Abstract
Background: Patients often experience pain as a result of a stroke. However, the mechanism of this pain remains uncertain. Our aim was to investigate the relationship between pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) and disability pain in patients with hemiplegic shoulder pain (HSP). Methods: Twenty-six post-stroke patients (age 53.35 ± 13.09 years) and healthy controls (54.35 ± 12.37 years) participated. We investigated spontaneous shoulder pain, disability pain perception through the shoulder pain and disability index (SPADI), and the PPTs over joint C5–C6, upper trapezius, deltoid, epicondyle, second metacarpal, and tibialis anterior, bilaterally. Results: The analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed significant differences in pain between groups (p < 0.001) and differences in the SPADI (p < 0.001) between groups but not between sides for PPTs over deltoid (group: p = 0.007; side: p = 0.750), epicondyle (group: p = 0.001; side: p = 0.848), and tibialis anterior (group: p < 0.001; side: p = 0.932). Pain in the affected arm was negatively associated with PPTs over the affected epicondyle (p = 0.003) and affected tibialis anterior (p = 0.009). Pain (SPADI) appeared negatively correlated with PPTs over the affected epicondyle (p = 0.047), and disability (SPADI) was negatively associated with PPTs over the affected tibialis anterior (p = 0.041). Conclusions: Post-stroke patients showed a relationship between widespread pressure pain hypersensitivity with lower PPT levels and pain disability perception, suggesting a central sensitization mediated by bilateral and symmetric pain patterns.
Highlights
Stroke or cerebrovascular disease is considered a highly prevalent condition, which is one of the leading causes of chronic disability and dementia [1]
Hemiplegic shoulder pain (HSP) has an incidence of 21–72% according to some studies [8,9], and this pain is often accompanied by pain in additional areas on the upper limb [8]
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between pressure pain thresholds, disability, and self-perception of pain in a population of post-stroke patients with hemiplegic shoulder pain (HSP)
Summary
Stroke or cerebrovascular disease is considered a highly prevalent condition, which is one of the leading causes of chronic disability and dementia [1]. Our aim was to investigate the relationship between pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) and disability pain in patients with hemiplegic shoulder pain (HSP). We investigated spontaneous shoulder pain, disability pain perception through the shoulder pain and disability index (SPADI), and the PPTs over joint C5–C6, upper trapezius, deltoid, epicondyle, second metacarpal, and tibialis anterior, bilaterally. Results: The analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed significant differences in pain between groups (p < 0.001) and differences in the SPADI (p < 0.001) between groups but not between sides for PPTs over deltoid (group: p = 0.007; side: p = 0.750), epicondyle (group: p = 0.001; side: p = 0.848), and tibialis anterior (group: p < 0.001; side: p = 0.932). Conclusions: Post-stroke patients showed a relationship between widespread pressure pain hypersensitivity with lower PPT levels and pain disability perception, suggesting a central sensitization mediated by bilateral and symmetric pain patterns
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