2020 Volume 47 Issue 2 Pages 146-152
Purpose: Approximately 80% of community-dwelling older adults present with musculoskeletal pain accompanied by low gait speed and grip strength. This study investigated the effects of acute or chronic back and knee pain on gait speed and grip strength in community-dwelling older adults.
Methods: This study included 735 community-dwelling older adults (aged ≥65 years, mean age 74.8 years, 62.9% women) (Tarumizu study 2018). Type of pain (acute vs. chronic) was determined using a questionnaire. We investigated the association between acute or chronic pain and low gait speed (<1.0 m/s) and low grip strength (men <26 kg, women <18 kg).
Results: Of the 735 participants, 347 (47.2%) reported no pain, 144 (19.6%) reported acute pain, and 244 (33.2%) reported chronic pain. Low back and knee pain were observed in 121 participants (16.5%), of which 46 (38.0%) reported acute pain and 75 (62.0%) reported chronic pain. Logistic regression analysis revealed that low gait speed was significantly associated with chronic pain (adjusted odds ratio 2.55, p = 0.001) but not with acute pain (adjusted odds ratio 1.19, p = 0.632) (adjusted for age, sex, the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale, medication use, the Appendicular Skeletal Muscle Mass Index, and grip strength). Notably, no association was observed between pain and low grip strength.
Conclusion: Community-dwelling older adults with chronic low back and knee pain showed low gait speed.
