title: The severity and number of musculoskeletal pain associated with gait in community-dwelling elderly individuals.
abstract: The association of quantitative gait characteristics, such as gait variability with musculoskeletal pain is poorly understood. We aimed to examine whether gait speed and gait variability are associated with musculoskeletal pain assessed by the severity and the number of sites in community-dwelling elderly individuals.
  
  
  
  A total of 176 elderly individuals participated in this study. The wireless motion-recording sensor units were attached to the lower trunk and heel during gait, and an autocorrelation coefficient was calculated in three directions as parameters of gait variability of trunk movement. Musculoskeletal pain was assessed in two aspects: severity and the number of sites.
  
  
  
  Moderate/severe pain intensity was significantly associated with slow gait speed and low AC in a mediolateral direction (P=0.024 and 0.026, respectively). Participants with musculoskeletal pain in multiple sites had significantly lower autocorrelation coefficient in mediolateral direction than did those without pain (P=0.003).
  
  
  
  Presence of moderate/severe pain intensity in at least one site or any-intensity pain in multiple sites is associated with slower gait speed and higher gait variability of trunk movement in well-functioning elderly individuals living in the community. Additional studies are necessary to elucidate the causal relationships between musculoskeletal pain and gait.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Sciences at Narita, International University of Health and Welfare, 4-3, Kōzunomori, Narita-city, Chiba, 286-8686, Japan. Electronic address: ry-sawa@iuhw.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Ryuichi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sawa
authors.affiliation: Section for Health Promotion Department for Research and Development to Support Independent Life of Elderly, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7-430 Morioka-cho, Obu-city, Aichi, 474-8511, Japan.
authors.forename: Takehiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Doi
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, Kobe University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 7-9-2 Tomogaoka, Suma-ward, Kobe-city, Hyogo, 654-0142, Japan; Kobe City Hospital Organization, Kobe City Medical Center, West Hospital, 2-4 Ichibann-cho, Nagata, Kobe-city, Hyogo, 653-0013, Japan.
authors.forename: Shogo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Misu
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, Kobe University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 7-9-2 Tomogaoka, Suma-ward, Kobe-city, Hyogo, 654-0142, Japan.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, Kobe University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 7-9-2 Tomogaoka, Suma-ward, Kobe-city, Hyogo, 654-0142, Japan; The Center for Comprehensive Care and Research on Memory Disorders, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7-430 Morioka-cho, Obu-city, Aichi, 474-8511, Japan; Medical Genome Center, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7-430 Morioka-cho, Obu-city, Aichi, 474-8511, Japan.
authors.forename: Taiki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sugimoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, Kobe University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 7-9-2 Tomogaoka, Suma-ward, Kobe-city, Hyogo, 654-0142, Japan.
authors.forename: Shunsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Kobegakuin University, 518 Arise Tanimachi Ikawadani,Nishi-ward, Kobe-city, Hyogo, 651-2180, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asai
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 3-29-1 Otsuka,Bunkyo-ward, Tokyo, 112-0012, Japan.
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, Kobe University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 7-9-2 Tomogaoka, Suma-ward, Kobe-city, Hyogo, 654-0142, Japan.
authors.forename: Rei
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ono
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D059352:Musculoskeletal Pain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012044:Regression Analysis; D060726:Torso; D000072797:Walking Speed / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Community-dwelling elderly; Pain; Trunk movement