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Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence Clinical and Translational Science Institute
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Myth vs. Evidence: “Pain Is Just Part of Getting Older”

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The myth: Aches and pains are simply what happens as you age. Nothing to be done.

What the evidence says: Pain does become more common with age — that part is true. In 2023, chronic pain affected 12.3% of adults aged 18-29 but 36.0% of adults aged 65 and over.

But “more common” is not the same as “normal,” and it is certainly not the same as “untreatable.” That leap is where the myth does its damage.

Treating pain as an inevitable feature of aging has real consequences. It leads older adults to underreport pain to their clinicians. It leads clinicians to investigate less thoroughly. And it means treatable conditions — osteoarthritis, neuropathy, spinal stenosis, and many others — go unnamed and unmanaged.

Pain in an older adult is a signal worth investigating, not a verdict to accept. Ageing brings a higher risk of pain. It does not confer an obligation to endure it.

If you are an older adult who has stopped mentioning your pain because you assume nothing can be done, that assumption is worth revisiting with your clinician.

Chronic pain prevalence rises with age. Chronic pain goes from 12.3 percent of adults aged 18 to 29 up to 36.0 percent of adults 65 and over. High-impact chronic pain goes from 3.0 percent to 13.5 percent.0%10%20%30%40%12.3%3.0%18–2918.3%4.9%30–4428.7%11.3%45–6436.0%13.5%65+AGE GROUPChronic painHigh-impact chronic pain
Chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain by age, United States, 2023. Source: Lucas JW, Sohi I. NCHS Data Brief No. 518, November 2024 (National Health Interview Survey, 2023).

What we study:

  • Pain and Aging
  • Chronic Pain Risk Factors
  • Pain and the Brain
  • Musculoskeletal Pain
  • Pain and Exercise
  • Non-Medical Treatment of Pain

Prefer to talk to a person? Call 352-273-5967 or email PRICE-CTSI@ufl.edu.

UF Study ID IRB201400126

References

  • Lucas JW, Sohi I. Chronic Pain and High-impact Chronic Pain in U.S. Adults, 2023. NCHS Data Brief No. 518. National Center for Health Statistics; November 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db518.htm