Prevalence and associated factors of neck, shoulder, and low-back pains among medical students at Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Medical students frequently complain of neck, shoulder, and lower back musculoskeletal pain (MSP), which is a very common health issue. This study's major goal is to measure and assess the prevalence of neck, shoulder, and lower back pain among medical students at Umm Al Qura University in Saudi Arabia and to look into the risk factors for MSP. Methods:This descriptive cross-sectional study was done from January 2022 to February 2022. The study was done on 495 medical students who were chosen through a random sample. The survey was structured, and self-administered.Results: Throughout a number of academic years, we polled 495 college students. With the exception of the fifth year (45; 9.1%) and the sixth year (47; 14.9%), when we received fewer response, the distribution of academic years was comparable. There were 449 participants who reported they did not smoke, and none of the participants reported having recently experienced any MSK trauma. However, 181 participants reported having MSP, and half of them said the pain interferes with their study time, while the other half said the pain does not interfere with their ability to sleep well or perform their daily tasks. Only (41; 22.7%) reported that the pain interferes with their ability to study. The majority of the participants were female (326; 65.9%). Conclusion:The risk factors for musculoskeletal pain in medical students include insufficient sleep and little physical activity. We can control MSP, though, thanks to improved behavioral change understanding and future medical therapies.