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Bone mineral density is not associated with musculoskeletal pain in postmenopausal Korean women aged ≥50 years

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Abstract

Although many studies reported improvement of back pain after osteoporosis treatment, there is insufficient evidence to determine whether osteoporosis is painful. We investigated whether bone mineral density correlated with musculoskeletal pain in postmenopausal Korean women aged ≥50 years. Data for postmenopausal women aged ≥50 years were obtained from the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database. Demographics, Kellgren–Lawrence grade, and numeric rating scale for pain in the hip and knee joints, presence of back pain, and activity level were analyzed. Only subjects with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans and hip and knee radiographs were included. Those with malignancy, pain medication use, or a history of fragility fractures were excluded. After univariate analysis, multiple linear regression analysis was performed to examine the significant factors correlated with the degree of hip and knee pain. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors significantly associated with the presence of back pain. In total, 387 women were included in the data analysis. Age (p = 0.005) was the only significant factor correlated with the intensity of hip pain, while Kellgren–Lawrence grade (p < 0.001) was the only significant factor correlated with knee pain intensity in multiple regression analysis. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that age (p = 0.002) was the only significant factor associated with the presence of back pain. Musculoskeletal pain was not affected by or associated with the bone mineral density (BMD) of the affected body part in postmenopausal Korean women aged ≥50 years after adjusting for the degree of osteoarthritis.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of Korea (Grant No. 10045220). The authors wish to thank Mi Sun Ryu, BS, and Hyun Mi Kim, BS, for their technical support.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, 300 Gumi-Dong, Bundang-Gu, Sungnam, Kyungki, 463-707, South Korea

    Kyoung Min Lee, Chin Youb Chung, In Hyeok Lee, Ki Jin Jung, Jin Woo Park, Sang Young Moon & Moon Seok Park

  2. Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, 300 Gumi-Dong, Bundang-Gu, Sungnam, Kyungki, 463-707, South Korea

    Soon-Sun Kwon

  3. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Konyang University Hospital, 158 Gwan joe dong street, Seo-Gu, Dae jeon, 302-718, South Korea

    Tae Gyun Kim

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  1. Kyoung Min Lee
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Correspondence to Sang Young Moon.

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Lee, K.M., Chung, C.Y., Kwon, SS. et al. Bone mineral density is not associated with musculoskeletal pain in postmenopausal Korean women aged ≥50 years. Clin Rheumatol 34, 337–343 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-014-2790-0

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