The Role of Rehabilitation Program in Managing the Triad of Sarcopenia, Obesity, and Chronic Pain

Sarcopenic obesity, characterized by reduced skeletal muscle mass and excess adiposity, is strongly associated with chronic pain and functional decline in older adults.

This prospective controlled trial without randomization investigated the effects of a structured, three-phase rehabilitation program on physical performance, pain, and sarcopenia-specific quality of life in elderly patients with sarcopenic obesity and chronic pain.

In this study, 82 participants were enrolled and allocated to a study group (SG, n = 40), receiving supervised rehabilitation, nutritional counseling, and supplementation, or to a control group (CG, n = 42), which did not receive rehabilitation. The final analysis included 35 patients in SG and 36 in CG. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and six months using the Sarcopenia Quality of Life Questionnaire (SarQoL), Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), and Pressure Pain Threshold (PPT).

The SG showed significant improvements in all outcomes: SarQoL increased from 57.02 to 63.98, SPPB increased from 7.14 to 8.4, PPT increased from 69.31 to 78.05, and NRS decreased from 6.94 to 4.65 (all p < 0.001). The CG showed no significant changes.

The implementation of a structured, three-phase rehabilitation program resulted in clinically and statistically significant improvements in physical performance, pain perception, and sarcopenia-related quality of life in older adults with sarcopenic obesity and chronic pain.