Psychological predictors of performance-based physical functioning among pediatric pain program participants.

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate changes in performance-based physical functioning and investigate psychological predictors of physical functioning over time in pediatric patients with chronic pain who completed an interdisciplinary rehabilitation intensive outpatient program (IOP).

Methods: Participants (N = 55; mean age = 14.92 years; 12.

Pain Widespreadedness, and Not Primary Pain Location, is Associated With Comorbid Symptoms in Children With Chronic Pain.

Objectives: Pediatric chronic pain represents heterogeneous diagnoses; often, primary pain location informs research classifications and treatment. In contrast, recent research has highlighted the role of widespread pain and this perspective has been adopted in assessments in specialty pediatric pain clinics. The lack of direct comparison between these 2 methods of categorizing pediatric chronic pain may hinder the adoption of evidence-based practices across the spectrum of care.

Neurobiological antecedents of multisite pain in children.

Altered brain structure and function is evident in adults with multisite chronic pain. Although many such adults trace their pain back to childhood, it has been difficult to disentangle whether central nervous system alterations precede or are consequences of chronic pain. If the former is true, aberrant brain activity may identify children vulnerable to developing chronic pain later in life.

The relationship between parental factors, child symptom profile, and persistent postoperative pain interference and analgesic use in children.

Objectives: Both parental and child factors have been previously associated with persistent or recurrent postoperative pain in children. Yet, little is known about the relative contribution of parent factors or whether child symptom factors might impact the association between parent factors and long-term pain. The aim of this study was to explore the associations between parent factors, child symptomology, and the child's long-term pain outcomes after surgery.

Parental Proxy PROMIS Pain Interference Scores are Only Modestly Concordant With Their Child's Scores: An Effect of Child Catastrophizing.

Objectives: Pediatric patients with chronic musculoskeletal conditions such as idiopathic scoliosis awaiting surgical correction can experience pain that interferes with their daily functioning. Reports of this interference are commonly gathered from patients through the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pain Interference Scale and through parent-proxy scores. However, the child and parent/caregiver reports vary.

The effects of auditory background noise and virtual reality technology on video game distraction analgesia.

Background and aims The present study was designed to evaluate the relative efficacy of two video game display modalities - virtual reality (VR) assisted video game distraction, in which the game is presented via a VR head-mounted display (HMD) helmet, versus standard video game distraction, in which the game is projected on a television - and to determine whether environmental context (quiet versus noisy) moderates the relative efficacy of the two display modalities in reducing cold pressor pain in healthy college students. Methods Undergraduate students (n=164) were stratified by sex and self-reported video game skill and were randomly assigned to a quiet or a noisy environment. Participants then underwent three cold pressor trials consisting of one baseline followed by two distraction trials differing in display modality (i.

Daily Temporal Associations Between Physical Activity and Symptoms in Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: Symptom severity is negatively associated with physical activity in multiple sclerosis (MS). However, it is unclear how physical activity and symptoms correlate on a day-to-day basis in persons with MS.

Purpose: To determine the temporal within-person associations of pain, fatigue, depressed mood, and perceived cognitive function with physical activity in MS.

How Do Pain, Fatigue, Depressive, and Cognitive Symptoms Relate to Well-Being and Social and Physical Functioning in the Daily Lives of Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis?

Objective: To examine the relative association between daily change in pain, fatigue, depressed mood, and cognitive function and 4 outcomes-positive affect and well-being, ability to participate in social roles and activities, upper extremity (UE) functioning, and lower extremity (LE) functioning.

Design: Data analysis, multilevel mixed modeling.

Setting: General community.

Brief submaximal isometric exercise improves cold pressor pain tolerance.

Exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH), or the inhibition of pain following physical exercise, has been demonstrated in adults, but its mechanisms have remained unclear due to variations in methodology. This study aimed to address methodological imitations of past studies and contribute to the literature demonstrating the generalizability of EIH to brief submaximal isometric exercise and cold pressor pain. Young adults (n = 134) completed a baseline cold pressor trial, maximal voluntary contraction (hand grip strength) assessment, 10-min rest, and either a 2-min submaximal isometric handgrip exercise or a sham exercise in which no force was exerted, followed by a cold pressor posttest.

Pain reduces sexual motivation in female but not male mice.

Chronic pain is often associated with sexual dysfunction, suggesting that pain can reduce libido. We find that inflammatory pain reduces sexual motivation, measured via mounting behavior and/or proximity in a paced mating paradigm, in female but not male laboratory mice. Pain was produced by injection of inflammogens zymosan A (0.