Pain
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Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain is a common reason for consultation in general practice and frequently reported in children and adolescents. This study examined the prevalence of MSK pain in 13-year-old children and assessed associations with physical and psychosocial factors. Data from the Generation R Study, a population-based birth cohort, was used. ⋯ Children with MSK pain were more likely to have reported MSK pain at 6 years. Multivariable analyses showed significant associations for male sex (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.56-0.98), high maternal educational (OR 0.69, 95% CI 0.49-0.96), higher BMI (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.05-1.35), being physically active (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.03-1.91), and behavioral problems (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.33-2.59) with the presence of MSK pain. The chronic nature of MSK pain in combination with the relatively high prevalence of MSK pain in this study shows that MSK pain is already an important problem at a young age.
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Facial expressions of pain play an important role in pain diagnostics and social interactions. Given the prominent impact of sex on various aspects of pain, it is not surprising that sex differences have also been explored regarding facial expressions of pain; however, with inconclusive findings. We aim to further investigate sex differences in facial expressions of pain by using a large, combined sample to maximize statistical power. ⋯ Additionally, facial and subjective responses to pain were significantly associated across sexes, with females showing slightly stronger associations. Although variations in facial expressions of pain are very large even within each sex, our findings demonstrate that women facially communicate pain more intensively and with a better match to their subjective experience compared with men. This indicates that women might be better in using facial communication of pain in an intensity-discriminative manner.
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Productivity loss because of chronic pain in the working age population is a widespread concern internationally. Interventions for chronic pain in working age adults might be expected to achieve enhanced productivity in terms of reduced costs of workers' compensation insurance, reduced disability support, and improved rates of return to work for injured workers. This would require the use of measures of productivity in the evaluation of chronic pain management interventions. ⋯ Ten studies found no statistically significant improvements in productivity-related costs. Despite evidence for reduced pain-related disability after pain management interventions, this review suggests that the use of measures for assessing productivity gains is lacking. Including such measures would greatly assist administrators and payers when considering the broader societal benefits of such interventions.
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Chronic low back pain (cLBP) is a global health crisis that disproportionately burdens non-Hispanic Black (NHB) individuals, compared with those who identify as non-Hispanic White (NHW). Despite the growing personal and societal impact of cLBP, its biological underpinnings remain poorly understood. To elucidate the biological factors that underlie the racial disparities in cLBP, this study sought to determine whether inflammatory mediators associated with pain interference (PI), pain at rest (PAR), and movement-evoked pain (MEP) differ as a function of racial identity. ⋯ However, for NHB patients, only IL-1α was positively associated with PAR. Our findings suggest that, while there are associations between inflammation and cLBP outcomes, the biomarkers that underlie the inflammation could very well differ as a function of racialized minority group. However, more research with racially inclusive samples is needed to elucidate the mechanisms that may contribute to racial disparities in cLBP.