Comparison of Musculoskeletal Pain, Balance and Quality of Life Between Healthy and COVID-19 Disease Individuals

The effects of injuries and stress from coronavirus on people in the community may affect various dimensions, including lifestyle, quality of life, mental and physical health. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the performance of static and dynamic balance, quality of life, and the rate of musculoskeletal pain between healthy and COVID-19 disease individuals.

The present study was descriptive and comparative causal. The statistical population of the present study was people with a history of coronavirus and healthy people aged 20-30 years. The subjects were selected from Qom, Tehran, and Mashhad, each of which included 40 people with coronavirus (20 males and 20 females), 40 healthy individuals (20 males and 20 females). They were divided into two groups: patient and healthy. In this study, modified stork and Y balance tests were used to evaluate the performance of static and dynamic balance, respectively. The Nordic questionnaire was used to assess the rate of musculoskeletal pain, and the SF-36 questionnaire was used to evaluate the quality of life.

The independent t-test showed a significant difference between static and dynamic balance variables and quality of life between the two groups (P<0.05), and healthy individuals showed higher scores in balance tests and better performance in the quality of life. The results of the Mann–Whitney U test showed that in the values ​​related to musculoskeletal pain in the neck, shoulders, upper back, elbows, wrist, lower back, thighs, knees, ankles in the last seven days between the two groups, there was a significant difference between men and women (P<0.05) so that people with coronavirus recorded more pain. Also, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the rate of musculoskeletal pain in the last twelve months (P<0.05).

It is suggested that the present study results be used to increase the general information of the community. People with coronavirus and even healthy people during quarantine and exposure to this disease should pay special attention to physical fitness and the amount of musculoskeletal pain in different parts of the body to keep their physical and mental fitness and quality of life at the optimal level.