Treatment Seeking of Older People with Chronic Pain during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A Study from Rural India

Background: This study is an attempt to find out the treatment seeking, pain management, and coping strategies of older adults with chronic pain during lockdown. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted as a survey. The pain and functional status of the patient during the hospital visit were gathered and transcribed verbatim. The extracted data were analyzed descriptively, and the difference between groups before and during lockdown was analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U -test. Results: One hundred and thirty-six (32.38%) participants were included in the study. Pain intensity significantly increased during the COVID-19 lockdown among individuals with prior pain episodes ( P = 0.034). Those using coping strategies showed greater changes than non-users. Analgesics ( P = 0.042) and non-pharmacological measures such as exercises, ergonomic adjustments, and braces were effective interventions ( P = 0.044). Conclusion: Pain intensity of the participants with chronic musculoskeletal pain was reduced during the lockdown, even though they had not visited the clinics. The improvement in pain for people who took analgesics and exercises was similar.