IMPACT OF INCREASED BMI ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH ADHESIVE CAPSULITIS AND LOW BACK PAIN

Abstract

Background: Overweight and obesity have increased significantly in recent decades, contributing to the global burden of non-communicable diseases. Among musculoskeletal conditions, adhesive capsulitis and low back pain (LBP) are frequently observed in overweight individuals and are known to significantly impair quality of life (QOL) and sleep. Despite this, there remains limited comparative data on how increased body mass index (BMI) influences these outcomes between the two conditions.

Objective: To determine the impact of increased BMI on sleep quality and quality of life in patients with adhesive capsulitis and low back pain.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between June 30 and December 30, 2022, across physiotherapy outpatient departments and clinics in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. A total of 384 participants were recruited through non-probability convenience sampling, equally divided into two groups: 192 patients with adhesive capsulitis and 192 with LBP. Participants were assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain, the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire for quality of life, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for sleep quality. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 21.

Results: The mean BMI in the LBP group was 26.48 ± 3.36, compared to 25.02 ± 4.30 in the adhesive capsulitis group. Global PSQI scores were higher in adhesive capsulitis patients (7.38 ± 3.29) than in those with LBP (6.47 ± 2.41), indicating poorer sleep quality. WHOQOL-BREF scores revealed moderate QOL impairment across all domains in both groups. Spearman’s correlation showed no statistically significant association between BMI and sleep quality (p = 0.91), although physical and psychological domains of QOL showed weak negative correlations with BMI.

Conclusion: The study highlights that both LBP and adhesive capsulitis considerably impact quality of life and sleep quality. However, increased BMI did not emerge as a significant correlating factor in this population.