ABSTRACT
Background: Musculoskeletal pain is one of the factors that limit movements at a joint and impede functional use of the limb as well as rehabilitation activities after stroke. Objective: This study determined the prevalence, pattern and distribution of musculoskeletal pain among stroke survivors receiving physiotherapy care in Maiduguri. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used to recruit 94 stroke survivors from the physiotherapy clinics of two randomly selected tertiary hospitals in Maiduguri. In addition to sociodemographic and clinical characteristic information, musculoskeletal pain was assessed with the Box-Numerical Rating Scale. Prevalence, pattern and distribution of musculoskeletal pain were computed with frequency and percentages. Chi-square test was employed to compare the difference in the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain among participants with various socio-demographic and clinical characteristics. Results: The mean age, post-stroke duration and duration of physiotherapy intervention of the participants were 54.2±12.5 years, 18.27±23.98 months and 13.04±15.09 months, respectively. Majority of the participants experienced musculoskeletal pain within the first 3 months after stroke. The most commonly affected body region was the shoulder (80.7%) followed by the wrists/hand (60.2%) and the least affected body region was the elbow (38.5%). The overall prevalence of musculoskeletal pain was 88%. The prevalence was significantly (Ï2 =4.5, p-value=0.034) higher among males (57.8%) than females (42.2%). Conclusion: The study found high prevalence of musculoskeletal pain among stroke patients with males more commonly affected than females, and the shoulder being the most commonly affected joint. Assessing musculoskeletal pain and effective interventions for improving pain should constitute an integral part of a stroke rehabilitation plan
ABSTRACT
Nurses at work assume uncomfortable postures that predispose the knee joint to osteoarthritis (OA) due to excess workload and stress. This study determined the prevalence and pattern of knee OAamong nurses. This cross - sectional designed survey employed convenient sampling technique to enrol 300 eligible and volunteer nurses from three randomly selected public hospitals out of five existing ones located at the study area. Written informed consent forms were issued to eligible participants. Forms containing socio-demographic variables and physical characteristics of the participants, American College of Rheumatology (ACR) clinical classification criteria for diagnosis of symptomatic knee OA, and health seeking behaviour were administered on the participants. Descriptive and Chi square (X2) statistics were employed to summarize and analyze the collected data respectively. Mean age and age range in years of the participants were 39.92 ± 10.97 and 19-65 respectively. Prevalence of knee OA among the nurses was 32.3%. Significant differences (p < 0.05) in the prevalence of knee OAamong the participants existed in the following variables: age groups, body mass indices (BMI), rank and years of working experience. Most (62.9%) participants presented with unilateral knee OA. Prevalence of knee OAamong nurses at the public hospitals surveyed was 32.3%. Age, BMI, working experience and rank were significantly associated with knee OA