Prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and perception of postural habits among primary school students

Abstract

The aim of was to identify the prevalence of previous back pain associated to daily life situations and the prevalence of current musculoskeletal pain according to body location and the perception of postural habits among students. It was developed between 120 schoolchildren from an Elementary School in Sao Paulo, aged from 7 to 11 years-old. They were 58 male 59 female. A questionnaire was applied in the classrooms under the supervision of a physical therapist. Results: the prevalence of previous back pain was of 61%, and increased with age and was associated to daily life situations mainly as carrying a backpack. The prevalence of current musculoskeletal pain was: back (34%), neck (30%) and feet (29%), predominantly among male students. Regarding the perception of postural habits, the percentage of correct answers was higher for the correct way of sitting against the way of bending, carrying the backpack and feet position. Conclusion: the presence of musculoskeletal pain was high, suggesting the need to develop an education program postural among the Elementary School Students