OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationships between low back pain (LBP) frequency and intensity and self-reported and performance-based physical function in a large cohort of well-functioning older adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey and examination. SETTING: Community-based cohort of the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) study. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 2,766 community-dwelling adults, aged 70-79; 42% were African American, 52% were men. OUTCOME MEASURES: 1) Back pain-location, frequency, intensity; 2) Hip and/or knee pain; 3) Body mass index (BMI); 4) Self-reported difficulty doing functional tasks; 5) Lower extremity function, using the battery from the Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies in the Elderly (EPESE); 6) Self-rated health; 7) Comorbidity; 8) Depressive symptoms, using the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale. RESULTS: LBP was common (36%), and its frequency/intensity was significantly associated with other pain and comorbidities. In gender-specific models, LBP frequency/intensity was not significantly associated with EPESE performance score after adjusting for age, race, BMI, CES-D score, knee pain, hip pain, and other comorbidities. LBP frequency/intensity, however, was significantly associated with self-reported difficulty with most functional tasks after adjusting for important confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Among well-functioning community-dwelling older adults, LBP frequency/intensity was associated with perceived difficulty in performing important functional tasks, but not with observed physical performance. The demonstrated dose-response relationship between pain frequency/intensity and self-reported task performance difficulty underscores the importance of clinical efforts to treat pain without necessarily eradicating it. Additional work is needed to determine whether back pain is associated with a risk for progressive functional decline and loss of independence in older adults and whether therapeutic interventions can ameliorate decline and, therefore, preserve independence.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationships between low back pain (LBP) frequency and intensity and self-reported and performance-based physical function in a large cohort of well-functioning older adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey and examination. SETTING: Community-based cohort of the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) study. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 2,766 community-dwelling adults, aged 70-79; 42% were African American, 52% were men. OUTCOME MEASURES: 1) Back pain-location, frequency, intensity; 2) Hip and/or knee pain; 3) Body mass index (BMI); 4) Self-reported difficulty doing functional tasks; 5) Lower extremity function, using the battery from the Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies in the Elderly (EPESE); 6) Self-rated health; 7) Comorbidity; 8) Depressive symptoms, using the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale. RESULTS: LBP was common (36%), and its frequency/intensity was significantly associated with other pain and comorbidities. In gender-specific models, LBP frequency/intensity was not significantly associated with EPESE performance score after adjusting for age, race, BMI, CES-D score, knee pain, hip pain, and other comorbidities. LBP frequency/intensity, however, was significantly associated with self-reported difficulty with most functional tasks after adjusting for important confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Among well-functioning community-dwelling older adults, LBP frequency/intensity was associated with perceived difficulty in performing important functional tasks, but not with observed physical performance. The demonstrated dose-response relationship between pain frequency/intensity and self-reported task performance difficulty underscores the importance of clinical efforts to treat pain without necessarily eradicating it. Additional work is needed to determine whether back pain is associated with a risk for progressive functional decline and loss of independence in older adults and whether therapeutic interventions can ameliorate decline and, therefore, preserve independence.
Authors: William B Weeks; Brent Leininger; James M Whedon; Jon D Lurie; Tor D Tosteson; Rand Swenson; Alistair J O'Malley; Christine M Goertz Journal: J Manipulative Physiol Ther Date: 2016-02-19 Impact factor: 1.437
Authors: Lynn M Marshall; Stephanie Litwack-Harrison; Peggy M Cawthon; Deborah M Kado; Richard A Deyo; Una E Makris; Hans L Carlson; Michael C Nevitt Journal: J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci Date: 2016-01-12 Impact factor: 6.053
Authors: Joseph W Shega; Melissa Andrew; Ashwin Kotwal; Denys T Lau; Keela Herr; Mary Ersek; Debra K Weiner; Marshall H Chin; William Dale Journal: J Am Geriatr Soc Date: 2013-12-09 Impact factor: 5.562
Authors: Sara R Piva; G Kelley Fitzgerald; James J Irrgang; Julie M Fritz; Stephen Wisniewski; Gerald T McGinty; John D Childs; Manuel A Domenech; Scott Jones; Anthony Delitto Journal: Arch Phys Med Rehabil Date: 2009-02 Impact factor: 3.966
Authors: Eric J Roseen; Michael P LaValley; Shanshan Li; Robert B Saper; David T Felson; Lisa Fredman Journal: J Gen Intern Med Date: 2018-10-22 Impact factor: 5.128