Multisite Pain and Intensity were Associated with History Fall among Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

This study examined the independent associations among multisite pain, pain intensity, and the risk of falls, including a history of falls in the previous 12 months and frequent falls (≥ two falls vs one or two falls) among community-dwelling older adults.

A cross-sectional design from Wave 2 of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project was used. Data on pain intensity and location (45 sites) over the past 4 weeks were collected. Multisite pain was categorized into four groups: none, one, two, and three or more sites. The main outcomes of falls were a history of falls and frequent falls. The covariates included age, sex, race, body mass index, education, medications, and comorbidities.

Among 3,196 participants in Wave 2, 2,697 were included because of missing key variables related to pain and fall history. The prevalence of falls and frequent falls were 30.3% (n = 817) and 12.6% (n = 339), respectively. Multisite pain at ≥ three sites (odds ratio (OR) 2.04, confidence interval (CI) [1.62, 2.57]; p < 0.001) and two sites (OR 1.72, 95% CI [1.30, 2.27]; p < 0.001) was significantly associated with an increased risk of falls. An increase in pain intensity was significantly associated with an increased risk of fall (OR 1.28, 95% CI [1.15, 1.44], p < 0.001), independent of multisite pain. Multisite pain at ≥3 sites (OR 2.19, 95% CI [1.56, 3.07], p < 0.001) and 2 sites (OR 1.54, 95% CI [1.01, 2.34], p = 0.045) was associated with an increased risk of frequent falls. An increase in pain intensity was associated with risk of frequent falls (OR 1.64, 95% CI [1.40, 1.91], p < 0.001), independent of multisite pain.

Multisite pain and pain intensity were associated with a history of falls and frequent falls among older adults, emphasizing the need for routine pain evaluation to develop fall prevention strategies in this population.