Does COVID-19 related lockdown restrictions impact people with musculoskeletal disorders: a systematic review

Fatoye, Francis ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3502-3953, Gebrye, Tadesse ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7976-2013, Fatoye, Clara, Lawoe, Joyceline and Mbada, Chidozie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3666-7432 (2024) Does COVID-19 related lockdown restrictions impact people with musculoskeletal disorders: a systematic review. In: ISPOR 2024, 6 May 2024 - 8 May 2024, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

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Abstract

Background: As a result of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) related lockdown restrictions, people with musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders could be at increased risk of physical and psychological disabilities. This review aimed to summarise the impact of COVID-19 related lockdown restrictions on people with MSK disorders. Methods: Six electronic databases were searched for studies in English language published until June 14, 2023. We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses to identify, select, and critically appraise relevant research. Two authors independently abstracted data from each included studies and data was summarised using narrative synthesis. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used for quality assessment. Results: The search strategy identified 637 articles, 129 of which we removed as duplicates. We analysed 13 studies that met the inclusion criteria. The sample size of populations studied ranged from 40 to 1800 participants. People with MSK disorders had increased risk of pain and MSK injuries, and decreased quality of life during COVID-19 related lockdown restrictions. There was increased use of emergency department by patients with MSK disorders. Conclusions: Pain, MSK injuries and healthcare resource utilisation increased during COVID-19 related lockdown restrictions among patients with MSD conditions. These results may be useful to develop new prevention and management strategies in future for people with MSK disorders as a way to mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic.