The journal of pain : official journal of the American Pain Society
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Previous studies on pain experiences in retired contract sport athletes have been cross-sectional, leaving gaps in our understanding of the evolution of pain interference (PI) and factors that influence trajectories decades after sport discontinuation. This study investigated the longitudinal course of PI in former male National Football League (NFL) players over a 19-year period following sport discontinuation and examined factors influencing overall levels and trajectories of PI. Former NFL players completed health surveys in 2001, 2010, and 2019, with PI ratings measured using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (2001 and 2010) and the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (2019). ⋯ PERSPECTIVE: This study assessed PI in former NFL athletes over 2 decades, revealing notable interindividual variability in trajectories over time. Musculoskeletal injuries, depression, and OA correlated with overall PI. Prevention and intervention in these 3 areas present the potential to improve disruptions in daily living due to pain in former athletes.
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Chronic pain and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSS) co-occur at high rates in youth and are linked to worse pain outcomes and quality of life. While peer victimization has been posited as a mechanism underlying the PTSS-pain relationship in youth, empirical evidence suggests that it may exacerbate both PTSS and pain. The present study aimed to longitudinally examine PTSS as a mediator in the relationship between peer victimization at baseline and pain-related outcomes at 3 months in youth with chronic pain. ⋯ These findings reveal that PTSS may be an underlying factor in the co-occurrence of peer victimization and chronic pain in youth. Further research is needed to better understand the role of peer victimization in the maintenance of chronic pain to ensure appropriate, effective, and timely interventions that address the social and mental health issues impacting the lives of these youth as well as their pain. PERSPECTIVE: PTSS may be an underlying factor in the co-occurrence between peer victimization and chronic pain in youth, highlighting the need to assess for both peer relationship problems and PTSS in youth with chronic pain.
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Prior research has established that insomnia is predictive of pain in adolescents and that psychological mechanisms have a crucial role in this relationship. Adolescent girls report more insomnia and pain than boys, yet little is known of gender differences in how insomnia influences pain. This study assessed gender differences in levels and trajectories of insomnia and pain during adolescence, and whether rumination and negative mood mediated the effect of insomnia on pain. ⋯ These results highlight that girls and boys should be considered separately when studying the relationship between insomnia and pain. PERSPECTIVE: Levels of insomnia and pain are progressively higher in adolescent girls than boys, across adolescence. The predictive strength of insomnia symptoms for future pain is 3.5 times greater in girls, with distinct gender-specific underlying pathways: rumination partially mediates this effect in girls, while depressed mood does so in boys.
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Chronic pain is a common burden among children and adolescents associated with impairments in many aspects of life. Higher pain severity increases this burden. Subsequently, it is important to identify factors predicting the course of pain severity, classified by the chronic pain grading (CPG). ⋯ In conclusion, girls and individuals with impaired psychological well-being more often exhibit unfavorable trajectories of chronic pain severity. PERSPECTIVE: Pediatric chronic pain patients, particularly females and those exhibiting elevated anxiety or depression scores or heightened affective pain perception warrant special attention in health care. These individuals have a greater risk of an unfavorable trajectory of chronic pain severity and might need more urgent and specialized treatment.
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Both endocannabinoid (EC) and endogenous opioid systems are involved in nociceptive processing and may work together synergistically based on preclinical models. This study evaluated the interactive effects of preoperative beta-endorphin (BE) concentrations (a key analgesic endogenous opioid) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and ECs (CSF and plasma 2-arachidonoylglycerol and plasma anandamide) on postoperative opioid use and pain intensity in a prospective cohort of n = 112 pregnant patients undergoing scheduled cesarean delivery. Maternal blood and CSF samples were collected preoperatively for BE and EC assays. ⋯ Further exploration of interactions between EC and endogenous opioid inhibitory systems as they influence responses to opioid analgesics in other clinical pain populations may help guide the development of precision pain management approaches. PERSPECTIVE: In the postoperative setting of patients undergoing cesarean delivery, elevated ECs were linked to reduced outpatient opioid analgesic use in individuals who had low endogenous opioid concentrations in CSF. Further exploration of interactions between these 2 inhibitory systems as they impact responses to pain management interventions appears warranted.