Associations between the severity of menopausal symptoms and musculoskeletal pain in postmenopausal Portuguese women.

Objective: To analyze the association of the severity of the menopausal symptoms with musculoskeletal pain in Portuguese postmenopausal women.

Methods: A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted on 167 women (63.85 ± 9.36 years). The Menopause Rating Scale was used to evaluate the menopausal symptoms severity, while the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was employed to assess the localization of the musculoskeletal pain, and multi-located pain was determined if two or more body regions were affected. Depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), age, body mass index (BMI) and physical activity level were considered as potential confounders.

Results: A greater severity of the somato-vegetative menopausal symptoms was related to the prevention from usual activities because of pain in the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists/hands and knees (R of Nagelkerke = 0.064, 0.043, 0.074, 0.045 and 0.045, respectively). Associations were also observed between greater age and pain in the knees, ankles and feet (R of Nagelkerke = 0.036 and 0.034, respectively), and being physically inactive with upper back pain (R of Nagelkerke = 0.060). Higher depressive symptoms were linked to pain in the hip/thighs and knees (R of Nagelkerke = 0.067 and 0.085, respectively), as well as being physically inactive was related ton in the neck (R of Nagelkerke = 0.053). Only a greater BMI was related to multi-located pain in the last 7 days (R of Nagelkerke = 0.041).

Conclusions: The findings of our study showed that, taking into account possible confounders, greater severity of the menopausal symptoms at a somatic-vegetative level was associated with more anatomical regions with musculoskeletal pain.