Five years post whiplash injury: Symptoms and psychological factors in recovered versus non-recovered

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Few studies have focused on the differences between persons who are recovered after whiplash injury and those who suffer from persistent disability. The primary aim of this study was therefore to examine differences in symptoms, psychological factors and life satisfaction between subjects classified as recovered and those with persistent disability five years after whiplash injury based on the Neck Disability Index (NDI).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A set of questionnaires was answered by 158 persons (75 men, 83 women) to assess disability (NDI), pain intensity (VAS), whiplash-related symptoms (Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire, RPQ), post-traumatic stress (Impact of Event Scale, IES), depression (Beck's depression inventory, BDI) and life satisfaction (LiSat-11).</p> <p>The participants were divided into three groups based on the results of the NDI: recovered (34.8%), mild disability (37.3%) and moderate/severe disability (27.3%).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The moderate/severe group reported significantly higher VAS, BDI and IES scores and lower level of physical health and psychological health compared to the mild and the recovered groups. Less significant differences were reported between the mild and the recovered groups.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The group with the highest disability score reported most health problems with pain, symptoms, depression, post-traumatic stress and decreased life satisfaction. These findings indicate that classifying these subjects into subgroups based on disability levels makes it possible to optimize the management and treatment after whiplash injury.</p

A systematic review of risk factors associated with transitioning from regional musculoskeletal pain to chronic widespread pain

Chronic widespread pain has limited treatment options and is associated with pronounced negative individual and socioeconomic consequences. Patients with local or regional pain may be at a risk for developing chronic widespread pain. Knowledge of such risk factors can help prevent chronic widespread pain. This study systematically reviews the literature that examines risk factors associated with developing chronic widespread after developing chronic regional pain. We conducted a three-step database search in Medline. Four articles from the authors' files formed a core set of articles that were used to validate the search strategy. We conducted a systematic quality assessment of the included studies. Based on risk estimations reported in six prospective population-based studies and one retrospective study on pain, this study identified five risk factors: female sex, higher age, family history of pain, depressed mode and pain sites at baseline. As only a few studies were recovered, the impact of these factors is unclear. Spreading of pain from local or regional pain to widespread pain occurs in a large proportion of the general population. Few studies have addressed similar risk factors and the few risk factors associated with the transition from chronic regional pain to chronic widespread pain are inconsistent. Studies that focus on this transition have included few subjects and few possible risk factors. Future studies should explore more possible risk factors

Psychometric properties of the 8-item Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (CPAQ-8) in a Swedish Chronic Pain Cohort

Background: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for chronic pain has good empirical support. Pain acceptance is most often assessed with the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (CPAQ). Recently a shorter 8-item version,the CPAQ-8, was developed.Objectives: To further validate the CPAQ-8 in a Swedish context and to test its sensitivity to treatment effects, an as-yet unknown property of the instrument.Methods: A total of 891 patients completed the CPAQ, along with scales for anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale), kinesiophobia (Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia) and quality of life (Short Form-36). Confirmatoryfactor analyses were performed to examine the factor structure. Convergent validity was tested with Pearson’s correlations. Changes over time were evaluated with paired t-test.Results: The confirmatory factor analyses showed that the CPAQ 2-factor model had a better fit compared with the 1-factor model, both for the 8- and 20-item versions. All CPAQ-8 scales demonstrated good internal consistency (alpha≥ 0.80). They also correlated significantly with related constructs, supporting convergent validity. The CPAQ-8 explained a large share of the total variance in CPAQ-20 and was also able to track rehabilitation changes (large effectsize, d = 0.89).Conclusion: CPAQ-8 demonstrated good psychometric properties and sensitivity to rehabilitation changes. Further research that considers other cultural contexts may lead enhance the applications of this instrument

