The journal of pain : official journal of the American Pain Society
-
This study compared persons with chronic pain who consistently reported that their pain was worsening with those who reported that their pain was improving or remaining the same per daily assessment data from a smartphone pain app. All participants completed baseline measures and were asked to record their progress every day by answering whether their overall condition had improved, remained the same, or gotten worse (perceived change) on a visual analogue scale. One hundred forty-four individuals with chronic pain who successfully entered daily assessments were included. ⋯ These analyses demonstrated that group classification of better, same, and worse could be reliably determined, even with as few as 5 assessments. These results support the use of innovative mobile health technology to identify individuals who are prone to catastrophize about their pain. Perspective: This study demonstrated that daily assessment of overall perceived change with a smartphone pain app was positively correlated with the Pain Catastrophizing Scale and capturing short-term daily assessment trends data using computer-based classification methods might be a future way to help to identify individuals who tend to catastrophize about their pain.
-
Translational correlates to pain with activities after deep tissue injury have been rarely studied. We hypothesized that deep tissue incision causes greater activation of nociception-transmitting neurons evoked by muscle contraction. In vivo neuronal activity was recorded in 203 dorsal horn neurons (DHNs) from 97 rats after sham, skin-only, or skin + deep muscle incision. ⋯ PERSPECTIVE: Completion of various activities is an important milestone for recovery and hospital discharge after surgery. Skin + deep muscle incision caused greater activation of nociception-transmitting DHNs evoked by muscle contraction compared with skin-only incision. This result suggests an important contribution of deep muscle injury to activity-evoked hyperalgesia after surgery.
-
High-impact (disabling) pain diminishes the quality of life and increases health care costs. The purpose of this study was to identify the variables that distinguish between high- and low-impact pain among individuals with painful temporomandibular disorder (TMD). Community-dwelling adults (N = 846) with chronic TMD completed standardized questionnaires that assessed the following: 1) sociodemographic characteristics, 2) psychological distress, 3) clinical pain, and 4) experimental pain. ⋯ The characteristics that discriminated most effectively between people with low- and high-impact TMD pain included clinical pain features and the ability to cope with pain. PERSPECTIVE: This article presents the results of a multivariable model designed to discriminate between people with high- and low-impact pain in a community-based sample of people with painful chronic TMD. The findings emphasize the importance of catastrophizing, jaw limitation, and painful body sites associated with pain-related impact.
-
The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), and Pain Severity subscale of the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI-PS) are the most frequently used instruments to measure pain intensity in low back pain. However, their measurement properties in this population have not been reviewed systematically. The goal of this study was to provide such systematic evidence synthesis. ⋯ All VAS measurement properties were underpinned by no, low, or very low quality evidence; likewise, the other measurement properties of NRS and BPI-PS. PERSPECTIVES: Despite their broad use, there is no evidence clearly suggesting that one among VAS, NRS, and BPI-PS has superior measurement properties in low back pain. Future adequate quality head-to-head comparisons are needed and priority should be given to assessing content validity, test-retest reliability, measurement error, and responsiveness.
-
To understand when and why the provision of help by a partner of an individual with chronic pain (ICP) yields benefits, it is critical, according to self-determination theory, to consider the extent to which partners' helping responses are supportive of the basic psychological needs of the ICP, as well as the motivations underlying these helping responses. The present study (N = 141 couples), spanning 3 measurement moments over 6 months, investigated temporal associations between partners' helping motivation, ICPs' psychological needs, and ICPs' functioning across time (ie, well-being, psychological distress, and disability). Results showed that partners' autonomous or volitional helping motivation (time 1) predicted decreases in ICPs' need frustration (time 2) and ICPs' need frustration (time 2) predicted increases in ICPs' psychological distress (time 3). ⋯ Finally, the associations between ICPs' disability and both partners' helping motivation and ICPs' need-based experiences were nonsignificant. Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed. Perspective: Partners' helping motivations and ICPs' psychological needs seem to be important to consider when investigating the role of spousal responses, because they could (indirectly) predict changes in the well-being and psychological distress of ICPs over time.