Journal of Pain

Oxytocin 1 is a neuropeptide broadly implicated in social relationships and behavior. OT also exerts antinociceptive and pain-reducing effects in both humans and rodents. Recent research in rodents demonstrates that these effects can be peripheral and local. In human studies, intravenous OT has reduced visceral pain and subcutaneous injection of OT has reduced postsurgical pain. However, the local effects of subcutaneous OT on experimental pain have not been studied. We conducted a two-session crossover study during which healthy adults received a subcutaneous injection of synthetic OT (4mcg/2ml) or saline placebo (isotonic saline 2ml), in a randomized and double-blinded manner...

Shared decision-making (SDM) involving patient and physician is a desirable goal that is recommended in chronic pain management guidelines. This study measured whether SDM affects opioid prescribing frequency for chronic low back pain. A retrospective cohort study involving 1478 participants was conducted within a national pain research registry. The patient participation and patient orientation (PPPO) scale of the Communication Behavior Questionnaire was used to measure SDM, including classification of greater SDM (PPPO scale score≥80) or lesser SDM (PPPO scale score<80)...

Neuropathic pain (NP) is a prevalent condition often associated with heightened pain responsiveness suggestive of central sensitization. Neuroimaging biomarkers of treatment outcomes may help develop personalised treatment strategies, but white matter (WM) properties have been under-explored for this purpose. Here we assessed whether WM pathways of the default mode network (DMN: medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), precuneus (PCu)) and descending pain modulation system (periaqueductal gray (PAG)) are associated with ketamine analgesia and attenuated temporal summation of pain (TSP, reflecting central sensitization) in NP...

Chronic pain and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSS) co-occur at high rates in youth and are linked to worse pain outcomes and quality of life. While peer victimization has been posited as a mechanism underlying the PTSS-pain relationship in youth, empirical evidence suggests that it may exacerbate both PTSS and pain. The present study aimed to longitudinally examine PTSS as a mediator in the relationship between peer victimization at baseline and pain-related outcomes at 3 months in youth with chronic pain...

The purpose of this study was to identify meaningful response patterns in self-report survey data collected from Canadian military veterans with chronic pain and to create an algorithm intended to facilitate triage and prioritization of veterans to the most appropriate interventions. An online survey was presented to former members of the Canadian military who self-identified as having chronic pain. Variables collected were related to pain, physical and mental interference, prior traumatic experiences, and indicators from each of seven potential drivers of the pain experience...

The well-being and functioning of individuals with chronic pain (CP) varies significantly. Social factors, such as social integration, may help explain this differential impact. Specifically, structural (network size, density) as well as functional (perceived social support, conflict) social network characteristics may play a role. However, it is not yet clear whether and how these variables are associated with each other. Objectives were to examine: (1) both social network characteristics in individuals with primary and secondary CP, (2) the association between structural network characteristics and mental distress, and functioning/participation in daily life, and (3) whether the network's functionality mediated the association between structural network characteristics, and mental distress respectively functioning/participation in daily life...

Low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of years lived with disability globally, with Nigeria having one of the greatest burdens. A current episode of LBP is important in Nigeria, but the associated factors are unknown. This cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence, biomechanical and psychosocial factors associated with a current episode of LBP amongst 700 adult market traders with previous LBP in an urban Nigerian population. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were conducted. The prevalence of a current episode of LBP was 76...

Research suggests that pain negatively affects body image, and body image may also influence reported pain levels. This review aims to summarize the literature on differences in body image distortion between individuals with pain compared to pain-free individuals. The review was conducted according to the PRISMA 2020 statement and an a priori pre-registered protocol. The literature was searched using five electronic databases. Studies assessing body image with the Fremantle Awareness Questionnaire (FAQ) in individuals with and without pain were eligible for inclusion...

Persistent post-surgical pain (PPSP) is one of the most bothersome and disabling long-term complications after inguinal hernia repair (IHR) surgery. Understanding perioperative risk factors that contribute to PPSP can help identify high-risk patients and develop risk-mitigation approaches. The objective of this study was to systematically review and meta-analyze risk factors that contribute to PPSP after IHR. The literature search resulted in 303 papers included in this review, 140 of which were used for meta-analyses...

Improvements in fetal ultrasound have allowed for the diagnosis and treatment of fetal diseases in the uterus, often though surgery. However, little attention has been drawn to the assessment of fetal pain. To address this gap, a fetal pain scoring system, known as the Fetal-7 scale, was developed. The present study is a full validation of the Fetal-7 scale. The validation involved two steps: i. four fetuses with indication of surgery were evaluated in three conditions perioperatively: acute pain, rest, and under loud sound stimulation...

