Community-based Exercise for Older Adults With Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF LIMERICK · Jul 30, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how community-based exercise programs can help older adults who have chronic musculoskeletal pain, which is a long-lasting pain in the muscles and bones. Many people in Ireland who experience this kind of pain struggle to stay active, and there aren’t enough resources available to support them. The goal of this trial is to create exercise programs led by trainers who are specially educated to understand the needs of those with chronic pain. By participating, older adults may find it easier to engage in physical activity, which could improve their pain management and overall health.

To be eligible for this trial, participants need to be aged 50 or older and have experienced chronic musculoskeletal pain for at least three months. They should not be currently meeting the recommended physical activity level of 150 minutes per week. Participants who have certain health conditions that could worsen with exercise or who have significant mobility issues will not be included. Those who join the trial can expect to engage in tailored exercise sessions designed to be safe and supportive, with trainers trained to understand and address their specific pain needs. This approach aims to make exercise more accessible and effective for older adults dealing with chronic pain.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Participants will be aged 50 or older,
• • report chronic MSK pain of ≥3 months duration,
• • not currently meeting the exercise guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week (determined using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Participants will be excluded if they have health conditions which could be worsened by exercise (e.g. neurological, or cardiovascular conditions, post-exertional malaise (screened using the DePaul Post-Exertional Malaise Questionnaire have recently undergone trauma or surgery, or have significant mobility issues which would limit exercise participation.
• • Participants who are unable to communicate in English sufficiently to complete consent or baseline assessment will be excluded