The Clinical journal of pain
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Physical activity assessments in chronic pain research have mostly been based on self-report. However, earlier research indicated that chronic pain patients have difficulties in estimating their own daily life activity level. Movement registration systems have been introduced to overcome the limitations of self-reported measures. However, no uniform guidelines for researchers on how to analyze and interpret movement registration data in chronic pain exist. The aim of the study was to provide recommendations for physical activity assessment based on movement registration in patients with chronic pain. ⋯ It is recommended that studies in chronic pain research explicitly apply and report the criteria that have been used to define an assessment day, the total assessment time, and the method for calculating the final test outcome.
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To describe the prevalence and referred pain area of trigger points (TrPs) in blue-collar (manual) and white-collar (office) workers, and to analyze if the referred pain pattern elicited from TrPs completely reproduces the overall spontaneous pain pattern. ⋯ Blue-collar and white-collar workers exhibited a similar number of TrPs in the upper quadrant musculature. The referred pain elicited by active TrPs reproduced the overall pain pattern. The distribution of TrPs was not significantly different between groups. Clinicians should examine for the presence of muscle TrPs in blue-collar and white-collar workers.
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Comparative Study
Comparing pain modulation and autonomic responses in fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome patients.
Past studies confirm that patients with fibromyalgia (FM) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) show similar pain processing dysfunctions, such as reduced pain inhibition and aberrant autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses. However, patients with FM and IBS have rarely been investigated in the same study. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to compare descending pain inhibition, pain sensitivity, and ANS reactivity to pain in FM, IBS, and healthy controls (HC). ⋯ Our results confirm the presence of graded levels of somatic hyperalgesia across patients with IBS and FM. A similar pattern of result was observed for pain inhibitory dysfunctions. These pain processing changes were accompanied by abnormal autonomic responses, which maintained patients (principally patients with FM) in a state of sympathetic hyperactivity. Results suggest that patients with IBS and FM may present common, but graded, pain processing and autonomic dysfunctions.