• Dmitry Y Yakunchikov, Camille J Olechowski, Mark K Simmonds, Michelle J Verrier, Saifudin Rashiq, Lachlan A McWilliams, Igor A Sobolev, and Bruce D Dick.
• Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
• Pain Med. 2017 May 1; 18 (5): 871-878.

ObjectiveIn this study, we were interested in determining whether we could alter a pain response in a chronic pain patient population by exposing participants to different videos prior to inducing acute pain.DesignThis observational case series study required participants to report their pain level during the cold pressor task after viewing an instruction video.SettingRecruitment and testing took place in a tertiary care multidisciplinary pain center.SubjectsForty adults with chronic pain participated in the study and completed the cold pressor test.MethodsPrior to testing, questionnaires measuring pain, empathy, and catastrophic thinking were completed and participants were randomized to view an instructional video where an actress either demonstrated pain behavior or a stoic response during the cold pressor test.ResultsParticipants with higher levels of catastrophizing reported higher pain levels during the cold pressor test. Personal Distress Empathy measures of participants who viewed the pain catastrophizing video were significantly correlated with their final pain reports. Following the cold pressor task, participants' pain reports for their primary chronic pain sites were significantly reduced.ConclusionsThese results support previous findings that people with chronic pain show the tendency toward increased acute pain experience if levels of catastrophizing and Personal Distress Empathy measures are higher. Participants reported attenuated chronic pain following induced pain, also in line with previous research suggesting a central endogenous inhibitory effect. Our findings shed light on the role of emotional and social components affecting the experience of pain in individuals with chronic pain.© 2016 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

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