Relationship between physical activity and disability due to pain in seniors: cross-sectional study

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:The practice of physical activities brings benefits to physical and mental health, and in the senior population it can contribute to reducing pain complaints. This study aimed to assess the relationship between the level of physical activity and pain disability in seniors. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study carried out with senior people living in the city of Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The selection of the seniors was carried out through simple random sampling, totaling 410 respondents. The Modified Baecke Questionnaire for Seniors (MBQS) was used to classify the level of physical activity, also classifying the seniors as active or sedentary. For the analysis of disability due to pain, the Pain Disability Index (PDI) was used. RESULTS: Of the 410 seniors participants in this study, 58.5% were female, with a mean age of 72.21±7.0 years. 41% of the seniors were considered active or very active. The sedentary seniors were those who presented greater physical limitations due to pain (p<0.00). Network analysis showed that greater pain limitations were related to leisure, social, and vital activities. It was observed that the higher the level of physical activity, the lower the limitation due to pain (p<0.01).