Pain Sensitivity and Central Pain Mechanisms among Older Adults Hispanic Americans and non-Hispanic

Background & Aims

The prevalence of persistent pain increases with aging, where increases in joint pain and neuralgias are particularly common. Chronic geriatric pain has been associated with disability, impaired activities of daily living (ADLs), ambulation, depression, and strain on the healthcare economy. Multiple factors could influence health disparities, including differences between racial/ethnic groups in pain experience. For example, the prevalence of chronic pain is higher in Hispanic Americans (HA) than in non-Hispanic whites (NHW). Physical activity (PA) plays a significant role in the individual’s level of participation in social, work, and recreational activities. PA is a direct outcome measure of a person’s health condition. Therefore, the overall objective of the present study is to identify the potential effect of sociocultural factors such as optimism, resilience, and independence in activities of daily living in pain sensitivity and PA among older adults HA and NHW.

Methods

Participants completed demographic and medical history questionnaire, the Brief Resilience Scale, Revised Life Orientation Test, and Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living. Quantitative sensory testing followed, including pain threshold and tolerance via thermal stimuli on forearms, Suprathreshold Heat Pain Response (SHPR), and Conditioned Pain Modulation (CPM) using SHPR with thermal stimuli and a cold pressor task (7°C) as conditioning stimulus to assess the efficiency of descending pain inhibition. Participants wore an ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometer for seven days to measure PA by level-type and duration in activity categories (light, moderate, vigorous). Mann-Whitney U Tests evaluated differences in pain sensitivity and central pain mechanisms between HA and NHW, with correlation analyses examining sociocultural factors.

Results

The preliminary analysis included 14 participants (57.1% female, 9 HA, 5 NHW; mean age 66.71). No significant differences between groups were observed. Significant correlations were found between the efficiency of central pain inhibition (CPM) and vigorous level of physical activity (r=-0.751, p<0.01), and between vigorous level of physical activity and resilience (r=-0.545, p<0.05). In addition, resilience was significantly correlated to Independence in Activities of Daily Living (KATZ) (r=0.708, p<0.05).

Conclusions

The preliminary results on this study have suggested that the vigorous level of PA may play a role in central pain mechanisms in older adults HA and NHW. In addition, results show that vigorous level of physical activity is associated with higher level of resilience.

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