Psychologic factors are related to some sensory pain thresholds but not nociceptive flexion reflex threshold in chronic whiplash

Sterling, Michele; Hodkinson, Emily; Pettiford, Catherine; Souvlis, Tina; Curatolo, Michele (2008). Psychologic factors are related to some sensory pain thresholds but not nociceptive flexion reflex threshold in chronic whiplash. The clinical journal of pain, 24(2), pp. 124-30. Hagerstown, Md.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 10.1097/AJP.0b013e31815ca293

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OBJECTIVES: Sensory hypersensitivity, central hyperexcitability [lowered nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR) thresholds], and psychologic distress are features of chronic whiplash. However, relationships between these substrates are not clear. This study tested the hypothesis that psychologic distress and catastrophization are correlated with sensory hypersensitivity and NFR responses in chronic whiplash. METHODS: Pressure and thermal pain thresholds (mean values across 3 body sites), NFR threshold, and pain at threshold Visual Analog Scale were measured in 30 participants with chronic whiplash and 30 asymptomatic controls. Pain and disability levels Neck Disability Index, psychologic distress (GHQ-28), and catastrophization (PCS) were also measured in the whiplash group. RESULTS: Whiplash injured participants demonstrated lowered pain thresholds to pressure and cold (P<0.05); lowered NFR thresholds (P=0.003), and demonstrated above threshold levels of psychologic distress (GHQ-28) and levels of catastrophization comparable with other musculoskeletal conditions. There were no group differences for heat pain thresholds or pain at NFR threshold. In the whiplash group, PCS scores correlated moderately with cold pain threshold (r=0.51, P=0.01). In contrast, there were no significant correlations between GHQ-28 scores and pain threshold measures or between psychologic factors and NFR responses in whiplash participants. There were no significant correlations between psychologic factors and pain thresholds or NFR responses in controls. DISCUSSION: We have demonstrated that psychologic factors have some association with sensory hypersensitivity (cold pain threshold measures) in chronic whiplash but do not seem to influence spinal cord excitability. This suggests that psychologic disorders are important, but not the only, determinants of central hypersensitivity in whiplash patients.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Intensive Care, Emergency Medicine and Anaesthesiology (DINA) > Clinic and Policlinic for Anaesthesiology and Pain Therapy
UniBE Contributor:	Curatolo, Michele
ISSN:	0749-8047
ISBN:	18209518
Publisher:	Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Language:	English
Submitter:	Jeannie Wurz
Date Deposited:	04 Oct 2013 15:01
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2022 14:19
Publisher DOI:	10.1097/AJP.0b013e31815ca293
PubMed ID:	18209518
Web of Science ID:	000252637800006
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/26668 (FactScience: 81100)