Conditioned Pain Modulation and Pressure Pain Sensitivity in the Adult Danish General Population: The DanFunD Study

Sine Skovbjerg, Torben Jørgensen, Lars Arendt-Nielsen, Jeanette F Ebstrup, Tina Carstensen, Thomas Graven-Nielsen

    71 Citationer (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Increased pressure pain sensitivity and impaired descending pain control have been associated with chronic pain, but knowledge on the variability in the adult general population is lacking. Pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) and descending pain control assessed using conditioned pain modulation (CPM) were recorded in a randomly selected sample (n = 2,199, 53% female) of the Danish adult general population aged 18 to 70 years. PPTs were recorded over the tibialis anterior muscle and the upper trapezius muscle. CPM was defined as the difference between PPT assessments before and during conditioning with cold pressor pain (hand) for 2 minutes. Conditioning pain intensity was assessed using a visual analog scale and questionnaire data were collected. Female sex (P < .001) and younger age (P ≤ .02) was associated with lower PPTs at both body sites. For the trapezius muscle, high perceived stress was associated with lower PPTs (P < .02), whereas an interaction was found between body mass index and sex. CPM potency was lower in female compared with male participants (P ≤ .003), whereas no association with age was found. Higher level of education (P ≤ .05), premature withdrawal from the cold pressor test (P ≤ .02), and high visual analog scale score (P ≤ .02) were associated with a larger CPM response.

    PERSPECTIVE: Data from this large population-based study provide new insight into the gender and age variation in pain sensitivity and CPM response. Decreased CPM potency and increased pain sensitivity in female participants were found, emphasizing the need to improve the understanding of its clinical consequences.

    OriginalsprogEngelsk
    TidsskriftThe journal of pain : official journal of the American Pain Society
    Vol/bind18
    Udgave nummer3
    Sider (fra-til)274-284
    ISSN1526-5900
    DOI
    StatusUdgivet - 2017

    Fingeraftryk

    Dyk ned i forskningsemnerne om 'Conditioned Pain Modulation and Pressure Pain Sensitivity in the Adult Danish General Population: The DanFunD Study'. Sammen danner de et unikt fingeraftryk.

    Citationsformater