Chronic pain in the lives of older women

Abstract

Despite the prevalence of chronic pain among the elderly and older women in particular, the geriatric literature has given very little attention to it. Older women experience a range of undesirable functional, psychological, and social consequences as a result of living with chronic pain. This paper focuses on chronic pain in the lives of older adults. Age, gender, social history, and cultural expectations may influence individual responses to chronic pain, thus necessitating a multidimensional approach to its assessment and treatment. Strategies for effectively managing chronic pain experienced by the elderly include both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic regimes. To illustrate the biopsychosocial nature of chronic pain, specific attention is given to osteoporosis, a prevalent disease among older women in which pain plays a major role.