title: Characteristics of neck and shoulder pain (called katakori in Japanese) among members of the nursing staff.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The characteristics of neck and shoulder pain (NSP), called katakori in Japanese, have not been well documented to date. The aim of this study was to clarify the characteristics of NSP through a questionnaire survey of members of the nursing staff.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population consisted of 484 nursing staff members of Gunma University Hospital in Japan. The questionnaire involved information on age, body mass index (BMI), gender, psychological stress at work, musculoskeletal pain at other anatomic sites (elbow/wrist, lumbar and knee), smoking history, and hypertension. If subjects had NSP, they were asked about any coexisting symptoms, the utilization of health services, and the precise location of NSP.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total study population included 393 persons after 91 persons were excluded for various reasons. The point prevalence of NSP was 68.1% (268 of 393). Age, BMI, smoking history, and hypertension showed no significant trend for the prevalence of NSP in the univariate analyses. The occurrence of NSP was significantly higher in subjects with psychological stress, elbow/wrist pain, lumbar pain, and knee pain, respectively. A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that gender, psychological stress, elbow/wrist pain, and lumbar pain were significantly associated with the occurrence of NSP. One hundred fifty-eight of those with NSP (58.9%) reported coexisting symptoms, and the most common was headache. Fifty-seven (21.2%) of the subjects with NSP had consulted medical or health practitioners, and bone setting was the most common service provider. The most common area of NSP was the superior part of the trapezius.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study confirmed that NSP, katakori in Japanese, is a prevalent problem in a nursing staff, and several factors associated with NSP were identified.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-22 Showa, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan. yiizuka@med.gunma-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iizuka
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shinozaki
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsutsumi
authors.forename: Toshihisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Osawa
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ara
authors.forename: Haku
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iizuka
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takagishi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D019547:Neck Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D009740:Nursing Staff; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D015995:Prevalence; D020069:Shoulder Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires