Impact of Neck and Shoulder Pain on Health-Related Quality of Life in a Middle-Aged Community-Living Population

PURPOSE: Neck and shoulder pain (NSP) is very common in the general population. However, scarce information exists on the relationship between NSP and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes in this population. The present study described NSP prevalence and its impact on the HRQOL of middle-aged and older persons undergoing a routine medical checkup. METHODS: This study recruited 318 subjects (125 males and 193 females; average age, 63.4 years) in good health, collected underwent anthropometric measurements, physical function examinations, and blood testing. This study defined NSP as the presence of muscle tension, stiffness, pressure, or dull pain in areas between the neck and the arch of the scapular. Study subjects were divided into two groups (NSP (+) and NSP (−) groups). The subjects completed questions on the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36) and the EuroQol 5-dimension, 5-level version (EQ-5D-5L) tool. RESULTS: Of the patients, 150 and 168 were NSP (+) and NSP (−), respectively. The NSP complaint rate was 47.2%. The NSP (+) group had younger and more female participants than the NSP (−) group. In the multivariate regression analysis, the NSP (+) group had lower physical QOL based on the SF-36 physical component summary (odds ratio (OR), 2.45) and lower mental QOL based on the SF-36 mental component summary (OR, 2.05). Overall, the NSP (+) group had a higher risk of having low QOL scores (EQ-5D-5L index; OR, 1.76). CONCLUSIONS: The NSP (+) rate in healthy middle-aged and older persons was 47.2%. Furthermore, NSP (+) status was directly related poor HRQOL. NSP is a predictor of suboptimal physical and mental QOL. Therefore, NSP prevention or intervention for NSP may improve middle-aged and older adults' QOL.