Is there a correlation between hypermobility of the spine and chronic neck/back pain in young adults?

Abstract

This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the correlation between hypermobility of the spine and chronic neck/back pain in a university-aged population. Chronic musculoskeletal pain, especially joint pain, is said to be the main complaint of individuals with symptomatic joint hypermobility. Generalized joint hypermobility is usually limited to a small number of joints, with increased range of motion of the lumbar spine the most common form of joint hypermobility. The study collected data over a six-year period from undergraduate Anatomy & Physiology students at a university in the United States, using an anonymous survey. Based on the data from 1,211 respondents the study found that: 1) young adult females are more likely to have hypermobility of the spine than young adult males; 2) young females with spine hypermobility are not more likely to report chronic neck/back pain than females without spine hypermobility; 3) young adult males with spine hypermobility are more likely to report chronic neck/back pain than males without spine hypermobility; 4) young females and males with spine hypermobility experience the same average levels of pain intensity for their chronic neck/back pain than their peers without spine hypermobility; 5) young females with and without spine hypermobility report higher levels of chronic pain intensity than males for chronic neck/back pain.