Evaluation of Musculoskeletal System in Caregivers of Rehabilitation Patients: A cross-sectional study

Musculoskeletal health is an important component of physical health. It was aimed to assess the musculoskeletal system involvement, fatigue, and quality of life among caregivers of various patient groups in this study. The study comprised 55 caregivers, consisting of 37 female and 18 male, with an average age of 41.24±12.25 years. The individuals’ musculoskeletal, neck, and low back pains, musculoskeletal discomfort, posture, spinal functionality, low back disability, neck disability, fatigue, and quality of life were assessed using the Numeric Rating Scale, Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire, New York Posture Rating Scale, Spine Functional Index, Oswestry Disability Index, Bournemouth Questionnaire, Fatigue Severity Scale, and Short Form-36 questionnaires, respectively. All parameters evaluated were similar among caregivers of orthopedic, pediatric, and neurological patients (p>0.05). Significant correlations were observed among the parameters of musculoskeletal pain, neck pain, low back pain, musculoskeletal discomfort, posture, spinal functionality, neck and low back disability and fatigue severity in individuals (from -0.267 to 0.754). Additionally, significant correlations were found between the subscales of SF-36 and these parameters, ranging from -0.273 to 0.754. The musculoskeletal system is affected in all caregivers, and caregivers across different patient groups exhibit similar effects.