Browse by Audience
MEMBER

Update Your Profile
Special Interest Groups (SIG)
Member Spotlights
IASP Connect
Join Now

RESEARCHER

PAIN
PAIN Reports
Pain Research Forum
Pain Researcher
Events

HEALTH CARE PROVIDER

Online Learning - PERC
Curricula
Graduate Opportunities
Treatment and Education Resources
Events

PATIENT & CAREGIVER

Resources for Living with Pain
Topic Pages
Free Videos
Events

PARTNER

Support IASP
Sponsor an Event
Become a Partner
Make a Donation

I am a
IASP Logo
Home I AM A Search Login

Psychology

Home / Publications / Pain Research Forum / Papers of the Week / Psychology
Share this

Tricyclic antidepressants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors but not anticonvulsants ameliorate pain, anxiety, and depression symptoms in an animal model of central post-stroke pain.

Central post-stroke pain (CPSP) is a type of neuropathic pain caused by dysfunction in the spinothalamocortical pathway. However, no animal studies have examined comorbid anxiety and depression symptoms. Whether the typical pharmacological treatments for CPSP, which include antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and anticonvulsants, can treat comorbid anxiety and depression symptoms in addition to pain remains unclear? The present study ablated the ventrobasal complex of the thalamus (VBC) to cause various CPSP symptoms. The effects of the tricyclic antidepressants amitriptyline and imipramine, the SSRI fluoxetine, and the anticonvulsant carbamazepine on pain, anxiety, and depression were examined.

Learn More >

Psychologically informed physical therapy for musculoskeletal pain: current approaches, implications, and future directions from recent randomized trials.

Psychologically informed physical therapy (PIPT) blends psychological strategies within a physical therapist's treatment approach for the prevention and management of chronic musculoskeletal pain. Several randomized trials have been conducted examining the efficacy of PIPT compared to standard physical therapy on important patient-reported outcomes of disability, physical function, and pain. In this review, we examine recent trials published since 2012 to describe current PIPT methods, discuss implications from findings, and offer future directions. Twenty-two studies, representing 18 trials, were identified. The studied PIPT interventions included (1) graded activity or graded exposure (n = 6), (2) cognitive-behavioral-based physical therapy (n = 9), (3) acceptance and commitment-based physical therapy (n = 1), and (4) internet-based psychological programs with physical therapy (n = 2). Consistent with prior reviews, graded activity is not superior to other forms of physical activity or exercise. In a few recent studies, cognitive-behavioral-based physical therapy had short-term efficacy when compared to a program of standardized exercise. There is a need to further examine approaches integrating alternative strategies including acceptance-based therapies (ie, acceptance and commitment therapy or mindfulness) or internet-based cognitive-behavioral programs within physical therapy. Although PIPT remains a promising care model, more convincing evidence is needed to support widespread adoption, especially in light of training demands and implementation challenges.

Learn More >

Adverse childhood experiences in parents of youth with chronic pain: prevalence and comparison with a community-based sample.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are common occurrences that are related to poor health outcomes, including chronic pain, in youth and adults. Research suggests that children of parents exposed to ACEs are also at risk of poor outcomes. However, little is known about the risk that ACEs confer for chronic pain across generations. Parent ACEs may play an important role in pediatric chronic pain, given their association with key parent factors (eg, mental and physical health).

Learn More >

Clinical Characteristics of Pain Among Five Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions.

To describe the pain characteristics of five index chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs) and to assess each COPC separately in order to determine whether the presence of comorbid COPCs is associated with bodily pain distribution, pain intensity, pain interference, and high-impact pain of the index COPC.

Learn More >

A Qualitative Comparison of Reassurance Approaches Used by Physical Therapists to Address Fears and Concerns of Patients With Nonspecific Neck Pain and Whiplash-Associated Disorders: An Online Survey.

The study aimed to identify and compare (1) what physical therapists perceive to be the main concerns, fears, and worries that patients with whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) and nontraumatic neck pain (NTNP) have as a result of their condition, and (2) the strategies used by physical therapists to address these fears and concerns.

Learn More >

In search of a rodent model of placebo analgesia in chronic orofacial neuropathic pain.

All treatments are given in a context, suggesting that conditioning cues may significantly influence therapeutic outcomes. We tested the hypothesis that context affects placebo analgesia in rodents. To produce neuropathic pain in rats, we performed chronic constriction injury of the infraorbital nerve. We then treated the rats daily, over a seven day period, with injections of either fentanyl or saline, with or without associated conditioning cues; a fourth group received no treatment. On the eighth day, we replaced fentanyl with saline to test for conditioned placebo analgesia. We tested the effects of treatment by measuring sensitivity to mechanical stimuli and grimace scale scores. We found no significant differences in either of these outcomes among the four experimental groups. These findings suggest that chronic, neuropathic pain in rats may not be susceptible to placebo analgesia.

Learn More >

Search