Pressure-induced referred pain is expanded by persistent soreness

Victor Doménech-García, Thorvaldur S. Palsson, P. Herrero, Thomas Graven-Nielsen

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningpeer review

32 Citationer (Scopus)
454 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Several chronic pain conditions are accompanied with enlarged referred pain areas. This study investigated a novel method for assessing referred pain. In 20 healthy subjects pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) were recorded and pressure stimuli (120%PPT) were applied bilaterally for 5-s and 60-s at the infraspinatus muscle to induce local and referred pain. Moreover, PPTs were measured bilaterally at the shoulder, neck and leg before, during and after hypertonic saline-induced referred pain in the dominant infraspinatus muscle. The pressure and saline-induced pain areas were assessed on drawings. Subsequently, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) was induced using eccentric exercise of the dominant infraspinatus muscle. The Day-1 assessments were repeated the following day (Day-2). Suprathreshold pressure stimulations and saline injections into the infraspinatus muscle caused referred pain to the frontal aspect of the shoulder/arm in all subjects. The 60-s pressure stimulation caused larger referred pain areas compared with the 5-s stimulation (P<0.01). Compared with pressure stimulation, the saline-induced referred pain area was larger (P<0.02). After saline-induced pain, the PPTs at the infraspinatus and supraspinatus muscles were reduced (P<0.05) and the 5-s pressure-induced referred pain area was larger than baseline. PPTs at the infraspinatus and supraspinatus muscles were reduced at Day-2 in the DOMS side (P<0.05). Compared with Day-1, larger pressure and saline-induced referred pain areas were observed on Day-2 (P<0.05). Referred pain to the shoulder/arm was consistently induced and enlarged after one day of muscle soreness indicating that the referred pain area may be a sensitive biomarker for sensitization of the pain system.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
TidsskriftPain
Vol/bind157
Udgave nummer5
Sider (fra-til)1164-1172
ISSN0304-3959
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2016

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DNRF121

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