Psychological influences on repetition-induced summation of activity-related pain in patients with chronic low back pain.

This study examined the role of pain catastrophizing, fear of movement and depression as determinants of repetition-induced summation of activity-related pain. The sample consisted of 90 (44 women and 46 men) work-disabled individuals with chronic low back pain. Participants were asked to lift a series of 18 canisters that varied according to weight (2.

Contextual determinants of pain judgments.

The objective of this study was to examine the influence of variations in contextual features of a physically demanding lifting task on the judgments of others' pain. Healthy undergraduates (n=98) were asked to estimate the pain experience of chronic pain patients who were filmed while lifting canisters at different distances from their body. Of interest was whether contextual information (i.

Psychological predictors of pain expression and activity intolerance in chronic pain patients.

Recent research suggests that communicative and protective pain behaviors represent functionally distinct subsystems of behavior associated with pain. The present research examined whether components of pain experience such as pain severity, catastrophizing and fear of pain were differentially associated with communicative and protective pain behaviors. It was predicted that pain severity would be associated with decreased physical tolerance and heightened expression of pain behavior.

The influence of communication goals and physical demands on different dimensions of pain behavior.

The purpose of the present research was to examine the influence of communication goals and physical demands on the expression of communicative (e.g., facial grimaces) and protective (e.

Alexithymia. The development of a valid and reliable projective measure (the objectively scored Archetypal9 Test).

The aim of this study was to examine whether the Archetypal9 Test (AT9) could meet the need for a valid and reliable test with which to measure the alexithymic trait cluster. Participants in this study included 61 patients drawn from pain clinics in Montreal (Royal Victoria Hospital) and Detroit (Henry Ford Hospital) and 30 patients undergoing minor surgery at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal. All 91 subjects took both the AT9 Test and the Clarke Vocabulary Scale.

The use of structured group therapy sessions in the treatment of chronic pain patients.

Although group therapy is used in a number of multidisciplinary pain treatment centres, few published accounts of procedures are available. The present report describes the use of a moderately directive group therapy method, integrating psychodynamic, cognitive, and behavioural models of therapy. Content of sessions was structured to address problems specific to chronic pain patients.

Incidence and implications of alexithymia in chronic pain patients.

Alexithymia is a clinical phenomenon that has been found to occur with some frequency in psychosomatic disorders. Its prevalence in psychosomatic patients suggests that it could be observed in chronic pain patients as well. The present study examines the incidence of alexithymia in chronic pain patients as assessed by the Archetypal Test with Nine Elements (AT9).

A test to measure the awareness and expression of anger.

The purpose of this project was to develop a reliable, objective and practical tool with which the awareness and expression of anger could be investigated. This paper gives a description of the Awareness and Expression of Anger Indicator (AEAI). The AEAI is a short and easy to use test.

The use of cervical epidural nerve blocks in the management of chronic head and neck pain.

Cervical epidural blocks were used as part of a comprehensive multimodal treatment programme for patients with chronic benign pain in the head and neck. Forty-five patients had 141 blocks without major complications. The indications and role of blocks in pain management are discussed.

A protocol for the medico-psychosocial evaluation of patients with chronic pain.

A protocol is presented for the full medico-psychosocial evaluation of patients with chronic benign pain. Complete history taking is often difficult with these patients. However, this can be accomplished with a combined approach by an anaesthetist and a psychiatrist following a structured interview pattern which respects the patient's attitude towards psychological factors.

Phantom pain following limb amputation in a paraplegic. A case report.

The pain of the phantom limb remains a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. A case is reported in which a paraplegic patient with full sensory ablation below T11 experienced phantom limb pain only after actual amputation of one of his legs. This suggests that the cause in this case could only be central in origin.

The SAT9: a quantitative scoring system for the AT9 test as a measure of symbolic function central to alexithymic presentation.

This paper reports the result of preliminary efforts to devise a more objective and quantifiable system with which to score the AT9 test. The AT9 traces symbolic function, a trait central to an alexithymic presentation, and until now has been available only to those clinicians who have the prior knowledge necessary to projectively interpret it. Based on a sample of 42 patients, the inter-rater reliability on the new scale (SAT9) reaches highly acceptable levels of significance as does the correlation between the SAT9 and the ranked projectively interpreted protocols (RPAT9).

The measure of symbolic function in alexithymic pain patients.

The archetypal test with 9 elements (AT9), a tracer of symbolic function, was completed by 30 pain patients in whom alexithymia had been measured by two means: the Beth Israel psychosomatic questionnaire (BIQ) and the Minnesota multiphasic personality inventory (MMPI) alexithymia scale. Results show a correlation of adequate statistical significance (p less than 0.05) between the AT9 and the BIQ but not with the MMPI alexithymia scale.

Effects of a directive return to work approach in the treatment of workman's compensation patients with chronic pain.

The incidence of work resumption of two groups of differentially treated workman's compensation patients with chronic pain was retrospectively examined. Significantly more patients who were directed to return to work during the treatment program (group II) did so (60%), than did patients in another group (group I) who were similarly treated but for whom work return was not a component of therapy (25%). At follow-up an average of 9.

Peridurography with metrizamide: animal and human studies.

Metrizamide (300 mg l/ml) was tested for spinal peridurography in conscious dogs and humans. Epidural metrizamide was non-irritating in volumes up to 12 ml. Larger volumes caused mild discomfort in two patients.