Prevalence of cold-related musculoskeletal pain according to self-reported threshold temperature among the Finnish adult population

Abstract

Background: Exposure to cold reportedly increases musculoskeletal pains. We assessed the prevalence of such pain and self-reported threshold temperature (TT) at which the pain emerges.

Methods: A random sample of 6591 people in Finland, aged 25-74 years, answered a questionnaire on repeated cold-related musculoskeletal pain (CMP) and its TT. The response rate was 64%. We used quantile regression to quantify the effects of personal characteristics and region of residence on TT at various locations of its distribution.

Results: Of the participants, 1892 (30%) experienced CMP in at least one body site and 1692 reported TT. Ten percent of the participants who perceived CMP did so at -2 °C, 50% at -14 °C and 90% at -23 °C. Residence in the South elevated TT by 1-6 °C compared with residence in the North, depending on the proportion of participants reporting CMP at various temperatures. Joint disorders increased TT at milder temperatures, at which only 10% of all participants perceived CMP, whereas back disorders did so mainly at lower temperatures, at which 70% were affected. Overweight was associated with a 2 °C lower TT, and physical inactivity with a 1 °C higher TT, and TT increased by 1 °C per 10-year increase in age. The greatest model-estimated difference in median TT between subgroups was 12 °C.

Conclusions: People suffering from musculoskeletal disorders and those living in the warmer areas of Finland need special advice to protect themselves against the cold. Our study provides preliminary information to support such advice.