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The authors of a study published in Arthritis reviewed the extent to which "weight status impacts salient physical, health, and pain measures in older, knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients." The authors assessed differences in mobility performance, and pain symptoms as a function of weight status." The study results indicate that "normal weight subjects outperformed obese participants on most measures.” Full Story

The authors of a recent study published in Current Opinion in Psychiatry “explored potential role of psychological treatments for older people who are affected by chronic pain.” The results indicate that  “particular challenges arise for the delivery of psychological interventions to people with pain and cognitive impairment associated with dementia.” The authors conclude that “there is sufficient evidence that psychological interventions are efficacious for older people with chronic pain.” Full Story

The authors of a recent study published in Pain Management Nursing explored “nurses' and care workers' estimations of residents' pain (both general and chronic) and the number of residents with unknown pain status.” The included 750 nursing facilities in which one nurse and one case worker from each facility was asked to complete a questionnaire. The authors found that “nurses and care workers had relatively low estimations of the prevalence of pain among their residents.” Full Story

The authors of a recent study published in The Journal of Rheumatology determined the “diagnostic test performance of location of pain and activity-related pain in identifying knees with patellofemoral joint (PFJ) structural damage” among older adults. The authors enrolled 407 participants and assessed Cartilage damage and bone marrow lesions using magnetic resonance imaging. Full Story

The authors of a recent study published in Pain Medicine aimed to “understand illness representations of back pain, severe enough to restrict activity (restricting back pain)” among older adults. The authors performed semi-structured interviews with 23 community dwelling older adults “to stimulate discussion about how older adults understand and perceive living with restricting back pain.” The study results indicate “that restricting back pain in older adults has variable and noteworthy physical, psychological and social consequences.” Full Story

The authors of a recent study published in the Journal of Gerontological Nursing examined the “presence of uncontrolled and untreated pain in patients with cognitive impairments such as delirium and dementia” among older adults in the hospital setting. The authors reviewed the effectiveness of the Pain Assessment In Advanced Dementia (PAINAD) scale as an evaluation tool for older adults with pain. The authors conclude that the “proper use of the PAINAD scale as part of a comprehensive pain management plan can help reduce the likelihood of a patient experiencing unrecognized and untreated pain.” Full Story

The authors of a recent study published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society evaluated “the strong associations between dyspnea and pain.” The authors analyzed data from “266,000 Medicare Managed Care recipients surveyed in 2010 and 2012, who were assessed for pain interference, chest pain, back pain, arthritis pain, and shortness of breath.” The authors conclude that “pain and dyspnea commonly occurred together,” and that “most older adults with dyspnea reported pain.” Full Story

The authors of a recent study published in the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners examined “the benefits and risk of NSAID use in older adults.” The authors conducted a electronic data collection of research studies, evidence-based reviews, consensus statements, and guidelines to search for studies related to the purpose of this article. Studies were analyzed if published between 2000 and 2013 in English and were searched using from Ovid, MEDLINE, and PubMed databases. The authors conclude that “the challenge for clinicians prescribing NSAIDs in the treatment of pain in older adults is to utilize safe, individualized, and evidenced-based [...]

The authors of a recent study published in Trials explored “the effectiveness of an integrated pain management program in improving pain intensity, functional mobility, physical activity, loneliness levels, happiness levels, and the use of non-pharmacological pain-relieving methods among frail older adults with chronic pain.” Participants were recruited to join an 8-week group based pain management program, which consisted of 2 one-hour sessions each week. The results indicate that the program can be effective in reducing pain conditions among older adults. Full Story

A recent study published in the Journal of Community Health assessed whether the “modified 14-item Arthritis Health Belief Model (AHBI) instrument can be used among ethnically diverse older adults with arthritis.” The results indicate that the AHBI can be useful in “ assessing how individual perceptions influence access to nonpharmacological pain therapy among ethnically diverse community-dwelling older adults; and measuring the likelihood of using nonpharmacological pain therapy by older adults.” Full Story