An exercise cum cognitive-behavioral intervention for older adults with chronic pain: A cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To examine the medium-term effects of a group intervention combining exercise and cognitive-behavioral strategies (EC) on older adults with chronic pain.

Method: One hundred and fifty-two Hong Kong Chinese older adults with chronic pain affecting bones, muscles, and joints were randomized by clinic/social center to receive 10 weekly sessions of EC or pain education (control). The primary (pain intensity) and secondary outcomes (pain disability, pain self-efficacy, pain catastrophizing, pain coping, depressive symptoms, health-related quality of life, and hip and knee strength) were collected at baseline (T1), postintervention (T2), and 3- (T3) and 6-month follow-ups (T4). The trajectories of intervention effects were modeled by EC × time and EC × time2 interaction terms in mixed-effects regression.

Results: Significant EC × time and/or EC × time2 interactions were found for pain intensity, pain disability, self-efficacy, and catastrophizing, such that the treatment effect leveled off (pain disability) or diminished (pain intensity and catastrophizing) over time, or continued to increase in a linear fashion (self-efficacy). There was also a treatment main effect on hip/knee muscle strength. Group differences in favor of EC were observed up to 3-month follow-up for pain intensity ( = -0.51) and hip/knee muscle strength ( = 0.38), and up to 6-month follow-up for pain disability ( = -0.60) and self-efficacy ( = 0.52). No group difference was found for catastrophizing at any time point. No treatment effects were found for the other outcomes.

Conclusion: Older people suffering from chronic pain can benefit from a program incorporating both cognitive-behavioral techniques and physical exercise. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).