ABSTRACT
@#Introduction: Chronic musculoskeletal pain is a common disabling condition among older adults with the majority, remain undertreated. This study aimed to determine the uptake of non-pharmacological treatment for chronic musculoskeletal pain among older adults and the associated factors. Methods: A stratified sampling proportionate to size with individual clinics as the strata were used to recruit 276 respondents from six public health clinics in Petaling district, one of the most aged districts in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. Based on the proportion calculated, eligible older adults were selected by systematic random sampling from the registration list. Data was collected using a pre-tested and validated questionnaire through a face-to-face interview with respondents. The questionnaire comprised of seven sections, namely, socio-demographic, comorbidity, depression, pain severity, treatment options, attitude towards chronic pain and chronic musculoskeletal pain. Inferential analysis was conducted using ChiSquare (X2) and Fisher’s Exact Tests. The P value of < 0.05 regarded as statistically significant. Results: A total of 242 (87.7%) of the respondents had chronic musculoskeletal pain, in which 235 (85.1%) were treated with non-pharmacological treatments. The commonly used non-pharmacological treatments were exercise (67.8%), biological-based therapies (40.9%) and massage (33.7%). The uptake of non-pharmacological treatment for chronic musculoskeletal pain among older adults was significantly associated with the presence of diabetes. Conclusion: The findings revealed the remarkably high uptake of non-pharmacological treatment among older adults who experienced chronic musculoskeletal pain which was significantly associated with diabetes and the presence of other diseases like high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, back pain and rheumatic arthritis.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate gender differences in pain patterns and psychological variables among patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. METHOD: Thirty-five male and thirty-eight female patients who visited our outpatient clinic due to chronic musculoskeletal pain were evaluated using a questionnaire survey. Chronic musculoskeletal pain was defined as pain lasting longer than 6 months. Patients were evaluated with visual analogue scale (VAS), pain site, pain duration and frequency. Beck depression inventory, state-trait anxiety index, somatization scale of symptom checklist-revised, symptom interpretation questionnaire, and pain catastrophizing scale were checked for psychological variables. Correlations among each variable were evaluated statistically. RESULTS: Female patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain recorded higher scores on number of pain site, pain catastrophizing scale, rumination, magnification and catastrophic attribution than male patients (p<0.05). In female patients, VAS was correlated significantly with depression, static anxiety, somatization, catastrophizing thought. rumination, magnification, helpless, and catastrophic attribution. Pain frequency was correlated significantly with somatization, catastrophizing thought, rumination, and helpless. Number of pain site was correlated with somatization, catastrophizing thought, magnification, and helpless. The correlation between pain patterns and psychological variables was also observed in male patients, but statistically less significant than female patients. CONCLUSION: We found gender difference associated with pain patterns and psychological variables in chronic musculoskeletal pain patients. Consideration of psychological factors may be important for management in female patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Male , Ambulatory Care Facilities , Anxiety , Catastrophization , Depression , Musculoskeletal Pain , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relations among pain, emotional factors and cognitive-behavioral factors in chronic musculoskeletal pain patients. METHOD: This study was designed as a questionnaire survey. 73 patients who visited our outpatient clinics due to chronic musculoskeletal pain were evaluated. They checked visual analogue scale (VAS), pain site and frequency. Beck depression inventory (BDI) and state-trait anxiety index (STAI) were checked for evaluation of emotional factors. Somatization scale of symptom checklist-revised (SCL-R- 90) and pain catastrophizing scale (PCS) were checked for cognitive-behavioral factors. Correlations among each variable were evaluated by statistical analysis. RESULTS: VAS was correlated with pain frequency (r=0.538, p0.05). CONCLUSION: Cognitive-behavioral factors such as catastrophizing thought are strongly correlated with both pain aspects and emotional factors. Consideration of cognitive- behavioral factors as well as emotional factors may be important for management of chronic musculoskeletal pain.