Development of an effective preventive strategy of chronic pain for community-dwelling older adults

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K19869
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 59010:Rehabilitation science-related
• Research Institution: Kanagawa University of Human Services (2022-2023); Nagasaki University (2019-2021)
• Principal Investigator: Hirase Tatsuya 神奈川県立保健福祉大学, 保健福祉学部, 准教授 (20592752)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-03-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 高齢者 / 慢性疼痛 / 新規発生 / 身体活動促進 / ランダム化比較試験 / 予防効果

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study was to examine whether compared with a program without increased physical activity, an intervention program with increased physical activity can prevent the development of chronic musculoskeletal pain in community-dwelling older adults. Seventy-nine older adults without musculoskeletal pain were randomized into two groups: an intervention group (n=40) that engaged in increased physical activity and an exercise class and a control group (n=39) that participated only in the exercise class. The exercise class consisted of weekly 60-min sessions over 24 weeks. The program to increased physical activity required the participants to record their daily step counts using pedometers. As a result, the intervention program with increased physical activity prevented the development of chronic musculoskeletal pain during the intervention period, but no long-term preventive effects of this program observed.

Free Research Field

リハビリテーション科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

高齢者における慢性疼痛の予防戦略を開発し，その長期的な効果を明らかにした先行研究は国内外において皆無であり，この点を明らかにした本研究の学術的意義は高いといえる．また，本研究より介入による身体活動量の変化と運動器疼痛の新規発生には密接な関連があることが示唆され，この点は高齢期における慢性疼痛の一次予防対策に寄与する重要な知見と思われる．さらに，本研究で開発した介入プログラムは誰でも簡便に実行可能であることから地域フィールドにおける波及効果も高く，社会的意義も大きいと考えている．