Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Relevance of Water Temperature, Apparatus, and Age to Children's Pain during the Cold Pressor Task.
Effective use of experimental pain in research depends on a thorough understanding of factors influencing their use. Although studies using the cold pressor task (CPT) have critically advanced our knowledge of pain mechanisms, assessment, and management in adults and children, the impact of identified methodological variability in its use is not known (ie, water temperature and apparatus); furthermore, whether methodological variations differentially impact children across development. ⋯ These results provide critically important information about water temperature, apparatus, and child age on CPT pain responding. It informs design of future CPT studies and directs consideration of methodological variability and child age when interpreting study findings.