Some Reasons Behind Geriatric Pain And Ways To Deal With It
Some Reasons Behind Geriatric Pain And Ways To Deal With It
Elderly patients often complain about a variety of pain in the body. It is a common problem with everyone after a certain age. Chronic geriatric pain means pain experienced by people above the age of 60 or 65 for more than 3 months which hampers their daily activities and causes strain on their overall health. However, we mostly ignore geriatric pain, thinking it to be age-associated and natural. Even though it is natural that elderly patients will suffer from joint pain and neuralgias, proper detection and treatment can genuinely improve their living and provide relief to the ailments.
Types of pains in elderly patients
The most common types of pains complained of by elderly patients are: –
• Joint stiffness
• Joint inflammation in the knees, waist, hips and back.
• Nerve pain
• Pain in the neck and lower back portions.
Causes of pains in elderly patients
Some of the major reasons for geriatric pain are: –
• Arthritis
Elderly patients complain of joint pain and stiffness in the knees, which mostly result from arthritis. Arthritis is of two kinds, namely, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease which inflames the joints and causes severe pain, swelling and stiffness. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis may complain of tenderness, swelling and stiffness in the joints in the morning. Osteoarthritis is the wear and tear of joint cartilage due to age. The joints lose their elasticity, and the cartilage wears out, making the bones painfully rub against each other.
• Bone spurs-
Due to bone spurs happen when calcified growths press on the nerves, ligaments and tendons leading to pain down the neck, shoulders, spine, hips, lower back and knees. The patient may feel a sudden tingling and a sensation of numbness, along with pain in the surrounding areas. Ageing and disc degeneration are two of the primary reasons for bone spurs.
• Degenerative disc disease-
Reason for geriatric pain in the lower back or neck areas may be due to degenerative discs. When discs inside the lower back or neck degenerate, they put pressure on the nerves and the spinal cord. Rupturing of the discs or a slipped disc often leads to pain in elderly patients in the lower back, hips or down the legs. It can happen any time after the age of 40 and is very common after the age of 60.
• Frozen shoulder-
Happens when the connective tissues around the shoulder region get stiff and thicken due to arthritis or immobilisation and cause severe pain. The joint loses its flexibility, and it may be painful to move the arm.
Treatment
Proper diagnosis is needed to go into the root cause of the pain and address the reasons behind them. Getting assessed by a doctor and going through examinations is a part of the detection process, which can help to relieve the pain. Some of the ways to deal with the pain at home are: –
• Avoiding too long periods of rest to the joint pains. A slight movement is necessary in between to keep them moving.
• A doctor may suggest you to go through physiotherapy and exercises at home to provide some relief in case of pains and frozen shoulder. This improves the flexibility of the muscles and reduces stiffness. Follow the exercise schedule without fail.
• The doctor may also suggest certain medications for chronic nerve pain or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for joint pain if the pain is getting too severe.
• Using muscle relaxants and massaging pain-relieving ointments and oils at home is also a good way to provide temporary relief to the pain and soothe the stiffness.
• If the condition of the knees or hip joints is too severe, the doctor may also suggest a replacement surgery.
