Chronic forearm pain presents as a transient and indistinct pain site in a community setting: results from a UK population survey.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the prevalence of chronic forearm pain in a non-occupational community setting over a 2-year period.


METHODS
A longitudinal community-based postal questionnaire survey conducted in the south-eastern quadrant of England.


RESULTS
We received 2493/4172 (60%) responses at baseline and we followed up 429 of these 2 years later: 252 responded (59%). Forearm pain prevalence was 4% at baseline and 5% at follow-up. Over 95% of those with forearm pain had pain in other areas [odds ratio 1.5 (95% confidence interval 1.3-1.7)] and it was most commonly associated with elbow and wrist pain. Seventy-six per cent of those with forearm pain at baseline recovered. At follow-up, 78% of those with chronic forearm pain had new-onset forearm pain.


CONCLUSIONS
Persistent forearm pain (pain for over 2 years) was rare and the capacity for recovery was good (76%). Isolated forearm pain as a diagnostic category is of little utility. Treating and managing forearm pain in a site-specific manner is unlikely to be successful owing to its strong association with pain in other areas. In the community, forearm pain laterality was not evident; our findings suggest that forearm pain in the workplace is influenced by different factors to those in a community setting.
Centre for Health Sciences, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, 2 Newark Street, London, UK. d.carnes@qmul.ac.uk
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Carnes
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Ashby
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Parsons
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Underwood
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005542:Forearm / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires