Pain Disorders In Patients Research Articles

Pengaruh Teknik Relaksasi Nafas Dalam terhadap Penurunan Nyeri Post Sectio Caesarea

Birth can be done in two ways: normal or spontaneous delivery (born through the vagina) and abnormal delivery or delivery with the help of a procedure such as Caesarea Sectio (SC). In the process of cesarean section, surgery is performed, including cuts in the abdomen of the mother (laparatomy) and the uterus (histerectomy) to remove the baby. The study aims to identify nursing orphanages and pain disorders in patients with post-caesarean sections with therapeutic breathing relaxation techniques. This research uses a type of qualitative research with a case study approach on a single subject in the Sakura Room of RSUD H. Andi Depu. The results of this study obtained major and minor data at the time of post-operative examination patients complained of pain, shivering, restlessness, difficulty sleeping, and protective behavior. With the data of the study can be formulated nursing diagnosis with discomfort pain. The evaluation was obtained after being given nursing care for 3x24 hours, nursing problems with pain and comfort disorders were resolved. The conclusion is that providing breath relaxation therapy can reduce the pain scale of post-cesarean section patients.

Association of Risk Factors and Comorbidities With Chronic Pain in the Elderly Population.

Chronic pain disorders affect about 20% of adults in the United States, and it disproportionately affects individuals living in the neighborhoods of extreme socioeconomic disadvantage. In many instances, chronic pain has been noted to arise from an aggregation of multiple risk factors and events. Therefore, it is of importance to recognize the modifiable risk factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the comorbid medical conditions and risk factors associated with chronic pain disorders in patients aged 65 years and older. Our team retrospectively reviewed medical records of elderly patients (65 years and older) who were evaluated in our outpatient medicine office between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021 for acute problems, management of chronic medical problems, or well visits. We divided our patients into a group who suffered from chronic pain disorder, and another group who did not have chronic pain disorder. The association of variables were compared between those groups. Of the 2431 patients, 493 (20.3%) had a chronic pain disorder. A higher frequency of females in the group with chronic pain disorder was found compared to the group without a chronic pain disorder (60.6% vs 55.2%; P = .033). The mean ages between the two groups were similar in the group with a chronic pain disorder compared to the group without (76.35 ± 7.5 year vs 76.81 ± 7.59 year; P = .228). There were significant associations of certain comorbidities in the group with a chronic pain disorder compared to the group without a chronic pain disorder, such as depression (21.9% vs 15.2%; P < .001), anxiety (27.0% vs 17.1%; P < .001), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (8.7% vs 6.1%; P = .036), obstructive sleep apnea (16.8% vs 11.6%; P = .002), gastroesophageal reflux disease (40.8% vs 29.0%; P < .001), osteoarthritis (49.3% vs 26.1%; P < .001), other rheumatologic diseases (24.9% vs 19.4%; P = .006), and peripheral neuropathy (14.4% vs 5.3%; P < .001). Female sex, depression, anxiety, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, obstructive sleep apnea, gastroesophageal reflux disease, osteoarthritis, other rheumatologic diseases, and peripheral neuropathy were significantly associated with chronic pain disorder in elderly patients, while BMI was not associated with chronic pain disorder.

Demographic characteristics and comorbidities of patients with narcolepsy: a propensity-matched cohort study.

Narcolepsy has a complex phenotype owing to differences in symptomatology, disease severity, and comorbidities. This is the first study to use aggregate electronic health record (EHR) data and natural language processing (NLP) algorithms to characterize the demographics and comorbidities of a large cohort of patients with narcolepsy. First-time Mayo Clinic patients (2000-2020) who had ≥1 narcolepsy-specific ICD-9/10 code and ≥1 disease-supportive statement in the clinical notes (identified using an NLP algorithm) were identified. A control cohort was propensity matched for birth year, age at first institutional encounter, sex, race, ethnicity, number of diagnosis codes, and mortality. Common comorbidities were compared and ranked between cohorts. In the EHR database (N = 6389186 patients), 2057 patients with narcolepsy were identified (median age, 32 years; 59.6% female; 92.6% white; and 89.2% non-Hispanic) and propensity matched with a control cohort. Among the top 20 comorbidities occurring more frequently in the narcolepsy cohort compared with the control cohort (odds ratio [OR], 1.67-3.94; p < .001]) were sleep disorders (restless legs syndrome, obstructive sleep apnea, and insomnia), mood disorders (depression, dysthymia, and anxiety), and pain disorders (chronic pain syndrome, migraine, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, and myalgia). Other comorbidities significantly associated with narcolepsy (OR, 1.33-1.95) were irritable bowel syndrome (p < .001), asthma (p < .001), cervical spondylosis (p < .01), syncope (p < .01), and hypothyroidism (p < .05). This propensity-matched cohort study demonstrates increased psychiatric, sleep, and pain disorders in patients living with narcolepsy and challenges beyond narcolepsy-specific symptoms in this population. Understanding common narcolepsy-associated comorbidities may assist in tailoring treatment modalities.

Long-term deprescription in chronic pain and opioid use disorder patients: Pharmacogenetic and sex differences.

More than half of patients with opioid use disorder for chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) reduced their dose through a progressive opioid withdrawal supported by a rotation to buprenorphine and/or tramadol. The aim of this research is to analyse the long-term effectiveness of opioid deprescription taking into account the impact of sex and pharmacogenetics on the inter-individual variability. A cross-sectional study was carried out from October 2019 to June 2020 on CNCP patients who had previously undergone an opioid deprescription (n = 119 patients). Demographic, clinical (pain, relief and adverse events) and therapeutic (analgesic use) outcomes were collected. Effectiveness (< 50 mg per day of morphine equivalent daily dose without any aberrant opioid use behaviour) and safety (number of side-effects) were analysed in relation to sex differences and pharmacogenetic markers impact [OPRM1 genotype (rs1799971) and CYP2D6 phenotypes]. Long-term opioid deprescription was achieved in 49 % of the patients with an increase in pain relief and a reduction of adverse events. CYP2D6 poor metabolizers showed the lowest long-term opioid doses. Here, women showed a higher degree of opioid deprescription, but increased use of tramadol and neuromodulators, as well as an increased number of adverse events. Long-term deprescription was successful in half of the cases. Understanding sex and gender interaction plus a genetic impact could help to design more individualized strategies for opioid deprescription.

Retrospective analysis of the treatment of internal disorders of the temporomandibular joint and myofascial pain disorders in the conditions of adult orthodontic reception

BACKGROUND: Internal disorders of the temporomandibular joint (VN TMJ) occur at orthodontic reception no less often than with other types of dental treatment. The main clinical manifestations of VN TMJ are caused by variants of anterior displacement of the articular disc, pathology of the capsular ligamentous apparatus, hypermobility of the mandibular head, and dysfunction of the masticatory muscles. The main symptom of VN TMJ is joint pain (arthralgia) and muscle pain (myalgia). VN TMJ occupies a special place in orthodontic treatment. They can be detected at the initial treatment, and their symptoms can appear at any stage of orthodontic treatment and be a complete surprise for the doctor and the patient, arise after orthodontics, and be associated with it. Since VN TMJ significantly affects the therapeutic process, its outcomes, prognoses, and treatment problems are under the close influence of orthodontists.&#x0D; AIM: To examine the effectiveness of the treatment of VN TMJ and myofascial pain disorders in patients with dental anomalies.&#x0D; MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study retrospectively analyzed case histories of 300 adult patients with dental anomalies in need of orthodontics who underwent examination and treatment in a multidisciplinary dental clinic between 2014 and 2016. The prevalence and structure of VN TMJ were assessed, and myofascial pain disorders (MFDB) and results of their correction were analyzed.&#x0D; RESULTS: A total of 146 (71.5%) patients with myofascial pain and 58 (28.3%) with myofascial facial pain syndrome needed orthodontic treatment more often. In these patients, VN TMJ and maxillary anomalies belonging to class II according to Engle of unilateral distal occlusion, deep bite, and class I with crowding of teeth are more often detected. Internal TMJ disorders with concomitant MFDB in the form of myofascial pain were observed in 168 (82.4%) patients. Myofascial pain disorders without VN TMJ were registered in 36 (17.4%) patients. The overall effectiveness of the treatment of VN TMJ and MFBSD was 46.4% (n=78 patients). No lasting improvement was observed in 35.7% (n=60). Deterioration was registered in 17.8% (n=30). Relapses were noted in 60.7% (n=124). In the treatment of MFDB without VN TMJ, the overall effectiveness of treatment was 5.5% (n=2), stabilization in 50.0% (n=18), and deterioration in 44.4% (n=16).&#x0D; CONCLUSION: Myofascial facial pain is very difficult to treat. In combination with VN, TMJ creates significant and sometimes insurmountable difficulties in adult orthodontics. All this forces specialists to look for new approaches and develop effective ways to optimize orthodontic treatment in the case of TMJ pathology and myofascial pain disorders.

Reliability and Validity of Kannada Version of Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK-KA-11) - A Validation Study

Background: Chronic widespread pain disorders prevalence has been reported to be 1%-15%. The globalprevalence of MSDs ranges from 14% to as high as 42%. Fear of movement/(re)injury have been considered one ofthe most significant predictors of pain perpetuation and pain behavior, and is a central construct in the cognitivebehavioralmodel of Fear-Avoidance. One of the most widely used instruments to measure fear of movement or(re)injury during movement is TSK-11.Objectives: To translate TSK-11 questionnaire into Kannada version. To find out test-retest reliability of TSK-11in Kannada version among chronic musculoskeletal pain subjects. To find out construct validity of TSK 11 inKannada version among chronic musculoskeletal pain subjects.Methodology: Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the original English versions of the TSK-11 wasperformed according to the published guidelines. The psychometric properties were evaluated by administeringthe questionnaire to 70 chronic musculoskeletal pain disorders patients. Test- retest reliability was estimated byinternal consistency and test-retest assessment. Patients completed questionnaire twice with an interval of 1 week.Convergent construct validity was performed in relation to FABQ-KA.Results: With respect to the chronic pain samples, the TSK-11 total score was significantly and positively correlatedwith catastrophizing, depression, anxiety, and pain intensity, and fear avoidance behavior of FABQ scores. Testretestreliability was tested by using ICC (Baseline and post 1 week) internal consistency was reported in terms ofCronbach’s α (0.89). Cronbach’s α coefficient was calculated for item-scale correlation. It was calculated from firstand second administration of TSK-KA-11(Level of significance was set up P &gt; 0.05).Conclusion: Results suggest that the TSK-KA-11 has been successfully translated and cross-culturally adaptedfrom English to Kannada version and provides with the evidence that the TSK-KA-11 is a reliable and validmeasure to assess ‘Fear of re-injury’ in Kannada-speaking chronic musculoskeletal pain disorder patients.

Brain changes associated with impaired attention function in chronic pain

Attention function is thought to be important in chronic pain, with the pathology of chronic pain closely associated with cognitive–emotional components. However, there have been few neuroimaging studies of the relationship between attention function and chronic pain. We used the method of functional connectivity analysis for resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) data and the Attention Network Test-Revision (ANT-R) to clarify the attention-related pathology of chronic pain. We performed rs-fMRI and ANT-R on a group of 26 chronic pain (somatoform pain disorder) patients and 28 age-matched healthy controls. A significant group difference in validity effects, a component of ANT-R, emerged (F1,46 = 5.91, p = 0.019), and the chronic pain group exhibited slower reaction times. Decreased brain connectivity of the left insula and left frontal regions was confirmed in chronic pain patients (pFWE < 0.05), and connectivity was negatively correlated with validity effects (r = −0.29, permutation test p = 0.033). Further, decreased functional connectivity strength of the right insula and left temporal gyrus in the chronic pain group were confirmed (pFWE < 0.05). We conclude that poor control of attention function results from deficits of functional connectivity in the left insula and left frontal regions in chronic pain.

Biophysical and structural investigation of the regulation of human GTP cyclohydrolase I by its regulatory protein GFRP

GTP Cyclohydrolase I (GCH1) catalyses the conversion of guanosine triphosphate (GTP) to dihydroneopterin triphosphate (H2NTP), the initiating step in the biosynthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4). BH4 functions as co-factor in neurotransmitter biosynthesis. BH4 homeostasis is a promising target to treat pain disorders in patients. The function of mammalian GCH1s is regulated by a metabolic sensing mechanism involving a regulator protein, GCH1 feedback regulatory protein (GFRP). Dependent on the relative cellular concentrations of effector ligands, BH4 and phenylalanine, GFRP binds GCH1 to form inhibited or activated complexes, respectively. We determined high-resolution structures of the ligand-free and -bound human GFRP and GCH1-GFRP complexes by X-ray crystallography. Highly similar binding modes of the substrate analogue 7-deaza-GTP to active and inhibited GCH1-GFRP complexes confirm a novel, dissociation rate-controlled mechanism of non-competitive inhibition to be at work. Further, analysis of all structures shows that upon binding of the effector molecules, the conformations of GCH1 or GFRP are altered and form highly complementary surfaces triggering a picomolar interaction of GFRP and GCH1 with extremely slow koff values, while GCH1-GFRP complexes rapidly disintegrate in absence of BH4 or phenylalanine. Finally, comparing behavior of full-length and N-terminally truncated GCH1 we conclude that the disordered GCH1 N-terminus does not have impact on complex formation and enzymatic activity. In summary, this comprehensive and methodologically diverse study helps to provide a better understanding of the regulation of GCH1 by GFRP and could thus stimulate research on GCH1 modulating drugs.

A hybrid approach reveals the allosteric regulation of GTP cyclohydrolase I

Guanosine triphosphate (GTP) cyclohydrolase I (GCH1) catalyzes the conversion of GTP to dihydroneopterin triphosphate (H2NTP), the initiating step in the biosynthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4). Besides other roles, BH4 functions as cofactor in neurotransmitter biosynthesis. The BH4 biosynthetic pathway and GCH1 have been identified as promising targets to treat pain disorders in patients. The function of mammalian GCH1s is regulated by a metabolic sensing mechanism involving a regulator protein, GCH1 feedback regulatory protein (GFRP). GFRP binds to GCH1 to form inhibited or activated complexes dependent on availability of cofactor ligands, BH4 and phenylalanine, respectively. We determined high-resolution structures of human GCH1-GFRP complexes by cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM). Cryo-EM revealed structural flexibility of specific and relevant surface lining loops, which previously was not detected by X-ray crystallography due to crystal packing effects. Further, we studied allosteric regulation of isolated GCH1 by X-ray crystallography. Using the combined structural information, we are able to obtain a comprehensive picture of the mechanism of allosteric regulation. Local rearrangements in the allosteric pocket upon BH4 binding result in drastic changes in the quaternary structure of the enzyme, leading to a more compact, tense form of the inhibited protein, and translocate to the active site, leading to an open, more flexible structure of its surroundings. Inhibition of the enzymatic activity is not a result of hindrance of substrate binding, but rather a consequence of accelerated substrate binding kinetics as shown by saturation transfer difference NMR (STD-NMR) and site-directed mutagenesis. We propose a dissociation rate controlled mechanism of allosteric, noncompetitive inhibition.

Serum Metabolic Profiles of the Tryptophan-Kynurenine Pathway in the high risk subjects of major depressive disorder

Previous reports have shown that during chronic inflammation, the tryptophan (TRP)-kynurenine (KYN) pathway plays a pivotal role in the onset of depression. The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of the serum TRP-KYN pathway metabolite profile in high-risk subjects of major depressive disorder (HRMDD) defined by depression scores. The concentrations of TRP-KYN pathway metabolites {TRP, KYN, 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (3HAA), 3-hydroxykynurenine (3HK), kynurenic acid (KYNA) and anthranilic acid (AA)} were assessed in serum from HRMDD, chronic pain disorder patients and healthy controls. In serum from HRMDD, elevated levels of AA and decreased levels of TRP were observed, but the levels of other metabolites were not changed. Furthermore, the change in the AA2nd/AA1st ratio in subjects who progressed from a healthy state to a depressive state was correlated with an increase in the CES-D score. The level of IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) was negatively correlated with that of AA. Interestingly, we confirmed AA as a possible biomarker for depression-related symptoms, since the metabolite profiles in the chronic pain disorder group and chronic unpredictable mild stress model mice were similar to those in the HRMDD. These results suggest that AA may be an effective marker for HRMDD.

