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Not So Golden After All:The Complexities of Chronic Low Back Pain in Older Adulthood
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Not So Golden After All:The Complexities of Chronic Low Back Pain in Older Adulthood

Meredith L. Stensland and Sara Sanders
The Gerontologist, Vol.58(5), pp.923-931
10/01/2018
DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnx154
PMID: 29319801
url
https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnx154View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Background and Objectives: The study objective was to understand how Chronic low back pain (CLBP) impacts key aging concepts such as retirement, housing, health, and independence. Research Design and Methods: Twenty-one pain clinic patients (66-83 years old) with CLBP engaged in 23 in-depth semi-structured interviews, which were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Guided by van Manen's phenomenological method, researchers used line-by-line thematic coding to analyze data through an iterative process. Results: Participants' accounts illustrate the interplay between aging and living with CLBP. Under the larger theme "Not so golden after all," results are reflected in five subthemes: (a) Falling apart; (b) Pain stigmatizes aging; (c) Hurting slowly, aging quickly; (d) Pain threatens independence; (e) The reality of unrealized futures. Discussion and Implications: This study improves our understanding of how CLBP complicates growing older with regard to tarnished retirements and stigmatization. Findings highlight the importance of coordinated care and recognition of pain-related loss.
Geriatrics & Gerontology Gerontology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Science & Technology

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