Pain
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There is an abundance of studies concerning depression and pain, while the mechanisms and the relationships of anger expression and pain are less well known. The validity of commonly used depression questionnaires as measures of depression in pain patients has been questioned, as they include items which can be related to the pain problem as well as to signs of depression. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between pain severity, various signs of depression, and anger management style. ⋯ In patients with more severe pain, the relationships between anger management style, specifically, inhibition of anger and depression were strong, while no such relationships were found in the group of patients with less severe pain. No correlations were found between pain intensity and depression as measured by the sum score of the BDI. However, analysing separately the two subscales of the BDI, negative view and physical function, significant positive relationships between pain intensity and both subscales appeared.
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Over the past decade, the importance of acceptance of chronic pain has been demonstrated. Acceptance has often been assessed using the 20-item, two-factor Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (CPAQ; McCracken, Vowles, Eccleston, Pain 2004;107:159-66). This two-factor model has been supported but awaits further confirmation. ⋯ Follow-up analyses indicated significant differences among the clusters across multiple measures of functioning. The cluster with low CPAQ scores reported more difficulties in comparison to the group with high scores, while the group with discrepant CPAQ scores generally reported difficulties that fell in between. These results provide further support for the 20-item, two-factor CPAQ and indicate that it is both theoretically and practically useful.
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The roles of ion channels in sensory neurons were examined in experimental models of muscle pain in the rat. Rats were injected with 50 microl of 4% carrageenan or subjected to an eccentric exercise (ECC) of the gastrocnemius muscle (GM). The Randall-Selitto and von Frey tests were performed on the calves to evaluate mechanical hyperalgesia of the muscle. ⋯ Antagonists to TRP channels and ASICs showed suppressive effects for both carrageenan- and ECC-induced muscle hyperalgesia. The carrageenan injection and ECC models are useful models of acute inflammatory pain and delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), respectively, and the time course and underlying etiology might be different. TRP channels and ASICs are closely related to the development of muscle mechanical hyperalgesia, and TRPV1 is involved in ECC-induced DOMS.