Aberrant Thalamic-Centered Functional Connectivity in Patients with Persistent Somatoform Pain Disorder.

PurposeRecent task-based fMRI studies have shown that Persistent Somatoform Pain Disorder (PSPD) patients demonstrated aberrant activity in a wide range of brain regions associated with sensation, cognition and emotion. However, these specific task-based studies could not clearly uncover the alterations in the spontaneous brain networks that were associated with the general pain-related symptoms in PSPD.Patients and MethodsIn the present study, 13 PSPD patients and 23 matched healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. Resting state and 3D structural imaging data were collected during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Ninety regions of interest (ROIs) were selected from the automated anatomical labeling (AAL) template. The functional connectivity toolbox “CONN” was used to calculate the functional connectivity (FC) coefficients.ResultsOur results showed that PSPD patients exhibited increased FCs between the left thalamus and the right amygdala, the right hippocampus, and multiple sub-regions of the occipital lobe when compared to HCs. Correlation analysis revealed a negative correlation between the left thalamus-right amygdala FC and the level of anxiety in PSPD patients.ConclusionThese findings suggest that the altered FC between thalamus and amygdala may be the neural mechanisms underlying the pain-related anxiety in PSPD.

Systematic Review of Pain Severity and Opioid Craving in Chronic Pain and Opioid Use Disorder.

To evaluate measurement and associations between pain severity and opioid craving in individuals with chronic pain on long-term opioid therapy and/or with opioid use disorder. . Systematic review of randomized controlled trials and observational studies. . The PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO databases were searched in October 2018. Eligible studies evaluated pain severity and opioid craving in individuals with chronic pain on long-term opioid therapy and/or with opioid use disorder. Two reviewers independently screened eligible studies, assessed risk of bias, and extracted data. Of 625 studies, 16 fulfilled the inclusion/exclusion criteria of this review and were grouped by diagnostic focus (i.e., chronic pain on long-term opioid therapy, opioid use disorder, or both). Methods of assessment varied considerably across studies, especially with respect to opioid craving in chronic pain populations. Mean levels of pain were at what is considered moderate to severe in individuals with chronic pain and/or opioid use disorder. There was a modest positive relationship between pain and opioid craving that was more pronounced in studies of individuals with opioid use disorder compared with those with chronic pain on long-term opioid therapy. Pain severity and opioid craving are likely related, but inconsistencies in measurement limit confidence. The overall quality of evidence is moderate, and careful consideration of how pain and craving are assessed in both chronic pain and opioid use disorder patients is warranted.

Relationship between theory of mind functions with attachment styles and alexithymia in Somatoform Pain Disorder

There is sparse information available in the literature regarding attachment styles and theory of mind functions with somatoform pain disorder. Thus, the aim of the present study is to investigate the relation between somatoform pain disorder and attachment styles, theory of mind functions and alexithymia. Thirty consecutive somatoform pain disorder patients and age, education level and gender ratio matched 30 controls enrolled for the study. SCID-I Structured Clinical Therapy Patient Form, Adult Attachment Scale (AAS), Toronto Alexithymia Scala (TAS-20) Reading Mind from the Eyes Turkish Form (Eyes Test) procedures were applied to the somatoform pain disorder patients that are investigated. According to results; scores of somatoform pain disorder patients with regards to AAS avoidant subscale score, Difficulty Describing Feelings subscale, Difficulty Identifying Feeling subscale, Externally-Oriented Thinking subscale, total Alexithymia Scale scores have been found significantly higher than that of controls (p

The Fear-Avoidance Components Scale (FACS): Responsiveness to Functional Restoration Treatment in a Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Disorder (CMPD) Population.

