Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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The contribution of psychological risk factors to the intensification of pain experienced among individuals with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is relatively under-studied. The present study aims to explore associations between FMS-related somatic symptom severity and two personality tendencies: anxiety sensitivity (AS) and socially prescribed perfectionism (SPP). Furthermore, the relative contributions of these personality tendencies are examined vis-à-vis the experience of potentially traumatic events (PTEs) and the psychopathology of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). ⋯ The present study supports the assumption that psychological risk factors may affect the expression of somatic symptoms and the interpretation of pain stimulus arising in the body that might eventually be experienced as excessively painful. The study also suggests that above and beyond psychological risk factors, PTSS may express a high predominance and affect pain perception among participants with FMS.
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Fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis, and Sjögren's syndrome are chronic rheumatic diseases with very different clinical characteristics, but which share symptoms such as pain and fatigue. The aim of the study was to examine the impact of the disease on psychological adaptation in fibromyalgia compared with other rheumatic diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis, and Sjögren's syndrome). ⋯ Compared with other rheumatic diseases, fibromyalgia has a greater impact on daily life; patients have more difficulty adjusting to the disease and generally use poorer strategies to cope with pain.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Integrated Meditation and Exercise Therapy: A Randomized Controlled Pilot of a Combined Nonpharmacological Intervention Focused on Reducing Disability and Pain in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain.
This pilot trial examined the effects of a combined intervention of mindfulness meditation followed by aerobic walking exercise compared with a control condition in chronic low back pain patients. We hypothesized that meditation before exercise would reduce disability, pain, and anxiety by increasing mindfulness prior to physical activity compared with an audiobook control group. ⋯ . Overall, 4 weeks of MedExT produced suggestive between-group trends for disability, significant between-group differences for measures of pain, and significant within-group increases in mindfulness.