Investigate and manage pain in DMD at any age

A South Korean team interviewed 148 boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy with an average age of 14.5 years:

  • 86 boys had lost walking: 35 were younger than 15 years (recent non-ambulatory) and 51 were 15 years or older (“old” non-ambulatory); 62 were ambulatory;
  • 45% of the participants had moderate pain in the previous 4 weeks, with no difference in prevalence between the three groups or according to the presence of scoliosis or retractions;
  • the “old” non-ambulatory group, however, reported pain more frequently (“every day”) than the other two groups who reported pain “several times a week”;
  • the pain most often reported in the ambulant group concerned the calves and was worsened by walking; rest and massage helped to relieve it;
  • lumbosacral, gluteal, thoracic and abdominal pain was most frequently experienced in the “old” non-ambulatory group; it was aggravated by sitting and relieved by changing position.

Pain is a symptom that can be present at all stages of Duchenne disease: it must be evaluated and managed in order to reduce its impact on the mood, especially in the later stages of the disease.

 

Pain characteristics among individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy according to their clinical stage. Kim A, Park M, Shin HI. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2022 Jun 4;23(1):536.