Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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This is a structured evidence-based review of all available studies on the effect of pain, (a state phenomenon) on the measurement of personality characteristics (a trait phenomenon). ⋯ Based on the above results, it was concluded that some trait tests and inventories may not be pain state independent. Therefore, caution is warranted in interpreting postpain development personality profiles as being indicative of the true prepain personality structure, if measured by these tests. Why trait scores may change with treatment, confounding test-retest issues, and whether trait tests actually measure what they allegedly measure are discussed.
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Functional restoration programs for chronic low back pain (CLBP) have been shown to be successful in improving function and, to a lesser extent, in reducing pain. The Munich Functional Restoration Program (MFRP) is a 4-week outpatient program designed to reduce pain and to improve health-related quality of life in patients with a long history of CLBP. ⋯ Compared with standard treatment, a functional restoration program for CLBP significantly improves some aspects of health-related quality of life. It results in a decrease of pain and pain-related disability even in patients with a long history of CLBP.
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Prior work suggests that positive affect inhibits pain while negative affect facilitates it. The current study sought to determine whether: 1) affective modulation of pain extends to a patient population; 2) cocaine and alcohol dependence influences the pattern of modulation; and 3) affective modulation of pain is mediated by changes in arm temperature. ⋯ Affect modulates pain perception in patients and does not appear to be mediated by changes in arm temperature. Additionally, pain modulation was not significantly influenced by cocaine or alcohol dependence. These data are encouraging, because they suggest that nonpharmacological methods of pain modulation may be effective in substance-dependent individuals.