Common Pain Syndromes Older Adults

OA: Clinical Features  Pain prime reason for medical care and leading cause of disability in seniors  Progressive loss of articular cartilage leading to joint pain and movement restrictions  Joint pain in one or more joints  Experienced with activity, relieved by rest  Stiffness, swelling, deformity, loss of function  Morning stiffness common, usually for < 1 hr.  If joints become unstable, pain often more prominent, even at rest Steigelfest, E. Osteoarthritis. eMedicine, 2005. Available from www.emedicine.com/med/topic1682.htm Prevalence of disabilities and associated health conditions among adults—United States 1999. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2001;50:120-125.