Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2020 May, 251(1)

Preceding Poor Physical Function Is Associated with New-Onset Musculoskeletal Pain among Older Natural Disaster Survivors: A Longitudinal Study after the Great East Japan Earthquake

YUTAKA YABE,1 YOSHIHIRO HAGIWARA,1 TAKUYA SEKIGUCHI,1 YUMI SUGAWARA,2 MASAHIRO TSUCHIYA,3 SHINICHIROU YOSHIDA,1 YASUHITO SOGI,1 TOSHIHISA YANO,1 TAKAHIRO ONOKI,1 TADAHISA TAKAHASHI,1 JUN IWATSU,1 ICHIRO TSUJI2 and EIJI ITOI1

1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
2Division of Epidemiology, Department of Health Informatics and Public Health, Tohoku University Graduate School of Public Health, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
3Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Tohoku Fukushi University, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan

Musculoskeletal pain is a major problem among survivors of natural disasters. Functional disabilities in older adults increase after disasters and can lead to musculoskeletal pain. However, the effects of poor physical function on musculoskeletal pain after natural disasters remain unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the association of poor physical function with new-onset musculoskeletal pain among older survivors after the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE). Survivors aged ≥ 65 years, 3 years after the GEJE, were assessed longitudinally for 1 year (n = 646). Musculoskeletal pain was assessed using a selfreported questionnaire, and new-onset musculoskeletal pain was defined as absence and presence of pain at 3 years and 4 years, respectively, after the disaster. Physical function at 3 years after the disaster was assessed using the Kihon Checklist physical function score, which consists of 5 yes/no questions, and poor physical function was defined as a score of ≥ 3/5. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess the association of poor physical function with new-onset musculoskeletal pain. The incidence of new-onset musculoskeletal pain was 22.4%. Participants with poor physical function had a significantly higher rate of new-onset musculoskeletal pain. Compared with high physical function, the adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for new-onset musculoskeletal pain was 2.25 (1.37-3.69) in poor physical function (P = 0.001). Preceding poor physical function was associated with new-onset musculoskeletal pain among older survivors after the GEJE. There is need to focus on the maintenance of physical function to prevent musculoskeletal pain after natural disasters.

Keywords —— Great East Japan Earthquake; musculoskeletal pain; natural disaster; physical function; survivor

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Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2020, 251, 19-26

Correspondence: Yoshihiro Hagiwara, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tohoku University School of Medicine, 1-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8574, Japan.

e-mail: hagi@med.tohoku.ac.jp