Evaluation of COVID-19 Outcomes on the Musculoskeletal System Using the Extended Nordic Questionnaire

Musculoskeletal pains due to COVID-19 have disrupted the daily activities of infected people. Investigating these complications can give us more information to diagnose and treat patients early. This study aims to investigate the effects of this virus on the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders in students or employees with COVID-19 at Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), using the Extended Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (ENMQ).

This cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted in 2021 on 107 people. The study participants were selected by convenience sampling from students and employees at IUMS. The inclusion criteria were testing positive for COVID-19, confirmed by a physician, and at least three weeks passed since the onset of symptoms. The exclusion criteria were having a history of an accident or events influencing the musculoskeletal system and being reluctant to participate in the study. We used a researcher-made questionnaire and ENMQ for data collection. Musculoskeletal disorders before infection and the incidence or worsening of these problems after infection were also recorded using ENMQ. Data were analyzed in SPSS software, version 26, using the Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis test.

The highest pain frequencies before COVID-19 were in the shoulders, knees, and back, in this order. Also, the highest pain frequencies after COVID-19 were in the back, neck, shoulders, and leg, in this order. According to the study results, most patients had low pain in their back, mild pain in their neck and back, and severe pain in their knees before being infected with COVID-19. After the COVID-19 infection, low pain in the knee and mild and severe pain in the back were observed in most patients. In assessing the “pain impact on the functioning“ before COVID-19, the highest effects on daily activities were found in the back, neck, and pelvis, in this order. After the COVID-19 infection, the daily activities related to the back, neck, shoulders, and pelvis were reduced.

Based on this study, the difference in right elbow function by gender, the difference in the intensity of right elbow pain by age, the difference in the intensity of ankle and finger pain, and the difference in the function of ankle and fingers on both sides by age before and after suffering from coronavirus were the significant variables of this research.