Joint pain, muscle ache may follow Covid-19 recovery: Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital

COIMBATORE: While the state is witnessing a sharp rise in fresh Covid-19 cases, a study done by a group of doctors of Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) show an increase in the incidence of musculoskeletal symptoms during treatment and post-recovery.
Musculoskeletal symptoms such as fatigue, myalgia (muscle pain) and arthralgia (joint pain) are common Covid-19 symptoms.However, the most common symptoms are generalised myalgia followed by knee joint pain in infected patients, the study showed.

Published in the latest edition of the Journal of Orthopedics and Joint Surgery, the study ‘Musculoskeletal symptoms during Covid-19 pandemic in a tertiary care hospital in South India’ noted that knee joint pain and generalised myalgia have increased during Covid-19 infection in patients already suffering from diabetes and hypertension.
The study was authored by the director of the Institute of Orthopaedics and Traumatology at CMCH Dr S Vetrivel Chezian, associate professor Dr S Marimuthu, and junior resident doctors Dr R Surendhar and Dr S Ranjithkumar.
Speaking to TOI, Vetrivel said they conducted the study since the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms during Covid-19 has not yet been systematically investigated. “The study was conducted at CMCH after ethical committee clearance. As many as 1,053 Covid-19 infected patients confirmed by RT-PCR test method were in the study group from April to September 2021. While the adults from 21 years of age were included in our study, the pediatric age group, patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, seronegative arthritis, malignancy, and Covid negative patients were excluded.”
Detailed history of musculoskeletal symptoms and comorbidities of patients were collected before going ahead. Vetrivel said knee joint pain was present in 238 (22.6%) of the 1,053 patients and generalised myalgia in 29 patients (2.8%) before they tested positive for the infection. While undergoing treatment for Covid-19, knee joint pain was present as a complaint among 251 patients (23.8%), generalised myalgia was present in 147 patients (14%) and 40 patients (3.8%) had both the conditions.
“Among these patients, during the post-Covid follow-up, 198 patients had persistent knee joint pain, 100 had persistence of generalised myalgia and 38 patients had both conditions. Similarly, 19 patients developed knee joint pain and one patient developed generalised myalgia during the follow-up,” said Dr Marimuthu.
As musculoskeletal symptoms are more evident while undergoing Covid-19 treatment than during the pre-Covid period, Vetrivel explained that patients who are suffering from such conditions after recovering from the infection must approach health centres. “By administering the medication, they could address the health issues. Similarly, patients once diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension could enrol in the Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam scheme to avail free medical supplies at doorstep,” he added.