ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:
Musculoskeletal disorders are accentuated with aging. Among these, chronic pain can influence several functional aspects such as handgrip strength, especially in institutionalized elderly. The objective of this study was to check the prevalence of chronic pain and to analyze the handgrip strength in institutionalized elderly.
METHODS:
A cross-sectional, population-based study was carried out at long-term care facilities in Passo Fundo/RS (2016-2018). The population was composed of 281 residents, evaluated for sociodemographic variables (medical records), handgrip strength (manual dynamometry), and chronic pain (self-report). The statistical analysis used the descriptive statistics and the Student t-test of independent samples (p≤0.05).
RESULTS:
The sample consisted of 173 elderly individuals (80.95±8.94 years). The majority lived in private institutions, were women, widows, with 1 to 8 years of education. The prevalence of chronic pain was 39.3%, and the mean handgrip strength was 7.0±6.42kg (right hand) and 6.24±5.96kg (left hand). The handgrip strength was higher in the groups of elderly men (right and left hands: p=0.000) and non-long-living seniors (right hand: p=0.017; left hand: p=0.002). There was no difference in handgrip strength values between the groups with and without chronic pain (p>0.05).
CONCLUSION:
Institutionalized elderly present an expressive prevalence of chronic pain and handgrip strength values much lower than expected, being influenced by gender and age.
Keywords:
Gender and health; Hand strength; Health profile; Longevity; Long-term care facilities for the elderly; Pain