European journal of pain : EJP
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The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of body fat percentage and its distribution on sensory detection and pain sensitivity responses to experimentally induced noxious stimuli in otherwise pain-free individuals. ⋯ This study provided evidence that body mass index and distribution of body fat can influence sensory detection and pain sensitivity. Obese individuals were more sensitive than normal range body mass index individuals to pressure pain but not to thermal pain. Pain response varied according to subcutaneous body fat at different body sites. These findings strengthen arguments that weight loss should be a significant aspect of a pain management programme for obese pain patients.
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Recent evidence suggests that chronic low back pain is associated with plastic changes in the brain that can be modified by neuromodulation strategies. This study investigated the efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined simultaneously with peripheral electrical stimulation (PES) for pain relief, disability and global perception in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). ⋯ Transcranial direct current stimulation combined simultaneously with PES leads to a significant and clinical pain relief that can last up to three months in chronic low back pain patients. For this article, a commentary is available at the Wiley Online Library.
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Visual cue conditioning is a valuable experimental paradigm to investigate placebo and nocebo effects in pain. However, little attention has been paid to the cues themselves and potential variability of effects (their quantity and quality) stemming from the choice of stimuli. Yet, this seemingly methodological question has important implications for the interpretation of experimental findings in terms of their significance for clinical practice. ⋯ We compared different types of neutral cues commonly used in conditioning paradigms and found that faces elicited a stronger, more robust nonconscious effect than abstract images or pseudo-words.
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Emerging evidence suggests that perceived injustice is a risk factor for work disability in individuals with whiplash injury. At present, however, little is known about the processes by which perceived injustice impacts on return to work. The purpose of this study was to examine whether expectancies mediated the relationship between perceived injustice and return to work in patients with whiplash injury. ⋯ The study confirms that expectancies are the mechanism through which perceived injustice impacts return to work following whiplash injury. The findings suggest that interventions designed to specifically target return-to-work expectancies might improve rehabilitation outcomes in patients with whiplash injury.
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Substance P (SP) is a pain- and inflammation-related neuropeptide which preferentially binds to the neurokinin receptor 1 (NK1 ). SP and NK1 receptors have been implicated in joint pain, inflammation and damage in animal models and human studies of osteoarthritis (OA). The aim of this study was to test if genetic variation at the neurokinin 1 receptor gene (TACR1) is associated with pain in individuals with radiographic knee OA. ⋯ This study contributes to the knowledge of the genetics of painful osteoarthritis, a condition which affects millions of individuals worldwide. Specifically, a contribution from the TACR1 gene to modulating pain sensitivity in osteoarthritis is suggested.