POST-EARTHQUAKE MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN IN MEDICAL FACULTY STUDENTS: STRESS-RELATED PAIN PROCESS

Aim:In the last decade, humans have been faced with natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and forest fires worldwide. In the long term, the effects of the trauma experienced after these disasters continue. We aimed to detect musculoskeletal pain and earthquake-related conditions in term 5 faculty of medicine, students after the high-intensity earthquake. Material and Methods:The study was planned as a cross-sectional, descriptive study. All term 5 students (n=110) were included in the study. Data was obtained through the online survey Google Forms and participants were enabled to complete it as soon as possible. Results:In the study, n=82 students (48 girls, 34 boys) participated in our survey voluntarily. 34.1% of the participants were 23 years old, 29.3% were 24 years old, 19.5% were 22 years old, and 14.6% were 25 years old. Forty-eight point eight percent of the participants stated that they moved away from the city after the earthquake. 24.4% indicated that they lost a relative in the earthquake. 48.8% of the participants said that there was an increase in musculoskeletal pain after the earthquake. The most common area of pain was in the low back with a rate of 37%. This rate was followed by the neck with 18.5% and the back and shoulder areas with 14.8%. 36.8% of the participants stated that post-earthquake pain negatively affected academic performance. 36.6% of the participants had sleep problems after the earthquake, 29.3% had post-earthquake dizziness, 24.4% had gait instability, 19.5% had anxiety/depression, and 12.2% started to use medications for these problems. Conclusion:In the post-earthquake period, musculoskeletal complaints were observed in the term 5 students of the faculty of medicine, most frequently in the low back, neck, and back/shoulder regions. In addition, problems that will negatively affect their academic success, such as insomnia, depression/anxiety, dizziness, and imbalance, are also observed.