Associations of neck and shoulder pain with objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time among school-aged children

Abstract

ObjectivesThe potential effects of physical activity and sedentary time on children’s increasing neck and shoulder pain are unclear. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the associations between objectively measured physical activity or sedentary time and neck and shoulder pain in children.MethodsChildren (n=905; 10–15 years old) filled in an electronic questionnaire during school hours on the frequency of their neck and shoulder pain. Daytime moderate to vigorous physical activity and sedentary time were measured objectively with an ActiGraph accelerometer. A multinomial logistic regression was applied to study the associations. The results were adjusted for age, gender, body mass index and bedtime.ResultsNeck and shoulder pain experienced at least once a week was reported by 26.1% of children. A higher proportion of boys (45.9%) than girls (24.2%) achieved at least 60 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity/day (p<0.001). Girls were more sedentary than boys (sedentary time 66.4 vs. 63.1%) (p<0.001). Higher moderate to vigorous physical activity time was associated with a lower probability of experiencing neck and shoulder pain among boys, but not among girls. No association was found between sedentary time and neck and shoulder pain.ConclusionsA quarter of the girls and boys reported frequent neck and shoulder pain. Boys achieved more moderate to vigorous physical activity than girls and higher moderate to vigorous physical activity was associated with a lower probability of having neck and shoulder pain, but only in boys. Neck and shoulder pain is the most common musculoskeletal pain and its prevalence is increasing. Preventing childhood pain is important, as neck and shoulder pain causes restrictions in daily living and is persistent to adulthood. Our study showed, that boys with more moderate to vigorous physical activity, had less weekly neck and shoulder pain symptoms. The present results are an addition to the list of benefits of physical activity and are valuable to, for example, healthcare personnel and teachers, who guide and teach children and adolescents. Families can benefit from new knowledge when considering supportive parenting activities. Municipalities can use the new information to design services for children or families.

Physical activity, screen time and the incidence of neck and shoulder pain in school-aged children

“…This study is among the first to investigate the prospective associations of the incidence of NSP with accelerometer-measured MVPA and ST in school-aged children. Although the previous cross-sectional studies might lead one to expect that PA would associate with NSP incidence in children 8,9,28 , no such association was found. In support, two previous accelerometer-based studies, differed in some respects from ours, also found no association between PA and the incidence or prevalence of NSP.…”

“…As a part of a research related to the national "Finnish Schools on the Move" program 9,[19][20][21][22] , 1710 school-aged children in grades 4-7 across Finland were invited to participate in the study. Of these children, 970 participated (mean 12.5 years ± 1.3 years; 52.5% girls) and 684 (75.6%) provided information on all the study variables at baseline.…”

“…Given the mixed evidence for the impact of reduced PA on NSP, this study investigated the longitudinal associations between accelerometer-measured PA and the incidence of NSP in 10-15 -year-old children. The article presents the results of a two-year follow-up, complementing our previous cross-sectional analysis of the same population 9 . The specific aim was to ascertain whether accelerometer-measured PA or ST and self-reported screen time explain the incidence of NSP in school-aged children.…”

“…NSP has also been found to be hereditary (68%) 6 and it has been reported that children from families with a history of musculoskeletal pain are 58% more likely than other children to suffer from pain symptoms 7 . High levels of PA have been reported to be associated with a higher prevalence of NSP in girls 8 but a lower prevalence in boys 9 . In a retrospective study, maintaining PA from childhood to adolescence inhibited NSP 10 .…”

Parents’ Perspectives on Adaptive Sports in Children with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities

“…Children with PIMD have numerous reasons to experience discomfort and pain, and in our study adaptive sports seemed to be able to provide relief and improved comfort (reflecting the physical component of wellbeing) for a majority of children. Sedentary behaviour and low participation in physical activity were reported as risk factors for chronic pain, especially musculoskeletal pain, in typically developing children and adolescents [ 26 , 27 , 28 ], highlighting the value of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in preventing these symptoms. Beyond their sedentary behaviour, certain children with PIMD present high degrees of physical disuse, which is strongly associated with acute and chronic pain via mechanical hyperalgesia, with peripheral and central sensitization [ 29 ].…”