Differences in the course of daily activity level between persons with and without chronic pain

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine differences in (the course of) daily activity level between persons with and persons without chronic pain. DESIGN: A total of 18 participants with chronic pain and 19 age-matched healthy controls wore an accelerometer for 7 days, of which two weekdays were taken for analysis. Average movement intensity, peak movement intensity, and postures were compared between the persons with and persons without chronic pain over the day. The course of daily activities was analyzed by comparing the activity in the morning, afternoon, and evening. RESULTS: The participants with chronic pain spent significantly more time in lying and less time in sitting and standing. Total step count showed a trend (P = 0.07) to be lower in participants with chronic pain. Participants with chronic pain showed lower average movement intensity and peak movement intensity (P < 0.01) over the whole day. No differences were found in the course of daily activity between the two groups in both average movement intensity and peak movement intensity. CONCLUSIONS: Persons with and persons without chronic pain differed in daily activity level with regard to average movement intensity, peak movement intensity, and postures. No differences were found in the course of daily activity between the two groups.