Studying the association between musculoskeletal disorders, quality of life and mental health. A primary care pilot study in rural Crete, Greece

The burden of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) on the general health and well-being of the population has been documented in various studies. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of MSD on the quality of life and mental health of patients and to discuss issues concerning care seeking patterns in rural Greece.

Methods: Patients registered at one rural Primary Care Centre (PCC) in Crete were invited to complete the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms, together with validated instruments for measuring health related quality of life (SF-36) and mental distress (GHQ-28).

Results: The prevalence rate of MSD was found to be 71.2%, with low back and knee pain being the most common symptoms.

Most conditions significantly impaired the quality of life, especially physical dimensions of SF-36. Depression was strongly correlated to most MSD (p<0.001).

Multiple logistic analyses revealed that patients who consult general practitioners due to MSD were likely to have more depression or impaired physical functioning compared to those who did not.

Conclusions: Musculoskeletal disorders were common in patients attending the rural PCC of this study and were associated with a poor quality of life and mental distress that affected their consultation behaviour.

Author: Maria AntonopoulouAthanasios AlegakisAlexander HadjipavlouChristos Lionis
Credits/Source: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2009, 10:143

Published on: 2009-11-20

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