The Clinical journal of pain
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Physical activity assessments in chronic pain research have mostly been based on self-report. However, earlier research indicated that chronic pain patients have difficulties in estimating their own daily life activity level. Movement registration systems have been introduced to overcome the limitations of self-reported measures. However, no uniform guidelines for researchers on how to analyze and interpret movement registration data in chronic pain exist. The aim of the study was to provide recommendations for physical activity assessment based on movement registration in patients with chronic pain. ⋯ It is recommended that studies in chronic pain research explicitly apply and report the criteria that have been used to define an assessment day, the total assessment time, and the method for calculating the final test outcome.
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Comparative Study
Comparing pain modulation and autonomic responses in fibromyalgia and irritable bowel syndrome patients.
Past studies confirm that patients with fibromyalgia (FM) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) show similar pain processing dysfunctions, such as reduced pain inhibition and aberrant autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses. However, patients with FM and IBS have rarely been investigated in the same study. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to compare descending pain inhibition, pain sensitivity, and ANS reactivity to pain in FM, IBS, and healthy controls (HC). ⋯ Our results confirm the presence of graded levels of somatic hyperalgesia across patients with IBS and FM. A similar pattern of result was observed for pain inhibitory dysfunctions. These pain processing changes were accompanied by abnormal autonomic responses, which maintained patients (principally patients with FM) in a state of sympathetic hyperactivity. Results suggest that patients with IBS and FM may present common, but graded, pain processing and autonomic dysfunctions.
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Case Reports
A case of potential treatment of remote pain after sacral nerve stimulation for chronic urinary retention.
A case is presented in which a 58-year-old man developed a potential unintended and durable treatment of pain at remote sites (cervical region and low back) after sacral nerve stimulation for chronic urinary retention. ⋯ The current case presents a potential example of neurological crosstalk and highlights the inherent complexity in human neural physiology. Further research may reveal novel treatment strategies for patients with voiding dysfunction and chronic pain syndromes.
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This study examined the relationship between pain and mental health outcomes of depression and affect among survivors of breast cancer. The mediating role of physical activity was also tested. ⋯ Participation in physical activity is one pathway through which pain influences mental health. Efforts are needed to help survivors of breast cancer manage pain symptoms and increase their level of physical activity to help improve mental health.