The Clinical journal of pain
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The aim of the current study was to examine the relation between catastrophizing and pain intensity, pain-related disability, and psychological distress in a group of patients with chronic pain, controlling for the level of physical impairment. Furthermore, it was examined whether these relations are the same for three subgroups of chronic pain patients: those with chronic low back pain, those with chronic musculoskeletal pain other than low back pain, and those with miscellaneous chronic pain complaints, low back pain and musculoskeletal pain excluded. ⋯ It was concluded that for different subgroups of chronic pain patients, catastrophizing plays a crucial role in the chronic pain experience, significantly contributing to the variance of pain intensity, pain-related disability, and psychological distress. These relations are not confounded by the level of physical impairment. Some clinical implications of the results are discussed. Finally, the authors concluded that these results support the validity of a cognitive-behavioral conceptualization of chronic pain-related disability.
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Description of the specific physical and psychological problems associated with sexual activity in patients with chronic pain. ⋯ There is a high prevalence of sexual difficulties in patients with chronic pain attending treatment, nearly double that of a general UK survey. These difficulties are not simply related to mood or disability. The range of problems and patients' expressed preferences for help suggest that multidisciplinary intervention is required.
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To evaluate the cardiorespiratory endurance (CRE) and physical activity level of patients with chronic pain compared with healthy subjects. ⋯ Data on CRE and the physical activity level of patients with chronic pain obtained in this study show that chronic pain may have a greater impact on male than female patients. Sociocultural factors are probably at the origin of this phenomenon.
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The study examined symptom-specific muscle hyperreactivity in patients with chronic pain with upper limb cumulative trauma disorder (CTD). ⋯ The results indicate that symptom-specific psychophysiological responses may be limited to certain subgroups rather than being characteristic of chronic musculoskeletal pain patients in general.
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This study was designed to investigate whether Complex Regional Pain Syndrome type I (CRPS I) could be linked to any previous infection. ⋯ In this study we found a significantly higher seroprevalence of Parvovirus B19 in CRPS I and this is most striking in lower extremity CRPS I patients. Further serologic research in other geographic areas is needed to provide additional information about a potential role of Parvovirus B 19 or other microorganisms in the etiopathogenesis of CRPS I.