People who suffer chronic pain may be at higher risk for falls.

According to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, "people who suffer chronic pain may be at higher risk for falls." Researchers "followed more than 700 people over age 70" in the Boston area. "After 18 months," the investigators "found that people who said they felt pain in two or more joints in one month were 50 percent more likely to fall in the following month than people who did not report joint pain."

       "Severe pain and pain that affected participants' ability to do daily activities also made falls more likely, the researchers found." Moreover, "having pain in one month made falling in the next month likely. People who reported severe pain in one month had a 77 percent increased risk of falling the next month," but "even people reporting very mild pain were more likely to fall the following month, the group found."

        "Pain contributes to functional decline and muscle weakness, the researchers said, and it has been associated with mobility limitations that could predispose patients to falls." The study authors suggested that "paying closer attention to pain and falls 'could result in better health and help people to continue living actively and independently in the community.'"

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