1. Introduction & The Clinical Challenge

Chronic pain, typically defined as pain persisting for more than 3 months, often involves maladaptive neuroplasticity and impaired descending modulation. This condition affects over 50 million individuals in the United States alone and contributes to disability, reduced quality of life, and increased healthcare utilization. Proper pain assessment requires distinguishing between acute and chronic pain, evaluating functional impairment, and using validated tools tailored to specific pain syndromes. Objective measurement remains elusive, but structured assessment enables more consistent treatment and improved outcomes [1].

Among older adults, persistent musculoskeletal pain is highly prevalent, with rates ranging from 40% to 60%. Musculoskeletal disorders are recognized as a significant threat to maintaining health in older age and have been associated with falls, frailty, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, reduced mobility, and impaired cognitive function [3].

2. Subjective Pain Reporting vs. Objective Measurement

Patients' self-report is the most common method for pain assessment, but it is highly subjective. Studies have found that nurses often underestimate the patients' most intensive experiences of pain due to communication barriers or limited diagnostic tools — a difference that is statistically significant [4]. This is especially true for individuals with advanced dementia who have communication impairments [5].

The origin of all pain is proposed to be inflammation and the inflammatory response [6]. Biochemicals associated with pain and inflammation are elevated near active myofascial trigger points [7]. Pain is intricately linked to inflammation, with chronic inflammation contributing to aging and systemic disease [8].

3. Mechanotherapy, Acupressure & Tissue Regeneration

Acupuncture and acupressure, known to improve blood flow and reduce inflammation, highlight the potential of non-drug interventions. Evidence suggests a central component to post-injury pain hypersensitivity [9]. Mechanotherapy, including massage and Intermittent Pneumatic Compression (IPC), shows promise for regenerating tissues and reducing inflammation [10]. Acupuncture points may be identified as cutaneous neurogenic inflammatory spots [11]. Intermittent Pneumatic Compression (IPC) enhances the formation of edema tissue channels, aiding in the evacuation of edema fluid and clearing cellular waste [12].

4. The Sen-SORE™ ABATE Qr Multi-Modal Solution

The ABATE Qr Sen~SORE platform uses a Palpation probe to sense sore spots. A series of stacked, medical-grade biosensors measures lowered Pain Pressure Threshold Tolerance (PPTs), galvanic skin response (GSR), and localized temperature differentials. These metrics show expected differences between inflamed or injured sites and healthy comparative sites, allowing objective physiological data to be captured, compared, and analyzed. The future integration of skin-interfaced microfluidic systems will utilize sweat as a diagnostic biofluid [13]. The role of gamification has been shown to improve health-related outcomes, including pediatric self-care [14].

5. Geroscience & “Inflammaging”

Human aging is characterized by a chronic, low-grade inflammation termed “inflammaging.” Inflammaging is a highly significant risk factor for both morbidity and mortality in the elderly, as most if not all age-related diseases share an inflammatory pathogenesis [17]. Pharmaceutical options for treating chronic pain in older adults tend to be only partially effective and associated with important side effects. Safe, non-pharmacological manual therapies like PALM play an important role in reducing costs and providing a safe, natural, scalable solution [15][16].

6. References

1. Alexander M. Dydyk; Sundeep Grandhe. Pain Assessment. StatPearls Publishing, 2024.
2. Baltej Singh; Amandeep Goyal; Bhupendra C. Patel. C-Reactive Protein: Clinical Relevance and Interpretation. StatPearls Publishing, 2025.
3. Travis P. Welsh, Ailing E. Yang, Una E. Makris. Musculoskeletal Pain in Older Adults: A Clinical Review. Med Clin North Am, 2021.
4. Hovi, Lauri. Patients' and nurses' assessment of cancer pain.
5. Nansi Felton, Jennifer S. Lewis, et al. Pain Assessment for Individuals with Advanced Dementia in Care Homes: A Systematic Review.
6. Sota Omoigui. The biochemical origin of pain: Proposing a unifying law of pain.
7. Jay P. Shah, Jerome V. Danoff, et al. Biochemicals associated with pain and inflammation are elevated near active myofascial trigger points.
8. Paola Lucia Minciullo, et al. Inflammaging and Anti-Inflammaging: The Role of Cytokines in Extreme Longevity. 2015.
9. C. J. Woolf. Evidence for a central component of post-injury pain hypersensitivity.
10. Hae Young Chung, et al. The molecular inflammatory process in aging.
11. Do-Hee Kim, et al. Acupuncture points can be identified as cutaneous neurogenic inflammatory spots.
12. Marzanna Zaleska, et al. Intermittent Pneumatic Compression Enhances Formation of Edema Tissue Fluid Channels in Lymphedema.
13. Da Som Yang, Roozbeh Ghaffari, John A. Rogers. Skin-interfaced microfluidic systems. Science, 2023.
14. Brian A. Primack, et al. Role of Video Games in Improving Health-Related Outcomes.
15. Anthony F. Domenichiello, Christopher E. Ramsden. The silent epidemic of chronic pain in older adults.
16. Claudio Franceschi, Judith Campisi. Chronic inflammation (inflammaging) and its potential contribution to age-associated diseases.