Correlation between interscapular pain during the breast development phase, cup size, and thoracic index in adolescent school girls from 13 to 16 years of age

Abstract

Background: Physical symptoms associated with poor posture due to heavy breast leading to neck, shoulder, interscapular, and back pain are prevalent. Occurrence and persistence of musculoskeletal pain among children and adolescents may result in the development of chronic pain symptoms in adulthood. Hence, this study was conducted to determine if any correlation existed between interscapular pain, cup size, and thoracic index in adolescent school girls during the breast development phase. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted where 2000 school girls aged between 13 and 16 years were screened to identify if they had interscapular pain. Two hundred of them were screened positive, of which 54 were excluded, as they carried a backpack weighing more than that recommended for their gender and age and one for psychological distress. One hundred and forty-five participants were evaluated for the intensity of pain using Numeric Pain Rating Scale, cup size using inch tape, and thoracic kyphosis using flexible curve ruler based on which thoracic index was calculated. Results: About 10% had interscapular pain, of which 0.68% had mild, 68.96% moderate, and 30.34% had severe pain. Twenty-seven participants had cup size A, 107 had B, and 11 had C size. Nearly 37.24% had normal, 55.86% had less than normal, and 6.89% had more than normal thoracic index values, respectively. There was a correlation between interscapular pain, cup size, and thoracic index. Conclusion: We conclude that no statistically significant correlation exists between interscapular pain, cup size, and thoracic index.