Neck–shoulder pain and depressive symptoms: A cohort study with a 7-year follow-up
Received 11 September 2008; received in revised form 23 March 2009; accepted 3 April 2009. published online 04 May 2009.
Abstract
Background
The presence of neck–shoulder pain as a predictor of depression is not widely studied.
Aim
To analyse the association of neck–shoulder pain at baseline with depressive symptomatology after a 7-year follow-up.
Methods
A total of 604 subjects who had not had depressive symptomatology at baseline participated in 7-year follow-up survey. The number of subjects with depressive symptomatology (Beck Depression Score⩾10) after 7-year follow-up were measured in three groups – subjects without neck–shoulder pain, with infrequent neck–shoulder pain and with daily neck–shoulder pain at baseline.
Results
A total of 77 (13%) participants had developed depressive symptomatology by the follow-up. Prevalence of depressive symptomatology in follow-up in subjects without neck–shoulder pain, with infrequent neck–shoulder pain and with daily neck–shoulder pain at baseline pain was 9.5%, 11.2% and 28.4%. In multivariate logistic regression analysis odds for having depressive symptomatology in daily neck–shoulder pain subjects was almost three fold higher (OR, 2.64, 95% CI, 1.27–5.48) compared to those without neck–shoulder pain.
Conclusions
Frequent neck–shoulder pain is a preceding symptom for the depressive symptomatology in adults.
eUnit of Family Practice, Central Hospital of Middle Finland, Jyväskylä, Finland
Corresponding author. Address: School of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Family Medicine, University of Kuopio, P.O. Box 1627, 70211 Kuopio, Finland. Tel.: +358 17 174980; fax: +358 17 174981.
ABSTRACT