Journal Article

Pain symptoms and physical performance in older adults: cross-sectional findings from the International Mobility in Aging Study (IMIAS)

da Silva Júnior, Edmilson Gomes, dos Santos Gomes, Cristiano, Neto, Nailton José, Auais, Mohammad, Maciel, Álvaro Campos Cavalcanti, Guerra, Ricardo Oliveira, Ahmed, Tamer, de Souza Barbosa, Juliana Fernandes, Curcio, Carmen-Lucia

2024

Overview

Key summary points Aim To analyze the associations between pain and physical performance in different aging contexts. Findings Lower limbs Pain or Back Pain were associated with poor physical performance in older people. Message Pain symptoms are associated with reduced physical performance in older people, even with interference from clinical and sociodemographic factors. Purpose To analyze the associations between pain and physical performance in different aging contexts. Methods Data from 1725 older adults from Canada, Brazil, Colombia, and Albania from the 2014 wave of the IMIAS were used to assess the associations between Back Pain (BP) or Lower Limb Pain (LLP) and physical performance by the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Three binary logistic regression models adjusted for sex, age, study site, education, income sufficiency, BMI, depressive symptoms, and chronic conditions were used to estimate the associations between LLP or BP and SPPB. The SPPB was classified into good performance (8 points or more) and poor physical performance (< 8 points). Results The mean age of the older men was 71.2 (± 3.0) and the mean age of the women was 71.2 (± 2.8) years. Older men (72.8%, p  < 0.05) and women (86.1%, p -value < 0.05) from Albania had the highest frequencies of self-reported general pain. Older women in Colombia had the highest frequencies of LLP or BP (33.5%, p -value < 0.05). In the fully adjusted logistic regression model, LLP or BP was significantly associated with poor SPPB (OR = 0.48, 0.35 to 0.66 95% CI, p  < 0.01). Conclusions Pain symptoms are associated with reduced physical performance in older people, even when adjusted for other clinical and sociodemographic factors. Protocols for aiming to increase the level of physical activity to manage pain should be incorporated into health care strategies.

• Publisher: Springer International Publishing,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Aged / Aging / Back pain / Chi-square test / Chronic illnesses / Cross-Sectional Studies / Developing countries / Disease / Education / Ethics / Female / Geriatric Assessment - methods / Geriatrics/Gerontology / Humans / Internal Medicine / LDCs / Male / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Older people / Pain / Pain - epidemiology / Physical Functional Performance / Population / Primary care / Regression analysis / Research Paper / Risk Factors / Social isolation / Sociodemographics / Variables / Womens health