Older adults' knee pain is usually not an isolated problem, but is more often part of a constellation of chronic aches. Osteoarthritis is the common, wear-and-tear form of arthritis in which the cartilage cushioning the joints breaks down over time, leading to inflammation, stiffness and pain. Osteoarthritis in the knee could help create pain elsewhere by affecting a person's posture, gait or activity levels, according to Croft. Obesity can also contribute to pain in numerous body sites. But in a more general sense factors like a person's general health and perceptions of pain help determine whether pain - wherever it is - becomes chronic, and whether discomfort develops in other parts of the body. Older people may commonly have a pain syndrome affecting their joints, as opposed to an isolated form of arthritis. Researchers from the Keele University, UK, surveyed more than 6,000 adults age 50 years of older and found that 57 percent of those who reported knee pain also had pain in at least two other body sites, and these men and women tended to have more physical limitations than their peers. Only a minority of those with knee pain had that problem alone. The survey included patients at three general practices who indicated any body sites in which they had pain for at least one day in the past month. The subjects also answered questions about their general health, weight and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Overall, 41 percent said they'd had knee pain in the past month, while 23 percent reported pain in other sites. Of the men and women with knee pain, most had pain elsewhere usually affecting two or more sites, such as the lower back, neck or hip. Those with multiple aches and pains also reported more physical limitations. According to the researchers it is possible that treating knee pain will help ease pain in other body areas. But it may also be important to focus on general pain management for older people with more widespread symptoms.
Arthritis & Rheumatism,
July 2005