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Prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in primary care - A study on Swedish children and young people

Ebel, Matilda LU orcid ; Bolmsjö, Beata Borgström LU ; Bondesson, Elisabeth LU orcid ; Mason, Kayleigh J ; Jordan, Kelvin P ; Mughal, Faraz ; Thomas, Martin J ; Protheroe, Joanne ; Dunn, Kate M and Jöud, Anna Saxne LU orcid (2026) In Journal of Pain 40.
Abstract

Musculoskeletal pain is a common complaint among children and young people, and primary care services are typically the first contact when seeking medical care. The main objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in primary care among children and young people in the Skåne Region, Sweden. The annual prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in primary care was investigated and stratified by sex, age, and pain sites among individuals aged 8-18 years, registered as living in Skåne from 2016 to 2024 (mean annual population n=176 618). To investigate this, the Skåne Healthcare Register, which covers data on diagnostic codes for all delivered healthcare to the population in the Skåne Region, was used. The... (More)

Musculoskeletal pain is a common complaint among children and young people, and primary care services are typically the first contact when seeking medical care. The main objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in primary care among children and young people in the Skåne Region, Sweden. The annual prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in primary care was investigated and stratified by sex, age, and pain sites among individuals aged 8-18 years, registered as living in Skåne from 2016 to 2024 (mean annual population n=176 618). To investigate this, the Skåne Healthcare Register, which covers data on diagnostic codes for all delivered healthcare to the population in the Skåne Region, was used. The result from this study shows that the one-year prevalence of musculoskeletal pain was 10.7% in 2024. Over the full study period, 92 682 unique individuals consulted at least once for musculoskeletal pain, resulting in 215 989 musculoskeletal pain consultations (52% by females and 48% by males). The most common codes recorded were for unspecified pain sites (42%), while back pain was the most common site-specific code recorded (17%). The prevalence of frequent consulters was higher in older ages and among females. This study provides an overview of the annual prevalence of musculoskeletal pain as seen in primary care among children and young people in the Skåne Region. The annual prevalence increased during the study period, highlighting the need to prevent its onset and target those already affected for early care interventions. Perspective: Musculoskeletal pain is common among children and young people in primary care. Considering its short- and long-term negative effects, this study highlights the need for early intervention, preventive strategies, and organizing primary care to ensure that all children and young people with musculoskeletal pain are properly seen and cared for.

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author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Humans, Sweden/epidemiology, Musculoskeletal Pain/epidemiology, Female, Prevalence, Primary Health Care/statistics & numerical data, Adolescent, Male, Child, Registries/statistics & numerical data
in
Journal of Pain
volume
40
article number
106202
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • pmid:41577214
  • scopus:105031685990
ISSN
1526-5900
DOI
10.1016/j.jpain.2026.106202
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Copyright © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
id
dedad5d6-5329-4209-b8f6-172c2d89e9f8
date added to LUP
2026-08-24 08:52:36
date last changed
2026-08-25 04:02:24
@article{dedad5d6-5329-4209-b8f6-172c2d89e9f8,
  abstract     = {{<p>Musculoskeletal pain is a common complaint among children and young people, and primary care services are typically the first contact when seeking medical care. The main objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in primary care among children and young people in the Skåne Region, Sweden. The annual prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in primary care was investigated and stratified by sex, age, and pain sites among individuals aged 8-18 years, registered as living in Skåne from 2016 to 2024 (mean annual population n=176 618). To investigate this, the Skåne Healthcare Register, which covers data on diagnostic codes for all delivered healthcare to the population in the Skåne Region, was used. The result from this study shows that the one-year prevalence of musculoskeletal pain was 10.7% in 2024. Over the full study period, 92 682 unique individuals consulted at least once for musculoskeletal pain, resulting in 215 989 musculoskeletal pain consultations (52% by females and 48% by males). The most common codes recorded were for unspecified pain sites (42%), while back pain was the most common site-specific code recorded (17%). The prevalence of frequent consulters was higher in older ages and among females. This study provides an overview of the annual prevalence of musculoskeletal pain as seen in primary care among children and young people in the Skåne Region. The annual prevalence increased during the study period, highlighting the need to prevent its onset and target those already affected for early care interventions. Perspective: Musculoskeletal pain is common among children and young people in primary care. Considering its short- and long-term negative effects, this study highlights the need for early intervention, preventive strategies, and organizing primary care to ensure that all children and young people with musculoskeletal pain are properly seen and cared for.</p>}},
  author       = {{Ebel, Matilda and Bolmsjö, Beata Borgström and Bondesson, Elisabeth and Mason, Kayleigh J and Jordan, Kelvin P and Mughal, Faraz and Thomas, Martin J and Protheroe, Joanne and Dunn, Kate M and Jöud, Anna Saxne}},
  issn         = {{1526-5900}},
  keywords     = {{Humans; Sweden/epidemiology; Musculoskeletal Pain/epidemiology; Female; Prevalence; Primary Health Care/statistics & numerical data; Adolescent; Male; Child; Registries/statistics & numerical data}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Journal of Pain}},
  title        = {{Prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in primary care - A study on Swedish children and young people}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2026.106202}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.jpain.2026.106202}},
  volume       = {{40}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}