title: 'Living within your limits': activity restriction in older people experiencing chronic pain.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  although maintaining activity is key to successful pain management, and important to health and wellbeing, it is known that older people in pain frequently alter or reduce activity levels. A 'fear-avoidance' model is often used to explain avoidance of activity in the face of pain. However, this model is not intended to take account of the wider context in which activity changes take place, nor older people's own explanations for their behaviour.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  to investigate the reasons why older people in the community adjust their activity levels when living with chronic pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  thirty-one people aged between 67 and 92 were purposively sampled from respondents to a community-based cross-sectional survey. All participants had reported long-term pain and were interviewed about this. Data were collected and analysed using a qualitative constructivist grounded theory approach.
  
  
  RESULTS
  explanations for deliberative reduction or ceasing of activities reflected a desire to prevent pain exacerbation, thereby avoiding medical intervention. It also reflected a desire to safeguard autonomy in the face of pain in older age. Restrictions were often rationalised as normal in older age, although co-existing accounts of perseverance and frustration with limitation were also evident.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  a rational desire to avoid pain exacerbation and medical intervention motivated restrictions to activity. However, deliberative limitation of activity has the potential to compromise autonomy by increasing social isolation and de-conditioning. Supporting older people with pain to be active requires sensitivity to the function of activity restriction, especially as a means of preventing deterioration.
authors: School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, 39, Whatley Road, Bristol BS8 2PR, UK.
authors: Fiona
authors: F
authors: Mackichan
authors: Joy
authors: J
authors: Adamson
authors: Rachael
authors: R
authors: Gooberman-Hill
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004644:Emotions; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011908:Rationalization; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012934:Social Isolation
keywords: activity; chronic pain; older people; participation; qualitative research