed by an increase of other unidentified complaints.