Age-related Differences in Pain Recovery after MVC: A Prospective Longitudinal Study (2013)

Undergraduates: Ryan Dickey, Greg Pereira

Faculty Advisor: Tim Platts-Mills
Department: Music

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Persistent pain after motor vehicle collision is a major public health problem. This study aimed to determine whether older adults experience less recovery from pain than younger adults during the first six weeks after involvement in a motor vehicle collision (MVC). We analyzed data from a prospective study of European American adults presenting to one of eight emergency departments (EDs) after MVC without fracture or injury requiring admission. Pain severity was evaluated in-person in the ED and by phone six weeks after the collision using a 0-10 scale. Pain recovery was defined as pain score reported during the ED interview minus the average pain score during the past week at the six-week follow-up. Among a sample of 534 eligible patients, patients >65 years had significantly less pain recovery than younger patients (p<.01). The relationship between older age group and reduced pain recovery persisted after adjustment for patient sex, marital status, pre-collision health status, initial pain in the ED, pain in the month prior to the collision, and the severity of vehicle damage: age 18-39= 2.9 (95% CI 2.6-3.1); 40-64= 2.2 (1.8-2.6); ≥65=2.0 (1.1-2.8); p<.05. Among adults presenting to the ED with moderate or severe pain, older age was associated with reduced pain recovery at six weeks. Further research is needed to understand the psychosocial and biological factors contributing to diminished recovery from acute musculoskeletal pain due to MVC in older adults.