The aims of this study were to phenotype pain in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) by investigating the association between sensitization-associated symptoms with quality of life, anxiety/depression, pain catastrophizing and kinesiophobia levels, and, identifying those risk factors explaining the variance of quality of life in individuals with ILD and pain. One hundred and thirty-two (38.6% women, mean age: 70, SD: 10.5 years) patients with ILD completed clinical (age, sex, height, weight), psychological (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI), and health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L) variables as well as the Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI), the Self-administered Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (S-LANSS), Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) and Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK-11) questionnaires...

Poor oral health conditions in adults are associated to chronic pain. A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the link between tooth loss and chronic pain. The study involved 8,662 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Tooth count was categorized into four groups and chronic pain was defined as persistent pain lasting over three months despite treatment. Location of the chronic pain, demographics, comorbidities, lifestyle determinants, and dietary intake were retrieved...

Chronic pain is a common burden among children and adolescents associated with impairments in many aspects of life. Higher pain severity increases this burden. Subsequently, it is important to identify factors predicting the course of pain severity, classified by the Chronic Pain Grading. In a 1-year longitudinal assessment of a general school-age population (N=2280), we aimed to identify biopsychosocial factors associated with Chronic Pain Grading trajectories. We focused on children and adolescents who reported chronic pain at the start of the year (N=689)...

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is believed to be an effective treatment for chronic pain due to its association with cognitive and emotional factors. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of magnetoencephalography (MEG) investigations elucidating its underlying mechanisms. This study investigated the neurophysiological effects of CBT employing MEG and analytical techniques. We administered resting-state MEG scans to 30 patients with chronic pain and 31 age-matched healthy controls. Patients engaged in a 12-session group CBT program...

The effectiveness of hypnosis-based pain management is well established. However, mechanisms of action and specific effective components are not well understood. The socio-cognitive theory of hypnosis proposes that the effectiveness of hypnosis for pain management is determined by the non-specific features of response expectancy and context. We tested this claim by contrasting the effectiveness of two hypnoanalgesia procedures in a within subjects design using the cold pressor task. The two procedures were identical, including analgesic suggestions, except for the hypnosis induction used...

Chronic pain and mental health issues occur at higher rates in Veterans than the general population. One widely recognized mental health issue faced by Veterans is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Trauma symptoms and pain frequently co-occur and are mutually maintained due to shared mechanisms. Many Veterans are also parents. Parental physical and mental health issues significantly predict children's chronic pain and related functioning, which can continue into adulthood. Only one US-based study has examined pain in the offspring of Veterans, suggesting heightened risk for pain...

Pain experiences are common during childhood (e.g., 'everyday' pain, vaccine injections) and are powerful opportunities for children to learn about pain and injury. These experiences likely inform fundamental and life-long beliefs about pain. There is scant research investigating the sociocultural contexts in which children learn about pain and injury. One unexplored context is shared reading of picture books (e.g., between parents/caregivers and children). In this study, we investigated whether shared reading of picture books that included depictions of pain and/or injury prompted parent/caregiver-child interactions...

Dyslexia and pain have recently been shown to correlate on a genetic level, but there has been little exploration of this association on the phenotypic level despite reports of increased pain in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) which commonly co-occurs with dyslexia. In this study we test for an association between reading ability, which is the primary feature of dyslexia, and pain both in childhood and adulthood. Logistic regression modelling was used to test associations between reading ability in childhood and pain from childhood to midlife in a large UK birth cohort; the 1958 National Child Development Study...

Though perioperative pain neuroscience education (PPNE) positively influences patients' surgical outcomes, little is known about the mechanisms behind this treatment's success. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the potential mediating role of pain cognitions and pain sensitivity in the treatment effect of PPNE on postoperative quality of life in people undergoing surgery for lumbar radiculopathy. This secondary analysis uses data from 120 participants of a randomized controlled trial who were randomized to receive either PPNE or perioperative biomedical education before undergoing surgery for lumbar radiculopathy...

Migraine is a complex and highly incapacitating neurological disorder that affects around 15% of the general population with greater incidence in women, often at the most productive age of life. Migraine physiopathology is still not fully understood, but it involves multiple mediators and events in the trigeminovascular system and in the central nervous system. The identification of CGRP as a key mediator in migraine physiopathology has led to the development of effective and highly selective anti-migraine therapies...