SynthesisBMC musculoskeletal disorders2018
The association between body fat and musculoskeletal pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06980324 (Effect of Integrated Neuromuscular Inhibition Technique on Iliotibial Band Friction Syndrome), which is not on this map. Cited by 104 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Effect of Integrated Neuromuscular Inhibition Technique on Iliotibial Band Friction Syndrome
Who cites it
104 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 171 citations in OpenAlex.
- Adults with excess weight or obesity, but not with overweight, report greater pain intensities than individuals with normal weight: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2024Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of the Influence of Overweight and Obesity across the Lifespan on Obstacle Crossing during Walking.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- Pooled it
- The Influence of Exercise Intensity on Psychosocial Outcomes in Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Systematic Review.Sports healthPooled it
- Does the addition of peripheral nerve blocks improve analgesia during distal radius fracture reduction? A prospective, randomized, multicenter clinical trial.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2026Trial
- Differences in body composition and physical activity in youth with obesity who report pain.Obesity pillars · 2026Article
- Resistance Training with Aerobic Active Recovery in Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome: Translational Rationale, Proposed Training Protocol, and Multi-Omics Research Framework-A Narrative Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- An externally validated machine learning algorithm for predicting mental and physical health outcomes three months post-hospitalization for severe viral infection with SARS-CoV-2.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Article
- Longitudinal associations between BMI changes and musculoskeletal pain in older European males and females.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2026Article
- Key determinants for successful lifestyle change to address chronic musculoskeletal pain: The patient's perspective.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Early Weight Loss After Sleeve Gastrectomy Selectively Improves Intermetatarsal Angle Without Affecting Hallux Valgus Angle.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Association of segmental body composition with cervical spine mobility in adults with nonspecific neck pain.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Musculoskeletal Pain During Late Adolescence: The Generation R Study.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2026Article
- Low Back Pain in Korea: Survey Weighted Analysis with Age Sex and Lumbar Radiographic Grade Matching.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Exploring the nexus between inflammation and mobility through the lens of healthy aging: current scenario and future perspectives.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2026Review
- Central Neuromuscular Reactivation Using Digital Mindfulness and Motor Imagery Intervention for Chronic Knee Pain in Patients With Obesity: Prospective, Single-Center Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Considering Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists (GLP-1RAs) for Weight Loss: Insights from a Pragmatic Mixed-Methods Study of Patient Beliefs and Barriers.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- The pain-comorbidity links: a cross-sectional analysis of musculoskeletal burden in Saudi older adults.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Linear Association of Derivatives of Triglyceride-Glucose Index with Incident Lower Limb Joint Pain in Middle-Aged and Older Chinese Adults: A Prospective Cohort Study.Journal of pain research · 2026Article
- Prevalence and Risk Factors of Musculoskeletal Pain Among Kuwaiti Pilgrims During Hajj 2024.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
44 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundObesity and musculoskeletal pain are strongly related, but there is emerging evidence that body fat, not body weight, may be a better indicator of risk. There is, therefore, a need to determine if body fat is associated with musculoskeletal pain as it may improve management strategies. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the association between body fat and musculoskeletal pain.
methodsSeven electronic databases were searched from inception to 8th January 2018. Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies investigating the association between measures of body fat and musculoskeletal pain were included. All included articles were assessed for methodological rigour using the Epidemiology Appraisal Instrument. Standardised mean differences (SMDs) and effect estimates were pooled for meta-analysis.
resultsA total of 10,221 citations were identified through the database searching, which after abstract and full-text review, yielded 28 unique articles. Fourteen studies were included in the meta-analyses, which found significant cross-sectional associations between total body fat mass and widespread pain (SMD 0.49, 95% CI 0.37-0.61, p < 0.001). Individuals with low-back pain and knee pain had a higher body fat percentage than asymptomatic controls (SMD 0.34, 95% CI 0.17-0.52, p < 0.001 and SMD 0.18, 95% CI 0.05-0.32, p = 0.009, respectively). Fat mass index was significantly, albeit weakly, associated with foot pain (SMD 0.05, 95% CI 0.03-0.06, p < 0.001). Longitudinal studies (n = 8) were unsuitable for meta-analysis, but were largely indicative of elevated body fat increasing the risk of incident and worsening joint pain. There was conflicting evidence for an association between body fat percentage and incident low-back pain (3 studies, follow-up 4-20 years). Increasing knee pain (1 study) and incident foot pain (2 studies) were positively associated with body fat percentage and fat mass index. The percentage of items in the EAI graded as 'yes' for each study ranged from 23 to 85%, indicating variable methodological quality of the included studies.
conclusionsThis systematic review and meta-analysis identified positive cross-sectional associations between increased body fat and widespread and single-site joint pain in the low-back, knee and foot. Longitudinal studies suggest elevated body fat may infer increased risk of incident and worsening joint pain, although further high-quality studies are required.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.