Sammendrag
Musculoskeletal pain is common and several variables have shown to be prognostic regardless of primary pain site. In recent years, epidemiological studies have reported multisite pain to be common in the general population. However, few studies have investigated the number of pain sites and the association with prognostic variables in a clinical sample. The objective of this study was to describe the number of musculoskeletal pain sites in patients seeking physiotherapy and investigate the association between the number of pain sites and prognostic variables. The study sample consisted of 742 individuals with either neck, shoulder, or back complaint as well as individuals with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee. A multisite pain / complex condition was also included. This study used a cross-sectional design with self-report questionnaires. The Standardised Nordic Questionnaire was used to measure the number of pain sites. The results showed multisite pain to be prevalent in the study sample. Individuals with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee and individuals with complaints in the shoulder and the back showed similarities in the number of pain sites. These complaint groups reported fewer pain sites than individuals with neck complaints. The multisite pain / complex group had the highest prevalence of multisite pain. Lower age, female gender, higher BMI, and a more severe / worsen level on all included prognostic variables were associated with a higher number of pain sites. Results from the stepwise backward regression analysis showed that lower age, higher BMI, female gender, and a more severe /worsen level of pain intensity, pain duration, work ability, and mental distress, demonstrated the strongest association with an increasing number of pain sites, accounting for 30% of the variance. In the discussion, the number of pain sites is compared to previous research and important variables are discussed. The need for a holistic treatment regime and more attention on the number of pain sites in clinical samples is addressed