The Clinical journal of pain
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This study was designed to test the stability of recent findings by the authors showing that 40% of the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) descriptors of pain sensation were not classifiable in any MPQ subcategory because of incomprehension, underuse, or ambiguity of usage. The study also was intended to determine the pain intensity ratings for the descriptors and how they relate to the original ratings provided by Melzack and Torgerson. ⋯ A parsimonious set of 32 words can be adopted from the MPQ for efficient and unambiguous use in the clinical assessment of pain.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Manipulation of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation variables has no effect on two models of experimental pain in humans.
Two separate studies investigated the hypoalgesic effect of manipulation of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) parameters on two models of experimental pain: the Submaximal Effort Tourniquet Technique and cold-pressor pain. For the first study, 32 healthy subjects (16 male and 16 female) attended once for the purpose of cold-pressor pain induction that involved immersion of the nondominant hand in a water bath at 0 degree C. Subjects were allocated to Control, Placebo, or 1 of 2 treatment groups (110 or 4-Hz TENS). ⋯ Measurements of "current pain intensity" and "worst pain experienced" were obtained via the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), respectively. Analysis of variance performed on both sets of collected data revealed no significant differences between any of the groups, thus indicating no apparent relevance of manipulation of TENS parameters using these models of pain. Several hypotheses are suggested to explain these findings.
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The study had two purposes: (a) to examine the relationships among coping strategies measured by the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ) (1), the Vanderbilt Pain Management Inventory (VPMI) (2), and the Ways of Coping Inventory (WOC) (3) and identify the higher-order composite factors representing these relationships; and (b) to determine the degree to which individual coping scale scores and composite coping factor scores could explain variability in the pain intensity and pain-related activity interference reported by young adults. Measures of pain coping were collected from 206 young adults using the CSQ, VPMI, and WOC, along with measures of pain intensity, pain location, and the extent to which pain interfered with daily activities. Results indicated considerable variability in the reported frequency of use of pain-coping strategies and in pain intensity, location, and activity interference. ⋯ The degree to which individual scale scores and composite factor scores explained variability in pain intensity and activity interference variables was determined through a series of multiple regression analyses. The results revealed that individual scale scores, particularly the CSQ scales of catastrophizing and praying or hoping, were best able to explain the variance in measures of pain and activity interference. Taken together, these findings provide further support for the importance of coping variables in explaining the experience of pain and adjustment in young adults.
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We investigated the prevalence of a history of sexual abuse among patients with long-term musculoskeletal pain. Psychological factors associated with abuse and pain were also studied. ⋯ These data extend the relationship between sexual abuse and pain to a Swedish population suffering from musculoskeletal complaints. Our findings suggest that intervention in the pain treatment setting may need to address further the problems of effective coping strategies and depression.
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A cross-sectional study on patients with chronic low back pain to compare relationships between subjective disability and pain intensity, pain duration, pain location, and work-related factors. ⋯ The results suggest that subjective disability in patients with chronic low back pain overlaps with both pain and work-related factors. The observations support the multidimensionality of low back disability.