Experimental brain research. Experimentelle Hirnforschung. Expérimentation cérébrale
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Acute musculoskeletal pain is associated with reductions in corticomotor output that persists even after pain resolves. Factors that contribute to corticomotor depression following acute pain are unknown. This study examined whether psychological factors, including pain catastrophising, kinesiophobia, and implicit theories of pain, were associated with corticomotor depression following acute experimental muscle pain. ⋯ No relationship was observed with any other psychological variable (p > 0.15). These data provide preliminary support for a relationship between pain-related fear of movement and corticomotor depression in response to acute pain. These findings may have implications for clinical musculoskeletal pain disorders.