Municipal unit of integrative medicine of Pineda de Mar: A reality in the catalan public healthcare system for the complementary treatment of chronic benign pain in the elderly

According to the "Enquesta de Salut de Catalunya 2006", the leading cause of morbidity perceived in population is chronic pain. More than half of Catalan people with chronic pain are over 64 years-old. The most common causes of chronic pain are musculoskeletal disorders. Taking into account the special characteristics of these disorders in the elderly, their health impact both medically and economically as well as the clear impairment of the quality of life in these patients requires that the strategy to follow is to reevaluate this strategy from a multidisciplinary and integrated point of view. The present paper describes the experience of the complementary treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain in patients older than 64 years-old surveyed in the town of Pineda de Mar by using acupuncture, kinesitherapy and/or osteopathy in Catalan public health.