Page 39 - 南京医科大学社科版

南京医科大学学报（社会科学版）京医科大学学报（社会科学版）
第4期 总第135期 南 ·
2026年8月 Journal of Nanjing Medical University（Social Sciences）of Nanjing Medical University（Social Sciences） · 369
Journal

Pain descriptions among older patients in rehabilitation clinics

Kang Roujie，Li Honglan，Lü Ruoyao
Faculty of Foreign Languages，Nanjing University of Science and Technology，Nanjing 210094，China
Abstract：Grounded in the framework of Action Theory，this study investigates the linguistic patterns and
expressive strategies used by older patients to describe pain in rehabilitation clinic settings. This research aims
to provide a new theoretical perspective on how older patients express pain and offer practical implications for
enhancing medical communication and optimizing pain management in geriatric care. An in⁃depth analysis of
clinical conversation data identifies three primary modes of pain description. The responsive mode primarily
occurs in response to vagueness and difficulty in symptom localization，often influenced by age⁃related cognitive
decline and the complexity of chronic pain. The retrospective ⁃ situational mode relies on the activation of
memories of daily lives to reconstruct pain experiences within specific imagined contexts. The metaphorical
mode transforms abstract pain sensations into specific and perceptible imagery，offering distinctive linguistic
expressions that are intended to be understandable to physicians. In addition， the study discusses the
difficulties older patients encountered in describing these three types of pain and the potential cognitive factors
influencing them. For example，the difficulties older adults experience in vocabulary retrieval and narrative
construction during pain description may be associated with declines in executive function and theory of mind
abilities.
Key words：rehabilitation clinics；older patients；pain description