Abstract:

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate possible the effects of sports on the frequency of musculoskeletal pain and drug usage due to pain Methods: A total of 207 volunteers without any known health disorder preventing sports/exercise or walking, between 20 and 50 years of age were included. Participants were allocated into Group 1 (participants who have sports activity regularly) and Group 2 (participants who don’t have sports activity regularly). The demographic and clinical characteristics of the groups were compared in terms of presence of pain and drug usage within the last one year. Results: The rate of participants who had regular sports activity or running or walking at least 3 times a week was 31.4%. The mean age of Group 1 (31.6 ± 7.3 years) was lower than Group 2 (34.2 ± 7.1 years) (p=0.0019). While 46% of the Group 1 had the ideal body mass index, it was 29.6% in Group 2 (p=0.020). The incidence of musculoskeletal pain, headache and stomachache was significantly lower in Group 1 (p<0.001, p=0.001, p<0.001, respectively). In addition, the use of pain relief-myorelaxant agents, antibiotics or gastric medications was also significantly lower in Group 1 (p<0.001, p=0.021, p=0.002, respectively). Conclusion: Regular sports/exercise or walking habitual decreases the incidence of musculoskeletal pain, headache and stomachache and drug use.

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