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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Infectious Diseases: Epidemiology and Prevention
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1422659

The Impact of COVID-19 Infection on Musculoskeletal Pain and Its Associating Factors: A Cross-sectional Study

Provisionally accepted
Hongyan Li Hongyan Li 1Shiyang Zhuang Shiyang Zhuang 1Yiming Lin Yiming Lin 1Mei Huang Mei Huang 1Wenming Zhang Wenming Zhang 1Xuehui Zhang Xuehui Zhang 2Yunzhi Lin Yunzhi Lin 1Chaofan Zhang Chaofan Zhang 1*
  • 1 First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
  • 2 Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objectives: Musculoskeletal pain after COVID-19 infection remains a concerning long-term complication of COVID-19. Here, our study aimed to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain associated with COVID-19 (MSPC) and healthcare-seeking behaviors, as well as the associating factors. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using convenience sampling and distributed to participants anonymously through the online platform Credamo. Demographic and characteristic data of the participants were collected and analyzed. Logistic regression analysis was employed to investigate potential factors associated with MSPC and healthcare-seeking tendencies.   Results: A total of 1,510 participants responded to the survey, with 42.6% (643 individuals) exhibiting MSPC. Higher education level and a greater number of concomitant symptoms were significant risk factors for MSPC, while longer exercise duration and higher PSS-10 scores were protective factors. Additionally, higher income level, frequency and severity of pain, and greater PSS-10 scores increased healthcare-seeking intention. Conclusion: A significant proportion of individuals experience MSPC. Education level and concomitant symptoms were risk factors for MSPC, while exercise duration and PSS-10 score were potential protective factors. Income level, frequency and severity of pain, and PSS-10 score are significantly related to the willingness to seek medical treatment for MSPC.

    Keywords: Musculoskeletal pain associated with COVID-19 (MSPC), Health-seeking behavior, Cross-sectional study, pandemic, COVID-19

    Received: 24 Apr 2024; Accepted: 30 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Li, Zhuang, Lin, Huang, Zhang, Zhang, Lin and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Chaofan Zhang, First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.