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[Musculoskeletal pain in pediatric patients. Prevalence and etiology in Primary Care]
J de Inocencio Arocena1, M A Fernández Méndez
1Centro de Salud Benita de Avila, INSALUD Area IV, Madrid.
Insights
Pediatric musculoskeletal pain accounts for 6.2% of primary care visits in children aged 3 and older. Overuse syndromes and growth variants are common causes, particularly in older males.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric primary care
- Musculoskeletal conditions
- Epidemiology
Context:
- Musculoskeletal pain is a common reason for pediatric primary care visits.
- Understanding the prevalence and causes of pediatric musculoskeletal pain is crucial for effective management.
Purpose:
- To determine the frequency of primary care visits for pediatric musculoskeletal pain.
- To describe the demographics of children presenting with limb or back pain.
- To identify the etiologies of musculoskeletal pain in a general pediatric setting.
Summary:
- A prospective study in Madrid pediatric clinics (Oct 1996-Jan 1997) found 6.2% of visits (43/692) for children aged 3+ were due to musculoskeletal pain.
- The mean age was 9.8 years, with higher prevalence in children over 10 and males (non-significant).
- Common complaints included knee pain, other joint arthralgias, and soft tissue pain, often linked to overuse or growth variants.
Impact:
- Findings suggest a correlation between expanded primary pediatric care age ranges and increased musculoskeletal pain consultations.
- Highlights the need for incorporating musculoskeletal pain management into pediatric continuing medical education.
Objective:
1) To determine the number of clinic visits in primary care due to musculoskeletal pain in children > or = 3 years. 2) To describe the demographic characteristics of the population assessed for limb/back pain. 3) To characterize the etiology of musculoskeletal pain in a general pediatric clinic.
Patients And Methods:
A prospective lineal study was performed between October 30, 1996 and January 14, 1997 in two urban general pediatric clinics located in the city of Madrid (Spain). During the period of the study, all consultations related to musculoskeletal pain were registered in a protocol form. In addition, a registry of all clinic visits was maintained during the study.
Results:
During the study period, 43 clinic visits were due to musculoskeletal pain, representing 6.2% (43/692) of the clinic visits in children > or = 3 years of age (95% confidence interval 4.4-7.9%). The mean age was 9.8 years (+/- 3.2 years). These complaints, although statistically non-significant, were more frequent in children > or = 10 years old (53.4%) and in males (65.1%). The most frequent complaints were knee athralgias (30%), arthralgias of other joints (23%) and soft tissue pain (18%). These symptoms were usually due to overuse syndromes and normal skeletal growth variants.
Conclusions:
The increase of primary pediatric care age from 7 to 14 years of age is associated with an increase in the number of consultations related to musculoskeletal pain. This information should be kept in mind at the time of designing continuing medical education and training programs in pediatrics.
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