Do older patients have a higher pain threshold?
Elderly people with rib fractures took fewer pain medications than younger ones, a study shows
Older patients report much less pain than their younger counterparts when they experience a rib fracture, a new study shows.
Although it’s unclear whether geriatric patients with rib fractures feel less pain than younger patients with the same injury, reported pain scores are generally lower, according to US and Spanish authors.
The researchers reviewed data on 385 patients with rib fractures who spent at least four days in a trauma center. Overall, 166 were 65 or older.
The geriatric group had more women (53% versus 18%) and fewer injuries because of motorcycle crashes (2% versus 21%), according to the report in JAMA Surgery.
