Falling is dangerous and sometimes even deadly for older Americans. A new study says seniors, 70 years and older who suffer with chronic bone and joint pain have an increased risk of falling.
At Boston's Hebrew rehabilitation center, Loretta and George Slover are being tested for balance. In their 70's, both have taken falls and Loretta also lives with chronic joint pain.
“The achiness is just very uncomfortable so that you know you are aware of it much too much no matter what else you are supposed to be doing,“ Loretta said
Researchers examined 749 older adults living independently, asking them to record pain levels and when they fell. 1029 falls were reported over an 18 month period.
"We found that people that had multi site pain were particularly at risk, they had a 50 percent increased likelihood of falling over a period of 18 months compared to their peers who had no pain,” University of Massachusetts researcher Dr. Suzanne Leveille said.
Researchers urge the elderly to discuss chronic pain issues with their family and health care professionals and work out a plan to better manage their pain.
