Association between multisite musculoskeletal pain and disability trajectories among community-dwelling older adults.

Background: Pain is linked to disability, but how multisite musculoskeletal pain leads to disability over time is not well elaborated.

Objective: To examine the associations of multisite musculoskeletal pain with disability among a nationally representative cohort.

Design: We used data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) 2015-22. Disability was assessed by basic activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL).

Participants: A total of 5557 individuals with multisite musculoskeletal pain dwelling in the community were included in this study.

Methods: Group-based trajectory models were applied to identify distinct profiles of disability in ADL and IADL. Design-based logistic regressions were used to examine associations among multisite musculoskeletal pain, disability, and dual trajectory group memberships, adjusted for sociodemographic, health status, behavioral, and mental characteristics.

Results: Persons who experienced multisite musculoskeletal pain were at higher risk of disability in ADL and IADL. We identified five heterogeneous disability trajectories and named them based on baseline levels and rates of increase over time. Approximately, 52.42% of older adults with multisite musculoskeletal pain were in trajectories with ADL and IADL declines, and 33.60% experienced a rapid decline. Multisite musculoskeletal pain was associated with elevated relative risk for the adverse disability trajectories, which generally increases with multisite musculoskeletal pain frequency and number of sites.

Conclusions: Persons with multisite musculoskeletal pain had a higher risk of disability. It is essential to adopt effective pain management strategies to maintain the independent living ability of older adults and to realize active aging.