Aging & Health A to Z

Pain Management

Basic Facts & Information

Pain is a common experience for older people. The extent to which pain disrupts daily routines seems to get worse with age. Despite this alarming fact, pain is often poorly evaluated and managed in older people.

There is no reason to suffer silently with persistent pain as you get older. Healthcare professionals agree that adequate pain management that improves quality of life and conserves the ability to carry out the activities of daily living is everyone’s right. Good pain management can also keep you healthier by allowing you to stay active, eat well, and enjoy a normal social life.

If you are in pain, you may not want to talk about it, or tell anyone how bad it really is. There are several common reasons that may prompt you to keep silent about your pain including:

• belief that pain is unavoidable
• fears related to worsening of disease
• desire to avoid expensive tests or going to the hospital
• desire to not be seen as a complainer
• not wanting to be a burden to loved ones or caregivers.  

In most cases, it is possible to manage pain to allow you to do the things that are important to you.  Pain that is poorly managed is associated with:

• Depression and anxiety
• Poor sleep
• Loss of appetite (is it accurate to say “weight loss”)
• Inability to carry out daily functions
• Loss of independence
• Social withdrawal
• Worsening mental impairment (dementia)
• Increased cost to the healthcare system.

What Does “Pain” Refer To?

Pain is a complex, unpleasant experience that you feel through your sense organs. It is influenced by your memories and expectations, and it also causes an emotional reaction.

The sensation of pain travels on nerves to the spinal cord and then to your brain. The message informs your brain about the severity of pain (mild or severe), pattern of pain (sudden or persistent) and the location that it is coming from. Another important part of pain is its quality (such as: aching, burning, stabbing, crushing).  How you describe the quality of your pain helps determine the cause of the pain, such as nerve-related or muscle/bone or organ related. 

Your primary care provider may be able to find a medical reason for your pain by doing an x-ray or other imaging tests, but with persistent or chronic pain there is often no identifiable cause.  This does not mean that the pain is not real. Your own experience of pain is what matters.

The Most Common Types of Pain

Pain may be acute or persistent (sometimes called chronic).  It is possible to experience both acute and persistent pain simultaneously.

Acute pain, which comes on quickly and may not last very long, results from an injury, surgery, or other type of tissue damage. It usually goes away when the injury heals.

Persistent pain, which can be long-lasting, may or may not be associated with a disease or injury. If you have persistent pain, you are more likely to suffer from depression or anxiety, and feel that your quality of life and daily functioning has been impacted.

Pain may also have different causes. Pain related to muscles, bones and organs is a response to an injury or disease. It is usually confined to a single area and responds well to treatment with pain medicines. Pain caused by damaged nerves or the brain is likely to cause unusual sensations, may be harder to identify location and can be difficult to treat with standard pain relievers.    

How Common is Pain in Older Adults?

Pain is one of the most common health problems experienced by older adults. Between 25-50% of all older people living at home, and up to 85% of older individuals living in nursing homes, report that they are in serious pain.

Some kinds of pain, such as back pain, seem to decline in frequency as people get older. Other types, such as large joint pain (pain in the knees, hip, or feet) may increase. About 12% of older adults have widespread pain, and pain is reported more often by women than by men.

Updated: March 2012
Posted:  March 2012