Sarcopenic Obesity and Chronic Pain in Older Adults

Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants who work with older adults carrying a combination of low muscle mass, obesity and long-standing musculoskeletal pain in inpatient, outpatient or home-based settings.

Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants in geriatric, orthopedic, outpatient and home health practice, along with rehabilitation professionals who plan or supervise multimodal programs for older adults with chronic pain.

Intended audience

Physical Therapy

Level

Introductory

Delivery format

Online, asynchronous, self-paced course: interactive reading with audio or video, and a scored post-test.

Based on

This course is based on a single published clinical study: a prospective controlled trial without randomization conducted between January and December 2024 in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Filantropia Hospital in Craiova, Romania. The investigators enrolled 82 older adults diagnosed with sarcopenic obesity and chronic musculoskeletal pain and compared a six-month, three-phase rehabilitation program against usual daily routine.

Scope of this course

Every statement in this course traces to that one report. Where the authors described their own program, their own results or their own limits, this course reports what they said and how certain they were. It does not extend their findings to populations they did not study, and it does not issue practice recommendations of its own.

Source: prospective controlled trial without randomization of a structured three-phase rehabilitation program in elderly patients with sarcopenic obesity and chronic pain, with outcomes measured at baseline and six months using the Sarcopenia Quality of Life Questionnaire, the Short Physical Performance Battery, the Numeric Rating Scale for pain, and pressure pain threshold measured by algometry. Ethics approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova.

After completing this course, you will be able to:

1. Describe the population studied in this trial, including how the investigators identified sarcopenic obesity with chronic musculoskeletal pain in adults aged 65 to 80.
2. Name the three phases of the rehabilitation program that was tested and state what the participants in the comparison group received instead.
3. State the direction of the six-month findings for physical performance, pain and sarcopenia-related quality of life, and explain the main limits the authors placed on those findings.

1. Start Here: how this course works
2. Audio Overview: Rehabilitation for the Sarcopenia, Obesity and Chronic Pain Triad (about nine minutes)
3. Sarcopenic Obesity With Chronic Pain: The Clinical Picture and Who Was Studied
4. Inside the Three-Phase Program: Inpatient Physiotherapy, Home Training and Outpatient Follow-Up
5. Six-Month Results: Function, Pain and Quality of Life
6. Design Limits: What This Trial Cannot Settle
7. Translating the Findings to Geriatric Rehabilitation Practice
8. Key Takeaways
9. Post-test and course evaluation

Quinn Millington, PT, DPT, ECS is the instructor of record: the licensed clinician who reviewed this course and signed off on it. The name and credentials print on the certificate.

Disclosures. This course was developed by The ConEd Solution, which has a financial interest in its sale. No outside funding or sponsorship was received. The instructor of record has no affiliation with the authors of the source publication or their institutions.

This course awards 0.5 contact hours (30 min). How you earn them:

1. Complete the course. Every lesson, in order.
2. Pass the post-test. Score 80% or higher. Retakes are allowed.
3. Complete the evaluation. A short form rating each learning objective and the course.
4. Download your certificate. It is issued on completion and stays available in My Account.

The episode time is its measured length. Reading, post-test and evaluation times are estimates.

This course is designed to satisfy the quality requirements state boards set for continuing education. Requirements vary by state, and confirming that a course fits your renewal is up to you. Each state’s own acceptance statement is in the credit panel on this page.

1. This course is based on a single published clinical study: a prospective controlled trial without randomization conducted between January and December 2024 in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Filantropia Hospital in Craiova, Romania. The investigators enrolled 82 older adults diagnosed with sarcopenic obesity and chronic musculoskeletal pain and compared a six-month, three-phase rehabilitation program against usual daily routine.
2. Scope of this course
3. Every statement in this course traces to that one report. Where the authors described their own program, their own results or their own limits, this course reports what they said and how certain they were. It does not extend their findings to populations they did not study, and it does not issue practice recommendations of its own.
4. Source: prospective controlled trial without randomization of a structured three-phase rehabilitation program in elderly patients with sarcopenic obesity and chronic pain, with outcomes measured at baseline and six months using the Sarcopenia Quality of Life Questionnaire, the Short Physical Performance Battery, the Numeric Rating Scale for pain, and pressure pain threshold measured by algometry. Ethics approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova.