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There is an increasing need for physical therapists to address psychosocial aspects of musculoskeletal pain. Psychologically informed practice is one way to deliver this type of care through the integration of biopsychosocial interventions into patient management. An important component of psychologically informed practice is patient centered communication. However, there is little research on how to effectively implement patient centered communication into pre-licensure training for physical therapists.
Learn More >Pain has been identified as a risk factor for cognitive dysfunction, which in turn affects pain perception. Although pain, cognitive dysfunction, and their interaction are clinically important, the neural mechanism connecting the two phenomena remains unclear.
Learn More >Chronic pain is prevalent in Sweden, nearing 20% in the adult population. Treatment often requires a multimodal approach, with medication, physical therapy and psychological interventions. However, the frequency of medication in patients with chronic pain in Sweden, and its correlation with patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), are currently unknown.
Learn More >Chronic pain can be complex and taxing to live with, and treatment and support require a multicomponent approach, which may not always be offered or available. Smartphones, tablets, and personal computers are already incorporated into patients' daily lives, and therefore, they can be used to communicate, educate, and support self-management. Although some web-based self-management interventions exist, research examining the evidence and effect of digital solutions supporting self-management for patients living with chronic pain is limited, findings are inconclusive, and new innovative ideas and solutions are needed.
Learn More >Validity and Reliability of the Computer-Administered Routine Opioid Outcome Monitoring (ROOM) Tool.
The Routine Opioid Outcome Monitoring (ROOM) tool measures outcomes with opioids using an established framework which includes domains such as pain, mood, opioid use disorder, alcohol use, and constipation. This study aims to validate and establish the test-retest reliability of the computer-administered ROOM tool.
Learn More >This study evaluated the characteristics of opioid prescriptions, including prescriber specialty, given to opioid-naïve patients and their association with chronic use.
Learn More >As a rite of passage to womanhood, 2 million girls undergo female genital circumcision (FGC) – the tradition of cutting, and often removing parts of the vulva – every year. The current study is the first to focus on the connection between peripheral nerve damage and chronic neuropathic pain in women with FGC. We used mixed methods – quantitative, qualitative and physiological – to study chronic pain in Somali-Canadian women (N = 14). These women have the most extensive form of FGC, which includes removal of the glans clitoris, labia minora, medial portion of the labia majora, and stitching together the remaining parts of the labia majora. Our results indicate a multifaceted pain experience in women with FGC. Although they report good overall health and very low pain levels on the short form of the McGill Pain Questionnaire, pressure-pain quantitative sensory testing of the vulvar region applied through vulvalgesiometers shows pain thresholds consistent with those reported by women with chronic vulvar pain. Furthermore, qualitative interviews reveal a considerable amount of often debilitating pain in daily life. These results challenge the use of assessment tools offering elicited verbal pain language and highlight the importance of culturally sensitive ways of conceptualizing, measuring and managing pain.
Learn More >The United States (US) population consumes an estimated 68% of the world's prescribed opioids each year, and over 2 million adults in the US suffer from an opioid use disorder. Although chronic pain populations are among the highest risk segments of the general population for opioid misuse and dependence, there is little understanding of individual risk characteristics that may contribute to greater risk for these outcomes among this group. The present investigation explored the concurrent role of anxiety sensitivity and pain intensity and their interaction in relation to opioid misuse and dependence among 429 adults with chronic pain (73.9% female, M = 38.32 years, SD = 11.07). Results revealed that both anxiety sensitivity and pain intensity were associated with opioid misuse and dependence. There was no evidence of an interaction for either outcome. Post-hoc analyses indicated that of the lower-order anxiety sensitivity facets, physical and mental incapacitation concerns contributed to variance in opioid misuse and only mental incapacitation concerns contributed to variance in opioid dependence. Overall, the current findings suggest the importance of assessing anxiety sensitivity in screening for opioid-related problems among persons with chronic pain, as it may represent a distinct pathway to poorer opioid-related outcomes among this group.
Learn More >Pathophysiologic mechanisms underpinning ongoing pain in whiplash associated disorder (WAD) are not well understood, however alterations in brain morphology and function have been observed in this population, as well as in other chronic pain conditions. This study investigated metabolite profiles of brain regions in people with chronic WAD compared with controls.
Learn More >The study of Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA) behaviors has led to greater understanding of factors that affect the pain experience. Although PCA behaviors can be influenced by cues to medication availability, no studies have examined the effects of such cues in pediatric populations.
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