Central pain processing is altered in people with Achilles tendinopathy.

Background: Tendinopathy is often a chronic condition. The mechanisms behind persistent tendon pain are not yet fully understood. It is unknown whether, similar to other persistent pain states, central pain mechanisms contribute to ongoing tendon pain. Aim: We investigated the presence of altered central pain processing in Achilles tendinopathy by assessing the conditioned pain modulation (CPM) effect in people with and without Achilles tendinopathy. Methods: 20 people with Achilles tendinopathy and 23 healthy volunteers participated in this cross-sectional study. CPM was assessed by the cold pressor test. The pressure pain threshold (PPT) was recorded over the Achilles tendon before and during immersion of the participant's hand into cold water. The CPM effect was quantified as the absolute difference in PPT before and during the cold pressor test. Results: An increase in PPT was observed in the Achilles tendinopathy and control group during the cold pressor test (p<0.001). However, the CPM effect was stronger in the control group (mean difference=160.5 kPa, SD=84.9 kPa) compared to the Achilles tendinopathy group (mean difference=36.4 kPa, SD=68.1 kPa; p<0.001). Summary: We report a reduced conditioned pain modulation effect in people with Achilles tendinopathy compared to people without Achilles tendinopathy. A reduced conditioned pain modulation effect reflects altered central pain processing which is believed to contribute to the persistence of pain in other conditions. Altered central pain processing may also be an important factor in persistent tendon pain that has traditionally been regarded to be dominated by peripheral mechanisms

Effects of joint and nerve mobilisation on neuroimmune responses in animals and humans with neuromusculoskeletal conditions: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Several animal and human studies revealed that joint and nerve mobilisations positively influence neuroimmune responses in neuromusculoskeletal conditions. However, no systematic review and meta-analysis has been performed. Therefore, this study aimed to synthesize the effects of joint and nerve mobilisation compared with sham or no intervention on neuroimmune responses in animals and humans with neuromusculoskeletal conditions. Four electronic databases were searched for controlled trials. Two reviewers independently selected studies, extracted data, assessed the risk of bias, and graded the certainty of the evidence. Where possible, meta-analyses using random effects models were used to pool the results. Preliminary evidence from 13 animal studies report neuroimmune responses after joint and nerve mobilisations. In neuropathic pain models, meta-analysis revealed decreased spinal cord levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein, dorsal root ganglion levels of interleukin-1β, number of dorsal root ganglion nonneuronal cells, and increased spinal cord interleukin-10 levels. The 5 included human studies showed mixed effects of spinal manipulation on salivary/serum cortisol levels in people with spinal pain, and no significant effects on serum β-endorphin or interleukin-1β levels in people with spinal pain. There is evidence that joint and nerve mobilisations positively influence various neuroimmune responses. However, as most findings are based on single studies, the certainty of the evidence is low to very low. Further studies are needed

Rate of Improvement of Pain and Function in Mid-Portion Achilles Tendinopathy with Loading Protocols: A Systematic Review and Longitudinal Meta-Analysis

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature Background: Mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy is prevalent within both the athletic and non-athletic populations and loading protocols for Achilles tendinopathy are effective over time, though the rate of symptom change throughout rehabilitation is unknown. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the rate of change in pain and function over time in patients while completing a loading protocol for mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy. Methods: A systematic review and longitudinal meta-analysis was conducted as per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The databases PubMed, CINAHL (Ovid) and CINAHL (EBSCO) were searched for articles published from inception until 31 July, 2017. Our search focused on clinical trials and cohort studies examining changes in pain and function when completing a loading protocol for mid-portion Achilles tendinopathy. The primary outcome measure assessing pain and function was the Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment-Achilles (VISA-A) questionnaire. Results: A total of 31 separate cohorts (24 studies) were eligible, with follow-up ranging from 2 weeks to 6 months. The data were pooled to create the mean (standard deviation) of change from baseline at each time point. The data demonstrated an improvement in pain and function as early as 2 weeks that appeared to peak at 12 weeks with a mean (standard deviation) of 21.11 (6.61) points of change on the VISA-A. Conclusion: The improvement in pain and function during rehabilitation suggests future research should be directed toward investigating contributing mechanisms as tendon structure on imaging does not change within 2 weeks and muscular hypertrophy is not seen for at least 4 weeks following the inception of a loading protocol. Systematic Review Registry: PROSPERO registration number: CRD42017062737 (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=62737