Prevalence and patterns of musculoskeletal pain among undergraduate students of occupational therapy and physiotherapy in a South African university.
Michael O Ogunlana, Pragashnie Govender, Olufemi O Oyewole
PMID 34054255WHAT IT FOUND
Most occupational therapy and physiotherapy students reported musculoskeletal pain in the past year, especially neck and low back.
Longer daily travel and not exercising were linked to more pain; measured ergonomic hazards were not.
Key findings
0112-month musculoskeletal pain was reported by 89.7% of students, with neck pain most common (66.2%) and low back pain next (64.4%).
02Students who travelled more than one hour daily and those who did not frequently exercise reported more pain.
03None of the measured ergonomic hazards was significantly associated with pain.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Only 145 of 394 enrolled students responded, so students who did not answer may have had different pain patterns. Pain was self-reported over the previous 12 months and not confirmed by physical examination. The survey was conducted during social distancing, when students were mainly at home doing online classes and not doing practical sessions on campus, so normal campus ergonomic exposures may not be represented. Because all data came from one time point, the study cannot show that travel, exercise, handedness, or ergonomic hazards caused pain. The logistic model wording and table are not fully consistent, so the reported 9.47 times less likely result for regular exercise should be read cautiously.
Declared interests
The authors declare no competing interests, and no funding is reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that reducing travel time or adding exercise will prevent musculoskeletal pain. The study measured past-year pain and habits at one time, so it cannot show cause.