To assess the clinical validity and factor structure of the Fear-Avoidance Components Scale (FACS), a new fear-avoidance measure. In this study, 426 chronic musculoskeletal pain disorder patients were admitted to a Functional Restoration Program (FRP). They were categorized into 5 FACS severity levels, from subclinical to extreme, at admission, and again at discharge. Associations with objective lifting performance and other patient-reported psychosocial measures were determined at admission and discharge, and objective work outcomes for this predominantly disabled cohort, were assessed 1 year later. Those patients in the severe and extreme FACS severity groups at admission were more likely to "drop out" of treatment than those in the lower severity groups (P=0.05). At both admission and discharge, the FACS severity groups were highly and inversely correlated with objective lifting performance and patient-reported fear-avoidance-related psychosocial variables, including kinesiophobia, pain intensity, depressive symptoms, perceived disability, perceived injustice, and insomnia (Ps<0.001). All variables showed improvement at FRP discharge. Patients in the extreme FACS severity group at discharge were less likely to return to, or retain, work 1 year later (P≤0.02). A factor analysis identified a 2-factor solution. Strong associations were found among FACS scores and other patient-reported psychosocial and objective lifting performance variables at both admission and discharge. High discharge-FACS scores were associated with worse work outcomes 1 year after discharge. The FACS seems to be a valid and clinically useful measure for predicting attendance, physical performance, distress, and relevant work outcomes in FRP treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain disorder patients.

Changes in resting-state brain networks after cognitive–behavioral therapy for chronic pain

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is thought to be useful for chronic pain, with the pathology of the latter being closely associated with cognitive-emotional components. However, there are few resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (R-fMRI) studies. We used the independent component analysis method to examine neural changes after CBT and to assess whether brain regions predict treatment response. We performed R-fMRI on a group of 29 chronic pain (somatoform pain disorder) patients and 30 age-matched healthy controls (T1). Patients were enrolled in a weekly 12-session group CBT (T2). We assessed selected regions of interest that exhibited differences in intrinsic connectivity network (ICN) connectivity strength between the patients and controls at T1, and compared T1 and T2. We also examined the correlations between treatment effects and rs-fMRI data. Abnormal ICN connectivity of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and inferior parietal lobule within the dorsal attention network (DAN) and of the paracentral lobule within the sensorimotor network in patients with chronic pain normalized after CBT. Higher ICN connectivity strength in the OFC indicated greater improvements in pain intensity. Furthermore, ICN connectivity strength in the dorsal posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) within the DAN at T1 was negatively correlated with CBT-related clinical improvements. We conclude that the OFC is crucial for CBT-related improvement of pain intensity, and that the dorsal PCC activation at pretreatment also plays an important role in improvement of clinical symptoms via CBT.

Psychophysiological decoupling in alexithymic pain disorder patients

Considering that impaired coping with stress is closely linked with emergence of stress-sensitive disorders most notably in alexithymic individuals, we conducted the first study examining stress-related autonomic reactivity in alexithymic pain disorder patients. Twenty-one pain disorder patients with high and an equivalent patient group with low alexithymia scores were exposed to three types of affect-inductive stimuli with variable affective involvement: arithmetic task, watching arousing video material and giving an oral presentation. Subjective appraisal of the induced emotional experience and physiological reactivity (heart rate, muscle tension and skin conductance) was documented. During oral presentation high alexithymia patients showed significantly lower skin conductance in combination with increased subjective negative affect compared to low alexithymia patients. Our results thus demonstrate a decoupling between physiological and affect processing in pain disorder patients with high alexithymia during a stressful situation that was subjectively associated with negative affect.

Establishing clinically meaningful severity levels for the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK-13).

