Prolonged, widespread, disabling musculoskeletal pain of adolescents among referrals to the Pediatric Rheumatology Outpatient Clinic from the Päijät-Häme Hospital District in southern Finland

Background and aims: Musculoskeletal pain among adolescents is a problem for the patients and their families and has economic consequences for society. The aim of this study is to determine the incidence of prolonged disabling musculoskeletal pain of adolescents among referrals to a pediatric rheumatology outpatient clinic and describe the patient material. The second aim is to find proper screening tools which identifies patients with a risk of pain chronification and to test whether our patients fit the Pediatric Pain Screening Tool (PPST) stratification according to Simons et al. Methods: We selected adolescent patients with disabling, prolonged, musculoskeletal pain and calculated the incidence. Furthermore, after the patient collection, we adjusted our pain patients to PPST. Results: The incidence of prolonged musculoskeletal pain patients at our clinic was 42/100,000 patient years (pyrs) (age 13–18; 95% CI: 29–60) during years 2010–2015. A nine-item screening tool by Simons et al. proves to be valid for our patient group and helps to identify those patients who need early, prompt treatment. The functional risk stratification by Simons et al. correlates with our patients’ functional disability. Conclusions and implications: In order to prevent disability and to target intervention, it is necessary to have proper and rapid screening tools to find the appropriate patients in time.

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Prolonged, widespread, disabling musculoskeletal pain of adolescents among referrals to the Pediatric Rheumatology Outpatient Clinic from the Päijät-Häme Hospital District in southern Finland ; volume:18 ; number:4 ; year:2018 ; pages:621-628 ; extent:8 ; Scandinavian journal of pain ; 18, Heft 4 (2018), 621-628 (gesamt 8)

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: Pohjankoski, Heini ; Hietanen, Maiju ; Leppänen, Leena ; Vilen, Heli ; Kautiainen, Hannu ; Mikkelsson, Marja M. ; Vuorimaa, Hanna

Further information

• DOI: 10.1515/sjpain-2018-0057
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2024022714375067806709
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 14.08.2025, 10:54 AM CEST