Alshakhs Ali Mohammad, Almarzoug Hussain Ahmed, Alhamaid Yousef A, Alsemaeel Hussain Sadiq, Alhejji Mohammed Saeed, Al-Alwan Mohammed Khalid, Al-Sakkak Ali Maher, Albandar Mohammed Salman, Alshakhs Ahmed Abdullah
Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, AlAhsa, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Emergency Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University, King Fahad Hospital of the University, Khobar, Saudi Arabia.
Ann Afr Med. 2025 Jul 1;24(3):628-635. doi: 10.4103/aam.aam_115_24. Epub 2025 May 30.
Musculoskeletal pain (MSP), which has an adverse effect on general health and academic performance, is a prevalent problem among medical students. This study aims to determine the prevalence of MSP and related risk factors among Saudi Arabian medical students.
A cross-sectional observational study was conducted involving 405 Saudi medical students. An anonymous, self-administered electronic questionnaire was disseminated through social media platforms was used to gather data. The survey comprised questions about study habits, demographics, and specific MSP experiences in different body regions during the previous 7 days and 12 months. A statistical analysis was conducted in find meaningful correlations between MSP and different risk factors.
The findings showed that medical students had a high prevalence of MSP, with 40.74% reporting neck pain in the previous week and 41.98% over the previous year. In addition, 40.00% of students acknowledged experiencing lower back pain in the previous week, and 39.51% reported experiencing it in the previous year. 34.07% of students stated they had experienced shoulder pain in the previous year while only 33.33% in the previous week. Longer study sessions may lead to higher MSP, as significant associations were found between study hours and MSP in the shoulders, hips/thighs, and wrists/hands.
MSP is very common among medical students in Saudi Arabia, especially in relation to lower back and neck pain. The study emphasizes the need for focused interventions, such as improved posture and encouraging regular physical activity, to lower MSP. Improving MSP is crucial for improving medical students' academic achievement and quality of life.
肌肉骨骼疼痛（MSP）对整体健康和学业成绩有不利影响，是医学生中普遍存在的问题。本研究旨在确定沙特医学生中MSP的患病率及相关风险因素。
进行了一项横断面观察性研究，涉及405名沙特医学生。通过社交媒体平台发放一份匿名的自填式电子问卷来收集数据。该调查包括有关学习习惯、人口统计学以及过去7天和12个月内不同身体部位特定MSP经历的问题。进行统计分析以找出MSP与不同风险因素之间的有意义关联。
研究结果表明，医学生中MSP的患病率很高，40.74%的学生报告前一周有颈部疼痛，41.98%的学生报告前一年有颈部疼痛。此外，40.00%的学生承认前一周有下背部疼痛，39.51%的学生报告前一年有下背部疼痛。34.07%的学生表示前一年有肩部疼痛，而前一周只有33.33%。较长的学习时间可能导致更高的MSP，因为在学习时长与肩部、臀部/大腿和手腕/手部的MSP之间发现了显著关联。
MSP在沙特医学生中非常普遍，尤其是与下背部和颈部疼痛有关。该研究强调需要采取针对性干预措施，如改善姿势和鼓励定期体育活动，以降低MSP。改善MSP对于提高医学生的学业成绩和生活质量至关重要。
