Musculoskeletal pain and physical functioning in the oldest old

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Musculoskeletal Health
• Physical Functioning

Background:

• Limited understanding of pain's impact on physical functioning in the oldest-old.
• Focus on nonagenarians (individuals over 90 years old).

Purpose of the Study:

• Examine associations between number of painful sites and physical functioning (impairment, limitation, disability) in nonagenarians.
• Describe the effect of painful sites on disability over a 2-year follow-up period.

Main Methods:

• Utilized baseline (n=1177) and 2-year follow-up (n=709) data from the Danish 1905 cohort study.
• Assessed musculoskeletal pain (back, hips, knees; moving or resting).
• Measured physical performance (grip strength, walking speed) and disability (ADL assistance needs).

Main Results:

• Significant stepwise associations found between number of painful sites and grip strength, walking speed, and self-reported disability at baseline.
• Follow-up showed weaker, but still stepwise, associations between baseline pain and follow-up disability.
• Multi-site pain, though not single-site pain, elevated the risk of developing severe disability.

Conclusions:

• Musculoskeletal pain is highly prevalent in nonagenarians.
• Pain is significantly associated with poorer physical performance and increased disability in this age group.