ArticleJournal of the American Geriatrics Society2014
High prevalence of falls, fear of falling, and impaired balance in older adults with pain in the United States: findings from the 2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study.
Article in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 64 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
64 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 157 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of manual therapies on stability in people with musculoskeletal pain: a systematic review.Chiropractic & manual therapies · 2020Pooled it
- Multisite pain and self-reported falls in older people: systematic review and meta-analysis.Arthritis research & therapy · 2019Pooled it
- The Effects of 12 Weeks of a Combined Exercise Program on Physical Function and Hormonal Status in Elderly Korean Women.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Trial
- Hypertension Treatment and Concern About Falling: Baseline Data from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2016Trial
- Article
- Predictors of Poor Post-discharge Exercise Adherence in Older Inpatients with Musculoskeletal Disorders.Annals of geriatric medicine and research · 2026Article
- Exploring the links between social connection and physical functioning among older Adults: A network analysis.PloS one · 2026Article
- Association between pain expansion, physical activity, strength, motor problems and frailty risk in middle-aged and older European people: A cross-sectional study.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2025Article
- Evidence of Embodiment-based changes in older Adult Language.Psychological research · 2025Review
- Longitudinal associations between symptom burden and fall risks in older adults with a cancer history: Findings from the 2011-2015 National Health and Aging Trends Study.Journal of geriatric oncology · 2025Article
- Hemodynamic responses at anaerobic threshold during exercise in preload insufficiency.European journal of clinical investigation · 2025Article
- Pain Status and Disability in Activities of Daily Living Among Older Adults in China: Evidence From CHARLS 2020.Pain research & management · 2025Article
- Postural control among older adults with fear of falling and chronic low back pain.BMC geriatrics · 2024Article
- Objective physical function declines in the absence of subjective physical complaints among patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairments and mild alzheimer's disease.European geriatric medicine · 2024Article
- Article
- Care Partners' Engagement in Preventing Falls for Community-Dwelling Older People With Dementia.The Gerontologist · 2024Article
- Multidimensional characteristics of musculoskeletal pain and risk of hip fractures among elderly adults: the first longitudinal evidence from CHARLS.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2024Article
- Pain and the Non-Pharmacological Management of Pain in People with Parkinson's Disease.Journal of Parkinson's disease · 2024Review
- Anterior knee pain as a potential risk factor for falls in older adults: insights from the osteoarthritis initiative data.BMC public health · 2023Observational
- The Association of Pain with Incident Falls in People with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Evidence from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
4 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo determine the prevalence of clinically relevant falls-related outcomes according to pain status in older adults in the United States.
designCross-sectional analysis of the 2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study, a sample of Medicare enrollees aged 65 and older (response rate 71.0%).
settingIn-person assessments were conducted in the home or residential care facility of the sampled study participant.
participantsIndividuals aged 65 and older (n = 7,601, representing 35.3 million Medicare beneficiaries). MEASUREMENTS: Participants were asked whether they had been "bothered by pain" and the location of pain, as well as questions about balance and coordination, fear of falling, and falls.
resultsFifty-three percent of the participants reported bothersome pain. The prevalence of recurrent falls in the past year (≥ 2 falls) was 19.5% in participants with pain and 7.4% in those without (age- and sex-adjusted prevalence ratio (PR) = 2.63, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.28-3.05). The prevalence of fear of falling that limits activity was 18.0% in those with pain and 4.4% in those without (adjusted PR = 3.98, 95% CI = 3.24-4.87). Prevalence of balance and falls outcomes increased with number of pain sites. For example, prevalence of problems with balance and coordination that limited activity was 6.6% in participants with no pain, 11.6% in those with one site of pain, 17.7% in those with two sites, 25.0% in those with three sites, and 41.4% in those with four or more sites (P < .001 for trend). Associations were robust to adjustment for several potential confounders, including cognitive and physical performance.
conclusionFalls-related outcomes were substantially more common in older adults with pain than in those without. Accordingly, pain management strategies should be developed and evaluated for falls prevention.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.