Prevalence and Risk Factors of Musculoskeletal Pain among Adults in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain includes all the components of the MSK system and is produced by several causes such as injuries, chronic conditions such as arthritis, muscle overuse, and bodily neglect. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in the adult population of Saudi Arabia as a whole, in addition to determining the risk factors that lead to the development of this pain. This was a cross-sectional study in which data was collected to reflect information on the prevalence of outcomes. In our study, a survey was carried out online. To calculate the disability index, the survey collected information on demographic and clinical data, lifestyles, and questions from the standardized Nordic musculoskeletal pain questionnaire. Next, all data were analyzed with the use of SPSS. The study included 317 participants, 58.7% of them were females and 41.3% were males. The age group of 20-30 years old made up 58.4% of participants. Neck pain during the last 12 months was reported by 65.6% of participants. Upper back pain was reported by 47.3% of participants while 68.1% had pain in the lower back. Moreover, 26.8% of participants had pain in hips/thighs, 40.7% reported knee pain, and 25.6% reported pain in ankles/ feet. The prevalence of musculoskeletal pain was relatively high compared to previous study results. Lower back pain was the most prevalent musculoskeletal pain among study participants followed by neck pain and upper back pain.