Articles: pain-measurement.
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Some pain behaviors appear to be automatic, reflexive manifestations of pain, whereas others present as voluntarily controlled. This project examined whether this distinction would characterize pain cues used in observational pain measures for children aged 4-12. To develop a comprehensive list of cues, a systematic literature search of studies describing development of children's observational pain assessment tools was conducted using MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. ⋯ Factor analyses yielded three major factors: the "Automatic" factor included items related to facial expression, paralinguistics, and consolability; the "Controlled" factor included items related to intentional movements, verbalizations, and social actions; and the "Ambiguous" factor included items related to voluntary facial expressions. Pain behaviors in observational pain scales for children can be characterized as automatic, controlled, and ambiguous, supporting a dual-processing, neuroregulatory model of pain expression. These dimensions would be expected to influence judgments of the nature and severity of pain being experienced and the extent to which the child is attempting to control the social environment.
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Chronic scrotal pain (CSP) is a common and debilitating condition, but the underlying characteristics and etiology of CSP are poorly understood. The objective of this study is to identify the characteristic and etiologies of CSP. Men presenting for management of CSP completed a standardized questionnaire and underwent a complete physical examination. ⋯ Neuropathic changes were found in 30%. For close to half of the men (43.5%) we were unable to identify any potential cause for the CSP. This study characterizes the dramatic impact that CSP has on the lives of men, while providing an understanding of the common etiologies.
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NeuroImage. Clinical · Jan 2017
Brain functional connectivity is associated with visceral sensitivity in women with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Increased perception of visceral stimuli is a key feature of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). While altered resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) has been also reported in IBS, the relationship between visceral hypersensitivity and aberrant rsFC is unknown. We therefore assessed rsFC within the salience, sensorimotor and default mode networks in patients with and without visceral hypersensitivity and in healthy controls (HCs). ⋯ DMN and sensorimotor network rsFC were associated with rectal perception thresholds, and rsFC in posterior insula was correlated with reported symptom severity in IBS. Our exploratory findings suggest that visceral sensitivity in IBS is related to changes in FC within resting-state networks associated with interoception, salience and sensory processing. These alterations may play an important role in hypervigilance and hyperalgesia in IBS.
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Accurate measurement of physical performance in individuals with musculoskeletal pain is essential. Accelerometry is a powerful tool for this purpose, yet the current methods designed to evaluate energy expenditure are not optimized for this population. The goal of this study is to empirically derive a method of accelerometry analysis specifically for musculoskeletal pain populations. ⋯ These new accelerometry intervals provide a model for objective measurement of real-life physical performance in people with pain and musculoskeletal disorders, with many potential uses. They may be used to better evaluate the relationship between pain and daily physical function, monitor musculoskeletal disease progression, gauge disease severity, inform exercise prescription, and quantify the functional impact of treatments. Based on these findings, we recommend that future studies of pain and musculoskeletal disorders analyze accelerometry output based on these new "physical performance" intervals.
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Pain modulation via expectation is a well-documented phenomenon. So far it has been shown that expectations about effectiveness of a certain treatment enhance the effectiveness of different analgesics and of drug-free pain treatments. Also, studies demonstrate that people assess same-intensity stimuli differently, depending on the experimentally induced expectations regarding the characteristics of the stimuli. Prolonged effect of expectation on pain perception and possible symmetry in conditions of lower- and higher-intensity stimuli is yet to be studied. Aim of this study is to determine the effect of expectation on the perception of pain experimentally induced by the series of higher- and lower-intensity stimuli. ⋯ It seems that expectation effect is strong enough to "overcome" even the direct effect of stimulus intensity (at least in the low to moderate intensity range), which suggests potential benefits of verbal instructions even in rather painful stimuli.