Pain and daily activities in rheumatoid arthritis

Aim: The aim of this study was to describe experiences of pain and its relationship to daily activities in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Method: Seven semi-structured focus group discussions were conducted with 33 men and women of different ages with RA. Data were analysed with content analysis. Results: Pain affected everyday life and may be a barrier to perform valued activities. Regarding the impact of pain on participation and independence, personal factors and the social environment were found to be important. It could be a struggle to find the right activity balance, since it was easy to be overactive, triggering subsequent elevation of pain levels. However, the participants also described activities as a mediator of pain and a distraction from it. Conclusion: The relationship between pain and daily activities in RA was complex. Pain as an impairment was expressed to be related to activity limitations and participation restrictions, as well as to contextual factors. These findings highlight the clinical importance of paying attention to the complexity of pain and its relation to daily activities and participation

Psychometric properties of the 8-item Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (CPAQ-8) in a Swedish Chronic Pain Cohort

Background: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for chronic pain has good empirical support. Pain acceptance is most often assessed with the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (CPAQ). Recently a shorter 8-item version, the CPAQ-8, was developed. Objectives: To further validate the CPAQ-8 in a Swedish context and to test its sensitivity to treatment effects, an as-yet unknown property of the instrument. Methods: A total of 891 patients completed the CPAQ, along with scales for anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale), kinesiophobia (Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia) and quality of life (Short Form-36). Confirmatory factor analyses were performed to examine the factor structure. Convergent validity was tested with Pearson's correlations. Changes over time were evaluated with paired t-test. Results: The confirmatory factor analyses showed that the CPAQ 2-factor model had a better fit compared with the 1-factor model, both for the 8- and 20-item versions. All CPAQ-8 scales demonstrated good internal consistency (alpha ≥ 0.80). They also correlated significantly with related constructs, supporting convergent validity. The CPAQ-8 explained a large share of the total variance in CPAQ-20 and was also able to track rehabilitation changes (large effect size, d = 0.89). Conclusion: CPAQ-8 demonstrated good psychometric properties and sensitivity to rehabilitation changes. Further research that considers other cultural contexts may lead enhance the applications of this instrument

The association between autonomic dysfunction, inflammation and atherosclerosis in men under investigation for carotid plaques

Background Autonomic dysfunction is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), however, the exact mechanism linking autonomic dysfunction to cardiovascular disease is not known. In this study we hypothesized that autonomic dysfunction increases inflammation, which subsequently accelerates atherosclerosis. The aim of the current study was to investigate the association between autonomic tone, inflammation and atherosclerosis. 124 men under investigation for carotid atherosclerosis were examined for autonomic function (heart rate variability; HRV and baroreflex sensitivity; BRS), inflammatory markers (white blood cell count; WBCC and C-reactive protein; CRP) and degree of carotid atherosclerosis. The direct or indirect associations between autonomic function, inflammatory parameters and carotid plaque area were investigated with multiple linear regressions. Male subjects with prevalent CVD showed larger carotid plaque area, higher WBCC, and reduced BRS compared to subjects with no history of CVD. Further, BRS was inversely associated with carotid plaque area (r = -0.21, p = 0.018) as well as inflammatory parameters WBCC and CRP (r = -0.29, p = 0.001, and r = -0.23, p = 0.009, respectively), whereas HRV only was inversely associated with WBCC (r = -0.22, p = 0.014). To investigate if inflammation could provide a link between autonomic function and carotid atherosclerosis we adjusted the associations accordingly. After adjusting for WBCC and CRP the inverse association between BRS and carotid plaque area was attenuated and did not remain significant, while both WBCC and CRP remained significantly associated with carotid plaque area, indicating that low-grade inflammation can possibly link BRS to atherosclerosis. Also, after adjusting for age, antihypertensive treatment and cardiovascular risk factors, BRS was independently inversely associated with both WBCC and CRP, and HRV independently inversely associated with WBCC. WBCC was the only inflammatory marker independently associated with carotid plaque area after adjustment. We demonstrate that autonomic dysfunction is associated with atherosclerosis and that inflammation could play an important role in mediating this relationship