Do Comorbidities and Body Mass Index Influence Shoulder Pain, Disability and Joint Range of Motion?

Abstract

Aim: Shoulder diseases are believed to be associated with metabolic factors including diabetes and obesity. Our research aimed to determine how age-related comorbidities and rising body mass index (BMI) affected shoulder pain, disability, and joint range of motion (ROM). Methods: The study included 137 individuals aged 20–80 who sought treatment for chronic shoulder pain at the physical medicine and rehabilitation outpatient clinic and, they were recorded for their demographics, BMI, comorbidities, pain duration, dominant shoulder, affected shoulder, history of treatment, joint ROM, visual analogue scale pain score, and shoulder pain and disability index score. Results: The study found that the obese group had a high mean age (p=0.047) and substantially more common thyroid dysfunction (p=0.031). When individuals with and without diabetes mellitus (DM) were compared, it was observed that the DM group had significantly less ROM. Similarly, ROM was found to be considerably lower in the group with hypertension (HT) when a comparison was made for having or not having HT. In comparison of patients with or without hyperlipidemia (HL), the group with HL had significantly lower BMI compared to the group without HL (p=0.047). Upon comparing the groups with and without thyroid disease, it was discovered that the former had a considerably higher BMI (p=0.012). Conclusion: We found that the two most prevalent disorders associated with shoulder pain, DM and HT, have a particularly positive influence on joint range of motion. We also observed a connection between thyroid problems and BMI. In the management of shoulder discomfort, managing comorbidities and BMI are crucial.

Keywords

• diabetes; hypertension; joint range; obesity; shoulder pain