Limitations in Activities of Daily Living in People With Chronic Pain: Identification of Groups Using Clusters Analysis

Background Chronic pain (CP) is a major public health problem affecting patients' lives and reducing physical activity. The aim is to establish subgroups of people with chronic pain (PCP) according to limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs), and to identify sociodemographic, pain-related, and psychosocial variables associated with each subgroup. Methods Nationwide cross-sectional study on a representative sample of the Spanish adult population. Information on pain characteristics and ADL limitations was collected via telephone survey. A cluster analysis was used to identify subgroups of subjects according to the limitations on ADLs. Multivariate analysis was performed to analyze the variables related to each subgroup. Results Out of the 1,957 surveys included in the original study, 325 PCP were identified according to the definition of the International Association for the Study of Pain. More than 50% reported some limitation in ADLs. Three groups of PCP were identified, with low, medium, and high ADL limitation. Older age, widespread and more intense pain, decrease in work activity, and belief that their pain affected the relationship with their friends were associated with higher limitations. Conclusions The identification of the characteristics of people with higher limitations could help guide future prevention and treatment initiatives to minimize the disabling impact of chronic pain on patients' family, work, and social life.