A new study found that 55% of people over the age of 45 feel an average of 12 years older than their actual age due to joint pain. A full 45% say that the pain hinders their daily lives and less than half, 47%, feel optimistic about finding relief.

According to The U.S. Sun, the survey of 2,000 Americans was commissioned by Motive Health, Inc., and conducted by Talker Research. Results showed that 85% of Americans suffer from some sort of joint pain and half of those don’t realize that increasing muscle strength may help reduce pain.

The study found that 55% of people who feel older than their age report that joint pain is the main cause and 48% said they get tired easily and feel less active (31%). Furthermore, half of baby boomers, those born after World War II, felt an average of 14 years older than their chronological age. Generation Xers, those born between the early-to-mid 1960’s and the early 1980’s, reported feeling 10 years older on average. The silent generation, people born between 1928 and 1945, reported feeling 12 years older than their age.

Joint pain can severely hinder daily activities and 71% of those responding to the survey said they try to ignore the discomfort so they can continue their daily lives.

“Until they experience it, many people don’t realize the total impact joint pain can have on their lives,” said Rob Morocco, president and CEO at Motive Health Inc. “Losing your mobility and independence to joint pain can be frustrating and, without a doubt, make many people feel older than they are.”

Morocco added that modern technology can help reduce joint pain and prevent it in the future, helping people enjoy life to the fullest.

According to WebMD, joint pain can affect any part of your body, from your ankles and feet to your shoulders and hands. Pain can also affect one or more joints and can cause swelling and inflammation, stiffness, and loss of movement in the joint. Arthritis is one of the leading causes of joint pain, affecting 31 million people in the U.S.

Knee pain affects 40% of Americans causing them to make changes to their lifestyle to accommodate their lack of mobility including where they live, where they work and how they travel, says the Sun. From all the demographics surveyed, nearly everyone (98%) said they would feel more optimistic about the future if they didn’t suffer from joint pain.

More than half (54%) said they would change their diet and exercise to improve their situation while 52% said they’d try physical therapy and at-home exercise. Sixty percent reported they would use technology along with their at-home program.

“While joint pain can make people feel like their life is on pause, the great news is that there are ways to get moving again,” said Morocco, adding that research has demonstrated that increasing muscle strength helps reduce joint pain.