Reduced cold pressor pain tolerance in non-recovered whiplash patients: a 1-year prospective study
Reduced cold pressor pain tolerance in non-recovered whiplash patients: a 1-year prospective study
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DOI:
10.1016/j.ejpain.2004.11.011
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发表时间:
2005-10-01
影响因子:
3.6
通讯作者:
Jensen, TS
中科院分区:
文献类型:
--
作者:
Kasch, H;Qerama, E;Jensen, TS
Whiplash injury and chronic whiplash syndrome represent major health problems in certain western communities, pain being the main symptom. Sensitization of the nociceptive system may play a role for non-recovery after whiplash injury.Aims: This study examined if tolerance to endure pain stimuli may predict outcome in whiplash injury. In a prospective fashion, 141 acute whiplash patients exposed to rear-end car collision (WAD grade 1-3) and 40 ankle-injured controls were followed and exposed to a cold pressor test, respectively, 1 week, 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after the injury. VAS score of pain and discomfort was obtained before, during and after immersion of the dominant hand into cold water for 2 min.The McGill Pain Questionnaire showed that ankle-injured controls had higher initial pain scores than the corresponding whiplash group, while whiplash 4 injured subjects had higher scores at 6 months; pain scores being similar at other time points. No difference was found in cold pressor pain between recovered whiplash patients and ankle-injured subjects. Non-recovery was only encountered in whiplash injury. Eleven non-recovered whiplash patients (defined as: handicap after 1 year) showed reduced time to peak pain from 1 week to 3 months (P < 0.001), 6 months (P < 0.01), but not 12 months after the injury. A larger pain area was seen in non-recovered vs. recovered whiplash-injured subjects during the entire observation period (P < 0.001).Non-recovery after whiplash was associated with initially reduced cold pressor pain endurance and increased peak pain, suggesting that dysfunction of central pain modulating control systems plays a role in chronic pain after acute whiplash injury. (c) 2004 European Federation of Chapters of the International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.