Association of musculoskeletal pain in other body parts with new-onset shoulder pain: a longitudinal study among survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake

Abstract

ObjectiveShoulder pain is a common health problem coexisting with other musculoskeletal pain. However, the effects of pre-existing musculoskeletal pain on the development of shoulder pain are not clear. The present study aimed to elucidate the association between coexisting musculoskeletal pain at other body sites and new-onset shoulder pain among survivors of the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE).DesignThis is a longitudinal study.SettingThe study was conducted at the severely damaged coastal areas in Ishinomaki and Sendai cities.ParticipantsThe survivors who did not have shoulder pain at 3 years after the GEJE were followed up 1 year later (n=2131).InterventionsMusculoskeletal pain (low back, hand and/or foot, knee, shoulder and neck pain) was assessed using self-reported questionnaires.Main outcome measuresThe outcome of interest was new-onset shoulder pain, which was defined as shoulder pain absent at 3 years but present at 4 years after the disaster. The main predictive factor for new-onset shoulder pain was musculoskeletal pain in other body parts at 3 years after the GEJE; this was categorised according to the number of pain sites (0, 1, ≥2). Multiple regression analyses were conducted to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for new-onset shoulder pain due to musculoskeletal pain in other body parts.ResultsThe incidence of new-onset shoulder pain was 6.7% (143/2131). Musculoskeletal pain in other body parts was significantly associated with new-onset shoulder pain. Using the survivors without other musculoskeletal pain as reference, the adjusted OR and 95% CI for new-onset shoulder pain were 1.86 (1.18 to 2.94) for those with one body part and 3.22 (2.08 to 4.98) for those with ≥2 body parts presenting with musculoskeletal pain (p<0.001).ConclusionsPre-existing musculoskeletal pain in other body parts was significantly associated with new-onset shoulder pain among survivors; this provides useful information for clinical and public health policies.

Association between Prior and Later Occurrence of Shoulder Pain Episodes: A 5-Year Longitudinal Study after the Great East Japan Earthquake

“…Among GEJE survivors, musculoskeletal pain was also associated with new-onset poor physical function, psychological distress, and continued residence in temporary prefabricated housing in the recovery phase after the GEJE (Yabe et al 2018(Yabe et al , 2019aSogi et al 2019). Furthermore, pre-existing musculoskeletal pain in other body parts was significantly associated with new-onset low back and shoulder pain (Yabe et al 2020;Hagiwara et al 2021), and previous low back pain was associated with low back pain among survivors 5 years after the GEJE (Yabe et al 2021). Musculoskeletal pain among the survivors was multifactorial.…”

“…(Macfarlane et al 1998;Noten et al 2017). Furthermore, musculoskeletal pain in other body sites is highly associated with new-onset shoulder pain among GEJE survivors (Hagiwara et al 2021). In the present study, prior shoulder pain also affected the later occurrence of shoulder pain.…”

“…A cross-sectional study showed that similarly to the general population, the knee and surrounding regions, low back, and shoulder were the three most frequent chronic pain sites after 1.5 years among GEJE survivors (Yabuki et al 2015). Subjective shoulder pain after the GEJE had been reported by a prospective cohort study to be significantly associated with sleep disturbances (Hagiwara et al 2017a), pain in other body parts (Hagiwara et al 2021), and by a cross-sectional study to be related to the living status, economic hardship, and sleep disturbance (Hagiwara et al 2017b). However, no study has investigated changes in shoulder pain over a long period after natural disasters.…”