Association of Shoulder pain with functional disabilities among primary and secondary school teachers in Peshawar

Background: Teaching is a physically demanding profession involving repetitive overhead movements, sustained postures, and extended working hours, which collectively increase the risk of shoulder pain and related musculoskeletal disorders. Despite increasing recognition of these occupational risks, limited data exist on the functional consequences of shoulder pain among teachers in Pakistan, particularly in Peshawar. Objective: Determine the severity of shoulder pain among primary and secondary school teachers in Peshawar. Examine the association between shoulder pain and functional disability using the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI). Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 189 government and private school teachers in Peshawar, aged 25–45 years, with at least one year of teaching experience and shoulder pain persisting for at least one month. Convenience sampling was used. Data were collected using a structured demographic questionnaire and the SPADI scale, which includes pain and disability subscales. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 27. Descriptive statistics summarized demographic variables, and the Chi-square test was applied to assess the association between pain intensity and functional disability. Ethical approval was obtained from the CECOS University Ethics Committee, and written consent was secured from all participants. Results: Among 189 participants, 51.3% were males and 48.7% females, with a mean age of 34.12 ± 5.69 years. The majority was right-handed (71.4%) and had a healthy BMI (54%). Most teachers experienced mild pain (52.4%) and mild disability (61.4%), while a smaller proportion reported moderate pain (38.6%) and moderate disability (32.3%). Severe pain and disability were observed in only 9% and 6.3% of participants, respectively. The Chisquare test revealed a statistically significant association between pain intensity and functional disability (p < 0.001), indicating that higher pain levels corresponded with greater disability scores on the SPADI scale. Conclusion: More than half of the participants reported mild shoulder pain, while fewer experienced moderate or severe pain. A significant association was found between pain intensity and shoulder disability, indicating that higher pain levels were linked to greater functional limitation.