European journal of pain : EJP
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This study aimed to investigate the interplay between enduring and situational aging stereotype (AS) effects in older adults' self-reports of clinical and experimentally induced pain. We expected that, as compared with the situational activation of positive AS or a neutral condition, the activation of negative AS would lead to more severe self-reports of clinical pain (H1, hypothesis 1), higher cold pressor task (CPT) pain threshold (H2) and lower CPT pain tolerance (H3), especially among older adults who more strongly endorsed AS. ⋯ This study stresses the influence of cultural AS in older adults' pain experiences showing that the situational activation of negative AS greatly increases experimentally induced pain thresholds of elders who more strongly endorse those stereotypes. It also highlights the relevance of interventions at the level of the physical and/or social environments surrounding elders in pain.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Isometric exercises reduce temporal summation of pressure pain in humans.
Aerobic and isometric exercises are known to decrease pain sensitivity. The effect of different types of exercise on central mechanisms such as temporal summation of pain (TSP) is less clear. This study hypothesized that both aerobic and isometric exercises would increase pressure pain tolerance (PTT) and reduce TSP with greater effects after higher-intensity exercises. ⋯ Different manifestations of hypoalgesia between aerobic and isometric exercises were found. Isometric exercises reduced temporal summation illustrating the potential for exercise as a rehabilitation procedure also targeting the central mechanisms.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Does the addition of visceral manipulation alter outcomes for patients with low back pain? A randomized placebo controlled trial.
This study aimed to investigate whether the addition of visceral manipulation, to a standard physiotherapy algorithm, improved outcomes in patients with low back pain. ⋯ Our study suggests that visceral manipulation in addition to standard care is not effective in changing short-term outcomes but may produce clinically worthwhile improvements in pain at 1 year.
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The spinal cord is a prime site of action for analgesia. Here we characterize the effects of established analgesics on segmental spinal reflexes. The aim of the study was to look for the pattern of action or signature of analgesic effects on these reflexes. ⋯ morphine and duloxetine had general depressant effects on spinal reflexes, whereas the effects of clonidine, pregabalin and S1RA appeared to be restricted to signals originated by strong repetitive activation of C-fibres. Results are discussed in the context of reported behavioural effects of the compounds studied.