Prevalence and characteristics of complaints of the arm, neck, and/or shoulder in the open population
From: Clinical Journal of Pain. 2008 Mar-Apr;24(3):253-9.
To study the prevalence of upper extremity disorders and neck as a total and complaints of the arm, neck and/or shoulder not caused by acute trauma or any systemic disease as defined in the complaints of the arm, neck and/or shoulder model in the open population and to assess sociodemographic and health characteristics of chronic symptoms.
Data were obtained from the DMC3-study, a Dutch questionnaire survey on musculoskeletal conditions. Data on four anatomic sites were assessed: neck, shoulder, elbow, and wrist. Various health characteristics were measured including the Short Form-36. Rectangle diagrams were used to illustrate cooccurrence of pain in the four anatomic sites.
The 12-month prevalence of complaints of the arm, neck and/or shoulder was 36.8%, the point prevalence was 26.4%, and 19.0% patients reported chronic complaints of the arm, neck and/or shoulder. Women, aged 45 to 64 years, with the lowest education level and working were the most affected. Within those with upper extremity disorders, around 25% of cases were caused by an acute trauma or by some systemic disease. Of those with chronic complaints of the arm, neck and/or shoulder, 58% reported use of healthcare. Healthcare users scored worse on general health, limitations in daily living, pain, and sickness absence than nonhealthcare users; >43% reported symptoms in more than 1 anatomic site.
Upper extremity disorders and complaints of the arm, neck and/or shoulder frequently occur in the open population. Excluding acute traumas and systemic diseases reduced the prevalence of complaints of the arm, neck and/or shoulder and resulted in a relatively healthier population. A compound definition of complaints of the arm, neck and/or shoulder seems indicated because of the large overlap of affected anatomic sites.
