Statin users suffer from significantly more musculoskeletal pain

This study was published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine 2008 Aug;23(8):1182-6

Study title and authors:
Prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and statin use.

Buettner C, Davis RB, Leveille SG, Mittleman MA, Mukamal KJ.
Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02215, USA. cbuettne@bidmc.harvard.edu

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18449611

This study sought to evaluate whether statin use was associated with a higher prevalence of musculoskeletal pain. The study included 3,580 participants, aged 40 or over, without arthritis.

The study found:
(a) Compared to persons who did not use statins, those who used statins had a 50% increased risk for any musculoskeletal pain.
(b) Compared to persons who did not use statins, those who used statins had a 59% increased risk for lower back pain.
(c) Compared to persons who did not use statins, those who used statins had a 50% increased risk for lower extremity pain.

This study finds that statin users are significantly more likely to report musculoskeletal pain compared to persons who did not use statins. 

Statin use linked to musculoskeletal diseases, joint pain and injuries

This study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine 2013:1-9

Study title and authors:
Statins and Musculoskeletal Conditions, Arthropathies, and Injuries
Ishak Mansi, MD; Christopher R. Frei, PharmD, MSc; Mary Jo Pugh, PhD; Una Makris, MD; Eric M. Mortensen, MD, MSc

This study can be accessed at: http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1691918

The objective of the study was to determine whether statin use is associated with musculoskeletal disorders. ( Musculoskeletal disorders can affect the body's muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments and nerves). This analysis compared 6,967 statin users with 6,967 nonusers.

The study found:
(a) Statin users had a 19% increased risk of all musculoskeletal diseases compared to nonusers.
(b) Statin users had a 13% increased risk of injury-related diseases (dislocation, sprain, strain) compared to nonusers.
(c) Statin users had a 9% increased risk of drug-associated musculoskeletal pain compared to nonusers.
(d) Statin users had a 7% increased risk of joint pain compared to nonusers.

Mansi concludes: "Musculoskeletal conditions, arthropathies, injuries, and pain are more common among statin users than among similar nonusers".