Pain
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Comparative Study
A comparison of two-point discrimination threshold of tactual, non-painful stimuli between chronic low back pain patients and controls.
Differences in pain sensitivity between chronic pain patients and healthy controls have been reported. Seltzer and Seltzer extended this line of research in studying the sensitivity to non-painful stimuli. They reported that the 2-point discrimination threshold of chronic pain patients was higher than that of control subjects. ⋯ Therefore, in the present study we tried to replicate the findings in a group of chronic low back pain patients using a design that was believed to be methodologically stronger. Replication failed: no evidence was found for the hypothesis that chronic pain patients are less sensitive to non-painful stimuli. Further studies on various defined types of acute and chronic pain patients are required.
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Although several studies have shown that spouses of chronic pain patients may experience clinically significant depressive symptoms few studies have comprehensively examined the role of both patient and spouse-related factors in the development and maintenance of this emotional distress. Twenty-nine married male chronic benign low back pain patients and their spouses were recruited in order to examine the role of patient, spouse, and marital factors in spouse depressive symptomatology. ⋯ A 2-stage regression analysis was employed that revealed 3 significant predictors of spouse's depressed mood, namely patient's average pain; patient's reported levels of anger and hostility, and the spouse's level of marital satisfaction. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for clinical interventions for pain patients and their families.
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Comparative Study
Psychological distress and diagnostic subgroups of temporomandibular disorder patients.
This study examined the nature and extent of psychological differences among diagnostic subgroups of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients. Three subgroups were identified and labeled as: (1) primary myalgia, (2) primary temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems, or (3) combination myalgia and TMJ problems. Patients' (n = 112) levels of pain and distress were measured using a VAS pain scale, the McGill Pain Questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Scale and the MMPI. ⋯ When differences in pain levels were controlled, the differences among groups on measures of anxiety and depression were attenuated while the differences on measures of somatic overconcern remained significant. Discriminant function analysis using psychological variables to predict diagnostic grouping produced correct identification of 74% of the structural patients and 46% of the myalgia patients. Implications for different etiological factors among the 3 groups are discussed.
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Case Reports
Sympathetically maintained pain of the digits in porphyria cutanea tarda relieved by i.v. regional guanethidine.
A case of a sympathetically maintained pain of the tips of the fingers in a 39-year-old man with porphyria cutanea tarda is presented. Occupational vibrating trauma is the presumed cause. The successful treatment with intravenous regional guanethidine is reported.
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An experiment was conducted that investigated the effect of experimenter gender on the report of pain of male and female subjects. In order to evoke gender-related motives, experimenters were selected for their attractiveness. ⋯ The results indicated that males reported significantly less pain in front of a female experimenter than a male experimenter. The difference in female subjects was not significant although they tended to report higher pain to the male experimenter.