Background: Musculoskeletal pain is a burden for the individual and for society, and it has a negative impact on overall health. The biological, psychological, and social factors that govern pain and health form a complex puzzle to put together. Musculoskeletal pain conditions may be alleviated by physical activity, but a too high level of physical activity may also increase the risk of pain. Youth athletes may be especially vulnerable to developing pain due to factors related to training load and physical maturity. Being physically active and maintaining a healthy diet is associated with better health, but if carried out to excess these health behaviours may become unhealthy. Our understanding of musculoskeletal pain and health in adolescents and young adults needs to be developed, both in individuals involved in sports and exercise and in the general population.

Aim: The overall aim was to study musculoskeletal pain and its relationship to various health-related factors in adolescents and young adults enrolled in sport or general education programmes.

Methods: Study I was a cross-sectional study on university students (aged 19–29) from an exercise science programme (n = 118) and a business programme (n = 89), assessing health status, physical activity, and orthorexia nervosa (an exaggerated fixation on healthy food). Study II was a cross-sectional study (n = 178), and Study III a 2-year longitudinal (n = 131) study on sport school students (aged 14 at baseline), assessing musculoskeletal pain, health status, physical maturity, and sports performance. Study IV was a 3-year longitudinal study on students from a general upper secondary school (n = 256, aged 16 at baseline), assessing chronic musculoskeletal pain, health status, physical activity, sleep, stress, anxiety, and depression.

Results: In Study I, compared to business students, exercise science students reported more pain, but better general health. A high level of physical activity in combination with orthorexia nervosa was most prevalent in men from the exercise science programme. In Studies II and III, pain was common in sport school students. At baseline, boys with constant pain were not as physically mature as boys with infrequent pain. Students with constant pain reported a worse health status than students with infrequent pain. At follow-up, frequent pain, frequent pain in two or more body regions, and a worse health status at baseline were identified as risk factors for having frequent pain at follow-up in girls. For boys, late physical maturation at baseline was a risk factor. Involvement in non-contact sports was also an identified risk factor over time in both sexes. Pain was associated with a worse sports performance in boys at both baseline and follow-up. In Study IV, chronic musculoskeletal pain was common in students from a general upper secondary school. A worse health status, severe sleeping problems, anxiety, and chronic musculoskeletal pain at baseline were associated with reporting chronic musculoskeletal pain at follow-up.

Conclusions: Pain was prevalent, and also persistent, in adolescents and young adults, irrespective of attending sport or general education programmes. Pain is a biopsychosocial phenomenon and must be treated as such. Pain should be frequently monitored, and treatment should be introduced early on to prevent pain from becoming persistent.