Musculoskeletal Pain Characteristics and Objectively Measured Physical Activity in Older Adults

Pain is associated with reports of restricted physical activity (PA), yet the association between musculoskeletal pain characteristics and objectively measured PA quantities and patterns in late life is not well understood. A total of 553 adults (mean age 75.8 ± 8.4 years, 54.4% women) in the Baltim...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences Biological sciences and medical sciences, 2024-04, Vol.79 (4)
Main Authors: Cai, Yurun, Liu, Fangyu, Wanigatunga, Amal A, Urbanek, Jacek K, Simonsick, Eleanor M, Ferrucci, Luigi, Schrack, Jennifer A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accelerometry
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging
Exercise
Female
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Lower Extremity
Male
Musculoskeletal Pain
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Pain is associated with reports of restricted physical activity (PA), yet the association between musculoskeletal pain characteristics and objectively measured PA quantities and patterns in late life is not well understood. A total of 553 adults (mean age 75.8 ± 8.4 years, 54.4% women) in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA) completed a health interview and subsequent 7-day wrist-worn ActiGraph assessment in the free-living environment between 2015 and 2020. Pain characteristics, including pain presence in 6x sites (ie, shoulders, hands/wrists, low back, hip, knees, and feet), pain laterality in each site, and pain distribution were assessed. PA metrics were summarized into total daily activity counts (TAC), activity fragmentation, active minutes/day, and diurnal patterns of activity. Linear regression models and mixed-effects models examined the association between pain characteristics and PA outcomes, adjusted for demographics and comorbidities. Unilateral knee pain was associated with 184 070 fewer TAC (p = .039) and 36.2 fewer active minutes/day (p = .032) compared to those without knee pain. Older adults with shoulder pain or hand/wrist pain had more active minutes compared to those without pain (p 
ISSN:1079-5006
1758-535X
DOI:10.1093/gerona/glae039