Pain
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Lidocaine applied systemically or locally attenuates neuropathic pain in patients. Here we tested the hypothesis that ectopic activity in injured afferent A- or C-fibers is suppressed by lidocaine. In rats the sural nerve (skin nerve) or lateral gastrocnemius-soleus nerve (muscle nerve) was crushed. ⋯ Intravenous application of lidocaine depressed ongoing ectopic activity in A- and C-fibers dose-dependently. Responses to heat or mechanical stimulation of the injured nerve were not suppressed at the highest concentrations of lidocaine. The results support the hypothesis that decrease of neuropathic pain following local or systemic application of a local anesthetic is related to decrease of ectopic ongoing activity in injured afferent nerve fibers.
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The present study examined existing communal and operant accounts of children's pain behavior by looking at the impact of parental presence and parental attention upon children's pain expression as a function of child pain catastrophizing. Participants were 38 school children and 1 of their parents. Children completed a cold pressor pain task (CPT) twice, first when told that no one was observing (alone condition) and subsequently when told that they were being observed by their parent (parent-present condition). ⋯ Specifically, low-catastrophizing children expressed more pain in the presence of their parent, whereas high-catastrophizing children showed equally pronounced pain expression when alone or in the presence of a parent. Furthermore, children's catastrophizing moderated the impact of parental attention upon facial displays and self-reports of pain; higher levels of parental nonpain talk were associated with increased facial expression and self-reports of pain among high-catastrophizing children; for low-catastrophizing children, facial and self-report of pain was independent of parental attention to pain. The findings are discussed in terms of possible mechanisms that may drive and maintain pain expression in high-catastrophizing children, as well as potential limitations of traditional theories in explaining pediatric pain expression.
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Multicenter Study
Elevated levels of gonadotrophins but not sex steroids are associated with musculoskeletal pain in middle-aged and older European men.
The aim of this study was to determine the association of hormone levels with the occurrence of musculoskeletal pain. Men ages 40 to 79 years were recruited from population registers in 8 European centres. Subjects were asked to complete a postal questionnaire, which enquired about lifestyle and the occurrence of musculoskeletal pain over the past month. ⋯ Compared with those in the lowest tertile of LH, those in the highest tertile were more likely to report some pain (vs no pain, RRR=1.28; 95% CI 1.09 to 1.50) and also CWP (vs no pain, RRR=1.51; 95% CI 1.10 to 2.07). Similar results were found for FSH. Gonadotrophins, but not sex steroid hormone levels, are associated with musculoskeletal pain in men.
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The current study examined the relationship between pain-related fear, physical performance, and pain-related interference in the context of experimentally induced pain to the lower back. Thirty healthy participants completed a test of maximal trunk strength before and after induction of delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) to the trunk extensors. Pain-related fear (Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia and Pain Anxiety Symptom Scale) was assessed prior to DOMS induction, and measures of current pain and pain-related interference with life activities were obtained 1 day after DOMS induction. ⋯ Current pain intensity and anthropometric factors did not contribute significantly to these outcome measures. To our knowledge, this is the first study to identify the impact of pain-related fear on physical performance among a healthy group of individuals following experimental acute low back injury. The findings extend previous research on psychological variables and simulated injury, and suggest that pain-related fear may be an important vulnerability factor in development of disability following acute pain experience.