Pain experiences among women in midlife with existing health conditions: changes across pre-COVID-19, stay-at-home orders, and initial reopening

Objective: To examine the pain experiences of women in midlife with existing health conditions, including changes from prior to the COVID-19 pandemic through the first 6 months of the crisis. Design: Women ages 40-60 with health conditions (e.g., hypertension; N = 35, M_BMI = 32.2 kg/m²) were prompted to complete 5 surveys per day for 5 days at 3 time points: pre-COVID-19, during stay-at-home orders, and at initial reopening. Main Outcome Measures: Pain occurrence (yes/no), number of locations, and intensity. Results: Women reported pain at 35% of surveys, particularly after waking and before bed compared to the middle of the day. The occurrence of pain decreased over time, whereas pain intensity decreased between pre-COVID-19 and stay-at-home orders but then remained stable. The number of pain locations decreased between stay-at-home orders and reopening, and pain was more variable during the pandemic than prior to its onset (srs = 0.24-0.32). Conclusion: Women experienced decreased pain frequency and intensity from prior to during the COVID-19 pandemic, though pain was less predictable during (vs. prior to) the pandemic. This information may be useful for informing care in this at-risk group, to prevent the development of chronic pain.