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Chronic pain is increasingly recognized as part of long COVID syndrome, mainly in the form of myalgias. However, chronic pain has several forms, and according to our clinical experience, COVID-19 survivors suffer from numerous painful syndromes, other than myalgias. The aim of our study was to estimate the prevalence of chronic pain, describe the commonest painful syndromes and identify pain determinants in a random population of COVID-19 survivors.
Learn More >Prescription opioids have been increasingly prescribed for chronic pain while the opioid-related death rates grow. Naloxone, an opioid antagonist, is increasingly recommended in these patients, yet there is limited research that investigates the intention to get naloxone. This study aimed to investigate intention toward getting naloxone in patients prescribed opioids for chronic pain and to assess the predictive utility of the theory of reasoned action (TRA) constructs in explaining intention to get naloxone.
Learn More >Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain, as well as numerous symptoms related to central sensitization such as: fatigue, cognitive disturbances, constipation/diarrhea and sensory hypersensitivity. Furthermore, depression and anxiety are prevalent comorbidities, accompanied by emotion processing and regulation difficulties. Although fibromyalgia physiopathology is still not fully understood, neuroimaging research methods have shown brain structural and functional alterations as well as neuroinflammation abnormalities. We believe that open access to data may help fibromyalgia research advance more. Here, we present an open dataset of 33 fibromyalgia female patients and 33 paired healthy controls recruited from a Mexican population. Dataset includes demographic, clinical, behavioural and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. The MRI data consists of: structural (T1- and T2- weighted) and functional (task-based and resting state) sequences. The task was an emotion processing and regulation task based on visual stimuli. The MRI data contained in the repository are unprocessed, presented in Brain Imaging Data Structure (BIDS) format and available on the OpenNeuro platform for future analysis.
Learn More >Open-label placebos, or placebos without deception, have been found to induce analgesia, a challenging concept that need to be investigated in detail. In particular, what we need to know is the mechanism through which analgesia is induced when no deception is involved. Here we show for the first time that open-label placebo analgesia can be reversed by the opioid antagonist naloxone, as already shown for deceptive placebos. To do this, we used the tourniquet technique to induce experimental ischemic arm pain. The open-label placebo challenge started when pain scores reached 7 on a 0-10 rating scale. Whereas 59.4% of the subjects did not respond to the open-label placebo, 40.6% showed a substantial response. On the basis of the natural history control group, a placebo responder reported pain scores equal to or less than 7 after 9 min from the open-label placebo administration. In these responders, we found that a hidden injection of 10 mg naloxone could reverse placebo analgesia compared to a hidden injection of saline solution. At least two control groups showed that naloxone per se was not hyperalgesic, thus ruling out naloxone-induced hyperalgesia as a confounding variable. In light of the need to better understand open-label placebo effects, these findings represent the first experimental evidence that nondeceptive placebo analgesia may be mediated by the same mechanisms as deceptive placebo analgesia, namely, the endogenous opioid systems.
Learn More >Fear-avoidance is one of the factors associated with chronic pain. However, it remains unclear whether the association between fear-avoidance and pain depends on sex. The present study aimed to investigate whether the association between fear-avoidance and pain intensity differed between men and women in chronic pain patients. Additionally, the potential confounding effect of affective experiences on the association between fear-avoidance and pain intensity was analyzed.
Learn More >This study aimed to investigate the mediating effects of social support on the relationship between uncertainty and quality of life (QOL) in patients with chronic low back pain (LBP).
Learn More >Researchers have found that research altruism motivates research participation, but little is known about what aspects of lived experience motivate this socially focused altruistic participation when participation emerges at the intersection of illness, identity, and injustice. This study examines adults living with sickle cell disease (n = 235) in the United States enrolled in the INSIGHTS clinical research study to investigate what aspects of the sickle cell disease lived experience, understood here as pain and illness perception, are associated with reporting subsidiary and primary altruistic motivations for participating in clinical research. Results from two binary logistic regressions indicate that pain frequency is positively associated with greater odds of reporting subsidiary altruistic motivations, and pain frequency and pain severity are positively associated with greater odds of citing primary altruistic motivations. Conversely, pain interference and illness perception are associated with lower odds of reporting primary altruistic motivations. These results reveal that for this racialized population, participation, although overwhelmingly altruistic, is rooted in an experience of persistent pain. Researchers must disentangle measures of lived experience in order to better understand what factors underlie and prevent participation.
Learn More >Nowadays, there is evidence that relates the amount of physical activity, as well as the impact of psychological factors, to the intensity of symptoms present in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). However, there are no studies which correlate the level of association of physical activity, psychological factors and vegetative symptoms in the FM population. The study has a cross-sectional observational design with 41 participants being recruited from a private clinic and rehabilitation service. The Autonomic Symptom Profile (Compass-31) to assess vegetative symptoms, the GODIN questionnaire to evaluate the level of leisure activity, and the pain catastrophizing scale, Tampa Kinesiophobia Scale and Self-Efficacy Scale to assess psychological factors, were used. A low and significant level of association was found between pain catastrophizing (PCS) and Kinesiophobia (r = 0.398; < 0.01), as well as with catastrophizing and vegetative symptoms (r = 0.428; < 0.05). Furthermore, a low and significant level of association was also found between self-efficacy and vegetative symptoms (r = 0.397; < 0.05). No association was found between the level of daily physical activity (measured by the Godin Leisure questionnaire) and vegetative symptoms, nor with any psychological factor studied. There is an association between vegetative symptoms and psychological factors. Nevertheless, more research which takes other factors into account, such as lifestyle and nutritional, is needed.
Learn More >Nationwide perspectives on cannabis have changed dramatically over recent decades. Although cannabis remains illegal at the federal level, medical cannabis (MC) is now legal in most states, and research has continued to show its effectiveness in a variety of medical conditions. However, both perception and acceptance of MC by the general public are evolving and remain poorly understood. Treating patients effectively with these novel therapeutics requires an understanding of the complex interplay of social and legal factors that could affect patient use. This cross-sectional survey study of more than 2500 patients sought to assess current patient perspectives on MC and to investigate factors related to its use that may represent barriers to broader patient use. Most respondents would consider using MC for chronic pain or other medical conditions. Most respondents were aware of the legal status of MC in their state, and 9 of 10 respondents believed that MC should be legal throughout the United States. General public knowledge of the utility of MC is an area needing improvement because older patients were significantly less likely to believe that MC is safe to use or that MC is safer than prescription opioids. As has been reported in previous literature, social stigma and cost appear to remain barriers for patient use of MC. Our findings provide further insight into current patient perspectives on MC, aiding both medical providers and researchers as we continue to provide access to and research MC. [. 20XX;XX(X):xx-xx.].
Learn More >Characterize use and efficacy/effectiveness of virtual, augmented, or mixed reality (VR/AR/MR) technology as non-pharmacological therapy for chronic pain. Systematic search of 12 databases to identify empirical studies, of individuals who experience chronic pain or illness involving chronic pain, published between 1990 and 2021. JBI Critical Appraisal Checklists assessed study bias and a narrative synthesis was provided. 46 studies, investigating a total of 1456 participants and including 19 randomized controlled trials (RCT), were reviewed. VR/AR/MR was associated with improved pain-related outcomes in 78% of the RCTs. While most studies showed effects immediately or up to one month post treatment, RCTs are needed to further evaluate VR/AR/MR, establish long-term benefits, and assess accessibility, especially among individuals who experience pain management disparities.
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