Older people who report pain are also more likely to get injured in a fall, according to a new study.

Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the University of Massachusetts-Boston followed about 750 people older than 70 for 18 months. They were asked about pain and falls monthly for a year and a half.

At the start of the study, 40 percent of the people had pain in more than one joint. Twenty-four percent said they had chronic pain.

Fifty-five percent of the people had a fall during the study. Those in the most pain were more likely to report a fall, the researchers said.

Short-term pain was a problem, too. People with severe pain in any given month were 77 percent more likely to fall the next month than those with no pain.

The report said that falls are among the top 10 leading causes of death for older people, and that the accidents cost $19 billion a year.

The researchers said that it could be that pain makes it harder to move well, which makes falls more likely.

The work appears in the Nov. 25 issue of JAMA.