Correlation between COVID-19 vaccination and inflammatory musculoskeletal disorders: analysis of Korean National Health Insurance database

The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence rates of inflammatory musculoskeletal disorders following COVID-19 vaccination and compare them with those in unvaccinated individuals. We used data from 2,218,715 individuals in the Korean National Health Insurance Service database and investigated the incidence rates of inflammatory musculoskeletal disorders following COVID-19 vaccination. At 12 weeks after vaccination, the cumulative incidence rates of plantar fasciitis (0.14–0.17%), rotator cuff syndrome (0.29–0.42%), adhesive capsulitis (0.29–0.47%), HIVD (0.18–0.23%), spondylosis (0.14–0.23%), bursitis (0.02–0.03%), Achilles tendinitis (0.0–0.05%), and de-Quervain tenosynovitis (0.04–0.05%) were higher in all three vaccinated groups (mRNA vaccine, viral vector vaccine, and mixing and matching) compared with the unvaccinated group. All COVID-19 vaccines were identified as significant risk factors for inflammatory musculoskeletal disorders (odds ratio, 1.404 to 3.730) except for the mixing and matching vaccines for de Quervain tenosynovitis. This study suggests a strong correlation between inflammatory musculoskeletal disorders and COVID-19 vaccination concerning adverse reactions.