MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC PAIN

The principles of chronic pain management in the elderly are the same as in younger people; whenever possible, the cause of the pain should be identified and eradicated. However, older people are more likely to suffer pain from incurable conditions, and the emotional component of the suffering may be considerable. Treatment options include analgesi cs, opiates, antidepressants and anticonvulsants as well as psychologi cal strategies, physical strategies such as exercise and transcutaneou s electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), and surgery. Improvement of fun ction may be a more important treatment goal than relief of pain.