Chronic pain affects senior citizens aged 65+ more so than for any other age group. Is it just age related or are there other factors involved?
Chronic pain among seniors can be so painful, to the point that 20% of aged adults report having to stop daily activities that included sports, exercise, and work.
This persistent pain is defined as lasting three months or longer, according to a recent survey.
Chronic Pain: Study Results
A recent Harris Poll found that 57 percent of those seniors surveyed have experienced protracted chronic pain. Back pain was the most common complaint, followed by knee and neck/shoulder problems.
Suffering seniors found relief in medications. For example, over-the-counter medications helped more than 50% of those seniors surveyed. For the other participants, physical therapy, muscle massage, and surgery helped.
And finally, a smaller segment of participants found relief in yoga, tai chi, and medical marijuana.
Sixty seven percent of seniors with chronic pain had it affect their lives to the point where they had to give up many of their daily activities.
Those activities included sports, exercise, painting, gardening or others.
Doctors recommend that in addition to medications, senior citizens also consider non-traditional therapies such as yoga, tai chi, and meditation.