ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Musculoskelet. Disord.
Sec. Spine Conditions
The Hidden Burden of Cervical and Low Back Pain Among Women in Conflict-Affected Yemen
Provisionally accepted
Hussein Mussa Muafa1*
Malika Abdu Balkam2- 121 September university for medical and applied sciences, Sanaa, Yemen
- 2Sana'a University, Sana'a, Yemen
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Background: Musculoskeletal disorders, particularly cervical and low back pain (CLBP), are leading causes of disability worldwide. However, evidence from conflict-affected and low-resource regions such as Yemen remains scarce. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, associated risk factors, and radiological patterns of CLBP among women attending a tertiary hospital in Sana'a, Yemen. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 470 adult female patients at Al-Gumhori Teaching Hospital, Sana'a, from January to March 2025. Participants completed structured questionnaires covering sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle behaviors, psychological stress, and musculoskeletal symptoms. CLBP was defined according to European Guidelines as non-traumatic spinal pain persisting ≥12 weeks. Radiological assessments (X-ray and MRI) were performed in clinically indicated cases. Multivariable logistic regression identified independent factors associated with CLBP. Results: The prevalence of cervical and/or low back pain was 69.4% (95% CI: 65.2–73.3). Independent factors associated with CLBP included obesity (aOR = 2.56; 95% CI: 1.54– 4.25), physical inactivity (aOR = 1.91; 95% CI: 1.13–3.24), prolonged screen time >4 hours/day (aOR = 1.73; 95% CI: 1.01–2.98), and moderate-to-severe anxiety symptoms (aOR = 3.12; 95% CI: 1.79–5.45). Radiological findings revealed cervical muscle spasm in 62%, vertebral osteophytosis in 33%, and lumbar disc prolapse in 28%. Conclusion: CLBP is highly prevalent among Yemeni women, with multiple modifiable risk factors linked to lifestyle and psychological distress. Targeted, integrated public health strategies are urgently needed to reduce musculoskeletal disability among women in conflict-affected regions.
Keywords: Cervical pain, Low Back Pain, Yemen, Musculoskeletal disorders, Radiology, Women's Health, Public Health
Received: 25 Jul 2025; Accepted: 06 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Muafa and Balkam. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Hussein Mussa Muafa, h.m.muafa@21umas.edu.ye
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.