Four-year musculoskeletal examinations among elementary and junior high school students across a single city

Abstract

Objective: In 2016, Japan started conducting musculoskeletal examinations that included "limb status" of students as an essential item. Our institution implemented a unified musculoskeletal examination for all public elementary and junior high schools in Tcity. In this study, we aimed to report the progress in the past 4 years. Patients and Methods: The Tsukuba Childhood Locomotive-Organ Screening Sheet (T-CLOSS), which is a questionnaire that includes some nationwide-recommended questions, was prepared and distributed to students. Results of the questionnaires were analyzed, and the orthopedic surgeon conducted examinations for the extracted items. From these questionnaires, the ratio of each item, rate of advisory for screening, and content of the advisory were investigated. Results: During 2016-2019, musculoskeletal examinations were conducted in every public schools, with nearly 20,000 students in T-city. The consultation advisory rate was 6.7% in 2019. Of the 524 students who received the third screening recommendation, the actual consultation rate was 248 (40.8%). After the third screening, the proportion of students requiring treatment and outpatient visits was 46.7% (n=248), which accounted for 1.2% of all elementary and junior high school students in the city. Conclusion: We reported the results of 4-year musculoskeletal examinations in a city. In our screening, we distributed a uniform questionnaire throughout the city, and orthopedic surgeons performed secondary examinations of identified students in all schools. This appears to be an advanced effort to prevent musculoskeletal impairment in students. We hope to conduct more sophisticated musculoskeletal examinations using our results, aiming at early detection, early treatment, and improvement of musculoskeletal function in elementary and junior high school students.

Effect of temporary school closure due to COVID-19 on musculoskeletal function in elementary school children

“…In Japan, school physical examinations have been conducted in elementary and junior high schools for many years, and we are grateful for having a system in which children’s health conditions are regularly checked annually 4 , 7 ) . Furthermore, in accordance with the partial revision of the enforcement regulations of the School Health and Safety Act, “musculoskeletal examination”, which requires the evaluation of the condition of the extremities, has been implemented nationwide simultaneously since 2016.…”

“…All children attending a public elementary school in T-city, I prefecture, in the school years 2020 and 2019 were included in this study. This school routinely conducts an annual musculoskeletal examination in collaboration with T-city 4 , 5 , 6 ) . During the implementation of the musculoskeletal examination, the results of the standing trunk flexion test were used, as it has been measured annually in recent years along with other musculoskeletal parameters.…”

“…In this context, we aimed to evaluate how temporary long-term school closures affected the musculoskeletal functions of elementary school students. In this study, we selected an objective index, the “standing trunk flexion test”, which is one of the recommended items for musculoskeletal examination in school 4 ) . We also report on the results of the cross-sectional and longitudinal examinations of this measurement.…”