Prevalence of Pain in Adolescent Survivors of Landmines and Unexploded Ordnances and its Relationship with Limb Problems

Pain and limitation of motion due to amputation of victims, especially children, cause irreversible long-term mobility problems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of pain and its relationship with limb problems in adolescent victims of landmines and unexploded ordnances.Instrument & In a cross-sectional study in 2009, 76 adolescent victims of landmines and unexploded ordnances (between 6-18 years old) living in five border provinces (West Azerbaijan, Ilam, Kermanshah, Kurdistan & Khuzestan) were evaluated in two heath-recreational camps. Demographic data was collected by questionnaire. The limbs, joint and limb pain were evaluated using physical examinations and history taking by a specialist in physical medicine. The data were analyzed by SPSS 22 software using Chi-square test. The average age of the victims at the time of the study was 16.11±2.00 years and 65 (85.5%) were male. 23 of the total 41 amputees (56.1%), had upper limb amputations. Pain was reported in all amputees and was significantly higher in lower limbs of 15-18 year old adolescents (p<0.05). Then, contractures (19.7%) and tendinitis and bursitis (18.4%) were the most common complications. Trauma and wounds were the least abundant (2.6%). The most common problem due to amputation in landmines and unexploded ordnances in adolescent victims is pain, particularly back pain and despite of the higher frequency of upper extremity amputations, pain is more prevalent in the lower limb amputees.