Extract

Background and study aims Chronic (long-term) pain is any pain that has lasted for more than 12 weeks. As we get older, it is particularly common to experience pain in muscles and joints (musculoskeletal pain), especially in the over 65s age group. Studies have shown that when a person is in pain, they are likely to avoid movement and physical activity which could make their pain worse. This has led to many people over the age of 65 becoming very inactive. The benefits of exercise on the body are well documented, and so it is important to encourage older people to be more active. An acceptable form of exercise which does not put too much strain on the body is walking. iPOPP (increasing physical activity in older people) is a new programme which has been developed to encourage older people to walk more. It involves face-to-face appointments with specially trained health care assistants (HCAs) as well as the delivery of motivational messages to encourage people to continue with the programme. The aim of this study is to find out whether the iPOPP programme is an effective way of improving physical activity in older people suffering from chronic pain. Who can participate? Adults aged 65 or over who have seen their GP about musculoskeletal pain in the last 12 months. What does the study involve? Participants are randomly allocated to one of three groups. Participants in the first group (control group) continue to receive usual care, such as seeing their GP, taking medication and receiving treatment (i.e. physiotherapy) and are also posted a copy of the pain toolkit (a simple booklet which provides tips and skills to help people to manage their chronic pain). Participants in the second group continue to receive their usual care, but are also given two appointments with a trained HCA. At the first appointment, they are given a pedometer and user guide, a walking diary (to record how much they are walking) and a copy of the pain toolkit and at the second appointment (by telephone) they are asked for feedback about how much they are walking. Participants also receive motivational messages every week for 8 weeks in the form of a postcard, email or text, to encourage them to maintain their walking plan. Participants in the third group receive the pedometer, user guide, walking diary and pain toolkit in the post, as well as continuing to receive their usual care. What are the possible benefits and risks of participating? Not provided at time of registration Where is the study run from? Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre (UK) When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for? December 2015 to May 2016 Who is funding the study? Arthritis Research UK (UK) Who is the main contact? Ms Jacqueline Gray

Inclusion criteria

• Topic: Primary Care, Musculoskeletal disorders, Ageing; Subtopic: Musculoskeletal (all Subtopics), Ageing, Primary care; Disease: Musculoskeletal, All Diseases, All Ageing

Links

• ictrp
• isrctn