Risk Factors to Persistent Pain Following Musculoskeletal Injuries: A Systematic Literature Review

Othman Alkassabi, Lennard Voogt, Pamela Andrews, Ahmad Alhowimel, Jo Nijs and Hana Alsobayel
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Othman Alkassabi: Pain in Motion International Research Group, Department of Physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy, Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium
Lennard Voogt: Pain in Motion International Research Group, Department of Physiotherapy, Human Physiology and Anatomy, Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Ixelles, Belgium
Pamela Andrews: Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Glasgow G1 2NP, UK
Ahmad Alhowimel: Department of Health and Rehabilitation Science, Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj 16278, Saudi Arabia
Jo Nijs: Research Centre for Health Care Innovations, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, 3015 GG Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Hana Alsobayel: The Research Chair for Healthcare Innovation, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 15, 1-18

Abstract: Background: Musculoskeletal (MSK) injury is one of the major causes of persistent pain. Objective: This systematic literature review explored the factors that lead to persistent pain following a MSK injury in the general population, including athletes. Methods: A primary literature search of five electronic databases was performed to identify cohort, prospective, and longitudinal trials. Studies of adults who diagnosed with a MSK injury, such as sprains, strains or trauma, were included. Results: Eighteen studies involving 5372 participants were included in this review. Participants’ ages ranged from 18–95 years. Most of the included studies were of prospective longitudinal design. Participants had a variety of MSK injuries (traumatic and non-traumatic) causing persistent pain. Multiple factors were identified as influencing the development of persistent pain following a MSK injury, including high pain intensity at baseline, post-traumatic stress syndrome, presence of medical comorbidities, and fear of movement. Scarcity of existing literature and the heterogeneity of the studies made meta-analysis not possible. Conclusions: This systematic review highlighted factors that might help predict persistent pain and disability following MSK injury in the general population, including athletes. Identification of these factors may help clinicians and other health care providers prevent the development of persistent pain following a MSK injury.

Keywords: persistent pain; systematic review; musculoskeletal injury; chronic pain (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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