[Pain and fear of movement in the elderly : the need for an interdisciplinary approach]

According to evidence-based guidelines a physically activating therapy approach in older chronic pain patients is necessary for the preservation of autonomy. Often the elderly are not easy to motivate for this because of inappropriate attitudes, low self-efficacy, fear of pain and fear of falling. The latter might be more important for self-induced restriction of activity in older pain patients than fear avoidance beliefs known from pain research. The fear of caregivers concerning pain and falls can also lead to physical restrictions in the elderly. The underlying diseases and drug effects have to be borne in mind in exercise-oriented therapy. It seems necessary to design special therapy elements for all national care sectors using age-specific motivation strategies and to assure an interdisciplinary cooperation.