A new study finds that having chronic pain may lead to more falls in older people which can be devastating for them causing joint replacements, pain and even death.

The study participants included 749 men and women who were 70 years old and more and were part of the Maintenance of Balance, Independent Living, Intellect and Zest in the Elderly study of Boston.

They were required to report any falls that they might have had during an 18-month period in a health assessment given to them by nurses.

At the onset of the study 40% men and women reported having chronic pain in more than one joint and 24% said they had this pain in just one joint.

During the study, a total of 1.029 falls were logged and more than half the participants reported that they fell at least once in this period.

They were also able to establish a link between pain severity and the risk of falls in the short-term. Those who rated their pain as severe or very severe for a month had a 77% higher risk of falling in the immediate next month as compared to those who had no pain.