Level of disability and risk of chronification among patients presenting with neck pain at a tertiary hospital

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the level of disability and risk of chronification among patients presenting with neck pain at tertiary hospital in Kenya.
Design: A cross-sectional descriptive study.
Setting: Physiotherapy and general outpatient clinics at Nakuru Level V Hospital in Nakuru, Kenya.
Subjects: 45 patients who presented with neck pain
Main outcome measures: Neck Disability Index (NDI) and Orebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire (OMPSQ) to screen for disability and pain chronicity respectively.
Method: Data was collected using Neck Disability Index (NDI) and Orebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire (OMPSQ). It was then analyzed using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 for descriptive and inferential statistics.
Results- Out of the 45 participants, majority were female 73.3% (n=33), 82.2 % (n=37) were aged 36 years and above, 68.9% (n=31) were married, 42% (n=19) were office workers and 60% (n=27) were employed. Most of the participants (55.5%) were at low risk of chronification and 56% had a moderate disability. The mean NDI score was highest among the patients who scored high on the (OMPSQ) (45.5). There were significant mean differences between the domains of pain chronification with Orebro score.
Conclusion: Persistence and high pain duration in neck pain patients seems to be associated with high levels of disability. The study emphasizes on the importance of educating and increasing awareness of neck pain to prevent chronicity and reduce its economic burden.