• André Pontes-Silva, Daniela Bassi-Dibai, Cid André Fidelis-de-Paula-Gomes, Cesário da Silva Souza, Flavio de Oliveira Pires, Cristiano Teixeira Mostarda, and Almir Vieira Dibai Filho.
• Universidade Federal do Maranhão, Postgraduate Program in Adult Health - São Luís (MA), Brazil.
• Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992). 2022 Sep 1; 68 (9): 1288-1296.

ObjectiveThis study aims to compare heart rate variability (HRV) between patients with chronic neck pain and patients with chronic low back pain and to correlate the chronic pain variables with heart rate variability indices.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study. We divided the sample into two groups: neck pain (n=30) and low back pain (n=30). We used the Numeric Pain Rating Scale, Neck Disability Index, Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire, Pain-Related Catastrophizing Thoughts Scale, Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia, and Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire. For heart rate variability analysis, we used the following indices: mean RR, standard deviation of all RR intervals, mean heart rate, root mean square differences of successive RR intervals, triangular index, triangular interpolation of the interval histogram, low-frequency band in arbitrary units and in absolute values, high-frequency band in arbitrary units and in absolute values, standard deviation of the instantaneous beat-to-beat variability (standard deviation 1), long-term standard deviation of continuous RR intervals (standard deviation 2), and Stress Index. We used Student's t-test for comparisons and Spearman's coefficient for correlations.ResultsWe observe insignificant values in the differences between the groups. Disability and self-efficacy were correlated with heart rate variability only in patients with chronic neck pain, whereas catastrophizing and kinesiophobia showed greater correlations with heart rate variability in patients with chronic low back pain.ConclusionsAutonomic dysfunction of individuals with chronic neck pain, when compared to patients with chronic low back pain, does present insignificant differences.

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