European journal of pain : EJP
-
Review
Gastrointestinal pain: A systematic review of temporal summation of pain paradigms and outcomes.
Since targeted treatment for gastrointestinal pain is elusive, identifying the mechanistic underpinning of this pain type is important. Facilitation of spinal neuronal responses underpins certain pain types, and the psychophysical temporal summation of pain (TSP) paradigm provides a proxy measure of spinal facilitatory processes. Our aim was to systematically review whether facilitated TSP is a feature of gastrointestinal pain in patients with, or pain-free people experiencing experimentally induced, gastrointestinal pain. ⋯ PROSPERO CRD42022341845.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Sudden gains in depression and anxiety during an online pain management programme for chronic pain.
Chronic pain is associated with depression and anxiety symptoms. Pain management programms, delivered face-to-face or via the internet, can effectively help adults manage the impacts of chronic pain. Sudden gains are defined as substantial, rapid, and lasting symptom reductions that occur between consecutive treatment sessions and have been associated with better treatment outcomes in non-pain samples. This study examined whether adults with chronic pain report sudden gains in depression or anxiety symptoms during an 8-week online pain management programme, and whether sudden gains were associated with better treatment outcomes for depression or anxiety. Dominant theories of sudden gains argue that therapists are required for sudden gains to be maintained and improve treatment outcomes. ⋯ Sudden gains in depression and anxiety symptoms were not associated with improved treatment outcomes for adults with chronic pain who participated in an online pain management programme, regardless of the level of therapist guidance provided. These findings suggest possible differences in symptom change in chronic pain samples compared to general population samples.
-
The predictive validity of the STarT Back screening tool among older adults is uncertain. This study aimed to assess the predictive validity of the SBT among older adults in primary care. ⋯ This study found that the STarT Back screening tool had poor predictive validity among older adults and that it may need recalibration or extension before widespread implementation among older adults. Having valid tools for this population may aid clinicians with allocating scarce healthcare resources, which is especially important considering the rapidly ageing population and its expected challenge to the healthcare systems.
-
Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a common pain condition, negatively impacting the relationships and sexual lives of sufferers. Women's coping behaviour has been associated with psychosexual outcomes, yet coping patterns in clinical PVD samples are unexplored, and it is not known how women's coping relates to their relational context. ⋯ This study extends previous findings on vulvar pain coping patterns to a clinical population of women with PVD. It is further the first study to address the relationship between relational variables, such as partner responses and relational catastrophizing and different coping patterns. Thus, the contribution of this study is the contextualizing of coping patterns among women with PVD. The results showed that a combined pattern of avoidance and endurance coping is associated with high distress, poor psychosexual outcomes, and indications of insufficient relational coping, highlighting the need for clinical assessment and intervention to target both women's individual coping patterns and their relational context.
-
Parents may seek out health information online when their adolescent has nonspecific back pain to better understand treatment options. Such information directed towards consumers has not been previously analysed. ⋯ This analysis reveals that public-facing websites with recommendations for treating adolescent nonspecific back pain do not cite the most recent, high-quality research. Although web pages correctly encourage physical activity and exercise over surgery and prescription medications, they do not reflect the psychologically informed or interdisciplinary care emphasized in recently published treatment recommendations. Clinicians must be aware that caregivers of their adolescent patients with nonspecific back pain may be exposed to online messages that encourage them to keep seeking a diagnosis.