Self-reported pain and fatigue are associated with physical and cognitive function in middle to older-aged adults 2023 Peterson et al

Abstract

Persistent fatigue is often reported in those with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Separately, both chronic pain and chronic fatigue contribute to physical and cognitive decline in older adults. Concurrent pain and fatigue symptoms may increase disability and diminish quality of life, though little data exist to show this. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between self-reported pain and fatigue, both independently and combined, with cognitive and physical function in middle-older-aged adults with chronic knee pain.

Using a cross-sectional study design participants (n = 206, age 58.0 ± 8.3) completed questionnaires on pain and fatigue, a physical performance battery to assess physical function, and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Hierarchical regressions and moderation analyses were used to assess the relationship between the variables of interest. Pain and fatigue both predicted physical function (β = -0.305, p < 0.001; β = -0.219, p = 0.003, respectively), however only pain significantly predicted cognitive function (β = -0.295, p <0.001). A centered pain*fatigue interaction was a significant predictor of both cognitive function (β = -0.137, p = 0.049) and physical function (β = -0.146, p = 0.048). These findings indicate that self-reported fatigue may contribute primarily to decline in physical function among individuals with chronic pain, and less so to decline in cognitive function. Future studies should examine the impact of both cognitive and physical function decline together on overall disability and health.

Open access, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0197457222002968

 

are they serious, its ruddy obvious.... how much data do you need?! its like saying there is little data to show that there is more natural light when the sun is shining that after sunset.

 

Oh, man. This is just the cake. This is what science looks like when it chooses to completely detach from reality, it truly reaches the level of privileged medieval aristocrat's understanding of what the poors are living like. There is no data showing that getting hit repeatedly on the head with a shovel is bad for health. There is no need for this data, because common sense is enough. Unless someone chooses to interpret the words chronic pain and fatigue as meaning something else, there is no need for this because this is literally what they mean.

Looks like we all hit on the same bit of nonsense. This is beyond clownish, this is like a giant bureaucracy built around the slowest possible form of clowning around that is humanly possible. There are chat bots with more common sense than this and they literally don't have any, they can just successfully fake it better than this mindless robotic drivel.