Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34054255›Full record

ArticleHong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liao2021

Prevalence and patterns of musculoskeletal pain among undergraduate students of occupational therapy and physiotherapy in a South African university.

Michael O Ogunlana, Pragashnie Govender, Olufemi O Oyewole

Registry-linked trialOpen access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Hong Kong physiotherapy journal : official publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited = Wu li chih liao, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07177001 (The Prevalence of Neck and Low Back Pain With a Randomised Controlled Trial Comparing Spine-Specific and Non-Spine Specific Exercise Interventions in Physical Therapy Students at The University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica), which is not on this map. Cited by 14 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed
5.5field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

NCT07177001 nanot yet recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

The Prevalence of Neck and Low Back Pain With a Randomised Controlled Trial Comparing Spine-Specific and Non-Spine Specific Exercise Interventions in Physical Therapy Students at The University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica: A Two-Phase Study

TypeinterventionalSponsorThe University of The West IndiesRan2026 to 2027Enrolled120ConditionsBack Pain, Low Back Pain, Musculoskeletal Pain, Spine HealthArmsClinical Control Group (Group A), Spine Exercise Program (Group B)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

14 citing papers in PubMed, 46 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Observational
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Prevalence and Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Disorders in Medical Students.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2025
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Prevalence of Postural Changes and Musculoskeletal Disorders in Young Adults.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023
    Observational
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Michael O OgunlanaFederal Medical Centre Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6877-6938
Pragashnie GovenderDiscipline of Occupational Therapy, School of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X54001, Durban, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3155-3743
Olufemi O OyewoleOlabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Ogun State, Nigeria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2432-247X
Federal Medical Centre · NGOlabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital · NGUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal · ZA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMusculoskeletal pain (MSP) conditions are common in the educational leaning environment and are often associated with poor ergonomic conditions.

objectiveThis study investigated the prevalence, pattern and possible risk factors of MSP among undergraduate students of occupational therapy and physiotherapy in a South African university.

methodsA cross-sectional survey using an internet-based self-designed electronic questionnaire was used to obtain information about participants' socio-demography, ergonomic hazards, MSP, and relevant personal information. Descriptive statistics, chi-square, and logistic regression were used in analyzing the data.

resultsThere were 145 participants (females 115 (79.3%); physiotherapy (74) 51.03%), making 36.7% of the present undergraduate student population in the two departments. The most prevalent ergonomic work hazards were prolonged sitting (71.7%) and repetitive movements (53.8%). The 12 months prevalence of MSP among the students was 89.7%. The pattern of MSP revealed that pain on the neck region was most prevalent (66.2%) followed by pain in the low back region (64.4%). Duration of daily travels and participation in regular exercise activities were significantly associated with the prevalence of MSP. Logistic model explained 23.6% of the variance in prevalence of MSP and correctly classified 94.1% of cases (

conclusionMSP is highly prevalent among health science undergraduates and is significantly associated with sedentary postures and inadequacy in structured physical activity participation.

Indexed as

Musculoskeletal painoccupational therapyphysiotherapyundergraduate student

Identifiers

PMID34054255
PMCPMC8158404
OpenAlexW3122333301

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

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.