Kinesiophobia is an excessive, irrational and debilitating fear of physical movement and activity resulting from a feeling of vulnerability to painful injury or re-injury. The Tampa Scale for kinesiophobia (TSK) is a patient-reported outcome (PRO) measure designed to help identify kinesiophobia. The original version of the TSK had 17 items. A 13-item version was later found to have better psychometric properties and was used in the present study. Although the TSK-13 has been widely studied, one shortcoming is the lack of clinically meaningful score categories. The objective of the present study was to develop severity levels to help aid clinical interpretation of TSK-13 scores. After creating four proposed TSK-13 severity ranges, a sample of chronic musculoskeletal pain disorder (CMPD) patients (N=912) was grouped by TSK-13 scores into: Subclinical (score=13-22, n=100; 11%), mild (23-32, n=271; 30%), moderate (33-42, n=385; 42%) and severe (43-52, n=156; 17%) levels of kinesiophobia. These severity groups were then validated by their associations with objective lifting performance (presumed to be highly related to one's level of kinesiophobia) and otherPRO questionnaires, assessing depressive symptoms, pain intensity, pain-related anxiety and perceived disability, which all have been shown in previous research to be associated with TSK scores. The TSK-13 severity level groups were significantly associated with all lifting performance and PRO variables (p<0.001). As TSK-13 severity levels increased, lifting performance decreased, while pain intensity, depressive symptoms, pain-related anxiety and perceived disability increased. TSK-13 severity levels were strongly associated with objective lifting performance variables and psychosocial PRO measures, providing support for these severity levels as a guideline for healthcare providers and researchers in interpreting TSK-13 scores.

Effectiveness of group cognitive behavioral therapy for somatoform pain disorder patients in Japan: A preliminary non-case-control study.

Somatoform pain disorder is associated with psychosocial dysfunction, and psychotherapies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), are thought to provide useful interventions to address such dysfunction as well as the pain itself. However, little is known about whether CBT for somatoform pain disorder is effective, including the long-term course of the illness, in non-Western populations. We therefore tailored such a program based on an existing CBT protocol and examined its effectiveness in Japan. Thirty-four Japanese participants (22 women; mean age = 52.5 years) enrolled in a weekly 12-session group treatment, with 32 completing both wait-list and treatment conditions. The primary outcome measure was pain intensity. Secondary outcome measures included pain characteristics, as measured by pain catastrophizing and psychometric evaluations, including depression, anxiety, and quality of life. The patients were followed up for 12 months after treatment. We found that pain intensity, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and social functioning all significantly improved after treatment compared with the wait-list period, and the improvements in pain intensity, depressive symptoms, and social functioning were sustained at 12 months following the completion of CBT. There were strong positive correlations (P < 0.01) among pre- and post-treatment changes in the affective dimension of pain, depression, anxiety, and pain catastrophizing. These results show that the present CBT program was effective for Japanese patients with somatoform pain disorder and that gains were maintained over the long term. More work is needed to further clarify the effects of CBT interventions on somatoform symptoms, particularly in Japan.

Healthcare pathway and biopsychosocial impact of persistent dentoalveolar pain disorder: a qualitative study

To examine persistent dentoalveolar pain disorder (PDAP) patients' reported experiences of the biopsychosocial impacts of the condition and its healthcare pathway. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with a university-based cohort of PDAP patients. One interviewer used an open-ended, evolving, topic guide, and all interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data collection and analysis continued until saturation (n=20). The principles of the constant comparative method were followed, and frameworks were used to help organize and analyse the data. PDAP exerts significant biopsychosocial impacts on the individual. These impacts occur across a wide variety of everyday activities including employment, personal relationships and social activities. The conceptualization and acceptance of PDAP are difficult for patients given the reinforcement of multiple ineffective dental treatments perceived as targeting the source of their pain. There is an urgent need for earlier identification of PDAP cases in order to minimize the negative biopsychosocial effects of multiple dental interventions incorrectly applied to treat the symptom of pain.

Somatization as a Predictor of Outcomes Following Functional Restoration of Chronic Disabling Occupational Musculoskeletal Pain Disorder Patients

Chronic disabling occupational musculoskeletal pain disorder (CDOMPD) patients often have high levels of somatization, a phenomenon in which somatic symptoms are medically unexplainable. Examination of 1,458 CDOMPD patients, who completed the patient health questionnaire (PHQ) somatization module from 2003 to 2010 and underwent functional restoration treatment, were divided into low, moderate, and high somatization at pretreatment. Somatization was highly responsive to treatment, and those with high somatization reported the highest depressive symptoms, disability, and pain intensity, and the lowest health‐related quality of life at pre‐ and post‐treatment. Somatization levels significantly predicted 1‐year socioeconomic outcomes of work return, work retention, and healthcare utilization. High somatization may act as a “red flag” for clinicians, indicating patients may be at risk for poor treatment outcomes.