The Clinical journal of pain
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An important part of providing pain science education is to first assess baseline knowledge and beliefs about pain, thereby identifying misconceptions and establishing individually-tailored learning objectives. The Concept of Pain Inventory (COPI) was developed to support this need. This study aimed to characterize the concept of pain in care-seeking youth and their parents, to examine its clinical and demographic correlates, and to identify conceptual gaps. ⋯ The COPI appears useful for identifying conceptual gaps or 'sticking points'; this may be an important step to pre-emptively address misconceptions about pain through pain science education. Future research should determine the utility of COPI in assessing and treating youth seeking care for pain. The COPI may be a useful tool for tailoring pain science education to youth and their parents.
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Pediatric chronic pain represents heterogeneous diagnoses; often, primary pain location informs research classifications and treatment. In contrast, recent research has highlighted the role of widespread pain and this perspective has been adopted in assessments in specialty pediatric pain clinics. The lack of direct comparison between these 2 methods of categorizing pediatric chronic pain may hinder the adoption of evidence-based practices across the spectrum of care. Therefore, this study aimed to compare whether primary pain location or pain widespreadedness is more informative for pain-related symptoms in pediatric chronic pain. ⋯ Pain widespreadedness was more consistently associated with pain-related outcomes among pediatric chronic pain patients than primary pain location, and body maps may be useful in determining a nociplastic pain mechanism to inform treatment. Improved assessment of pediatric pain mechanisms may help advance more precise treatment delivery.
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Meta Analysis
Traumatic Life Experience and Pain Sensitization: Meta-analysis of Laboratory Findings.
Psychological trauma often co-occurs with pain. This relationship has been explored using laboratory pain measures; however, findings have been mixed. Previous studies have limited operationalization of trauma (eg, posttraumatic stress disorder) or pain (eg, pain thresholds), which may contribute to conflicting results. Further, prior reviews likely underrepresent trauma experiences among people who are not receiving clinical care, limiting generalizability. ⋯ Findings demonstrate an overall pattern of trauma-related pain enhancement and point to central sensitization as a key underlying mechanism.