(519) The effect of prior experience with cold pain on pain tolerance in the cold pressor task: the mediating effect of situational catastrophizing

BACKGROUND: There is no standardized method for cold pressor pain tasks across experiments. Temperature, apparatus and aspects of experimenters vary widely among studies. It is well known that experimental pain tolerance is influenced by setting as well as the sex of the experimenter. It is not known whether other contextual factors influence experimental pain reporting.OBJECTIVES: The present two-part experiment examines whether minimizing and standardizing interactions with laboratory personnel (eg, limiting interaction with participants to consenting and questions and not during the actual pain task) eliminates the influence of examiner characteristics on subjective pain reports and whether using different cold pain apparatus (cooler versus machine) influences reports.METHODS:The present experiment manipulated the gender of the experimenter (male, female and transgender) and the type of cold pressor task (CPT) apparatus (ice cooler versus refrigerated bath circulator). Participants conducted the CPT at one of two pain levels (5°C or 16°C) without an experimenter present.RESULTS:Men and women showed lower pain sensitivity when they were processed by biological male personnel than by biological female personnel before the CPT. Women who interacted with a transgendered researcher likewise reported higher pain sensitivity than women processed by biological male or female researchers. The type of CPT apparatus, despite operating at equivalent temperatures, also influenced subjective pain reports.DISCUSSION: The findings show that even minimal interactions with laboratory personnel who differ in gender, and differences in laboratory materials impact the reliable measurement of pain.CONCLUSION: More standardized protocols for measuring pain across varying research and clinical settings should be developed.

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Experimental Pain Responses in Children with Chronic Pain and in Healthy Children: How Do They Differ?

Pain Research and Management ◽

10.1155/2012/592108 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 103-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Jennie CI Tsao ◽

Subhadra Evans ◽

Laura C Seidman ◽

Lonnie K Zeltzer

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Chronic Pain ◽

Experimental Pain ◽

Cold Pressor ◽

Pain Tolerance ◽

Depression Symptoms ◽

Healthy Children ◽

Cold Pain ◽

Lower Pain ◽

Pain Responses

BACKGROUND: Extant research comparing laboratory pain responses of children with chronic pain with healthy controls is mixed, with some studies indicating lower pain responsivity for controls and others showing no differences. Few studies have included different pain modalities or assessment protocols.OBJECTIVES: To compare pain responses among 26 children (18 girls) with chronic pain and matched controls (mean age 14.8 years), to laboratory tasks involving thermal heat, pressure and cold pain. Responses to cold pain were assessed using two different protocols: an initial trial of unspecified duration and a second trial of specified duration.METHODS: Four trials of pressure pain and of thermal heat pain stimuli, all of unspecified duration, were administered, as well as the two cold pain trials. Heart rate and blood pressure were assessed at baseline and after completion of the pain tasks.RESULTS: Pain tolerance and pain intensity did not differ between children with chronic pain and controls for the unspecified trials. For the specified cold pressor trial, 92% of children with chronic pain completed the entire trial compared with only 61.5% of controls. Children with chronic pain exhibited a trend toward higher baseline and postsession heart rate and reported more anxiety and depression symptoms compared with control children.CONCLUSIONS: Contextual factors related to the fixed trial may have exerted a greater influence on pain tolerance in children with chronic pain relative to controls. Children with chronic pain demonstrated a tendency toward increased arousal in anticipation of and following pain induction compared with controls.

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Taboo gesticulations as a response to pain

Scandinavian Journal of Pain ◽

10.1515/sjpain-2018-0321 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 397-406

Author(s):

Maarten Jacobs ◽

Ilja van Beest ◽

Richard Stephens

Keyword(s):

Pain Perception ◽

Index Finger ◽

Cold Pressor ◽

Middle Finger ◽

Pain Tolerance ◽

Cold Pressor Task ◽

Main Effect ◽

Lower Pain ◽

Finger Control ◽

Ice Water

Abstract Background and aims Prior research indicates that swearing increases pain tolerance and decreases pain perception in a cold pressor task. In two experiments, we extend this research by testing whether taboo hand gesticulations have a similar effect. Methods Study 1 focused on males and females who, across two trials, submerged an extended middle finger (taboo) and an extended index finger (control) in ice water until discomfort necessitated removal. Study 2 focused exclusively on pain perception in males who, across three trials, submerged their hand, flat, with extended middle finger and with extended index finger, for 45 s each. Results In study 1 taboo gesticulation did not increase pain tolerance or reduce pain perception compared with the index finger control condition, as a main effect or as part of an interaction with condition order. While there was a gesture×gender interaction for pain tolerance, this was driven by an increased pain tolerance for the index finger gesture for women but not men. The results of study 2 again showed that taboo gesticulation did not lower pain perception, although it did increase positive affect compared with both non-taboo gesture conditions. Conclusions Taken together these results provide only limited evidence that taboo gesticulation alters the experience of pain. These largely null findings further our understanding of swearing as a response to pain, suggesting that the activation of taboo schemas is not sufficient for hypoalgesia to occur.

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The Effects of Mindful Attention on Cold Pressor Pain in Children

Pain Research and Management ◽

10.1155/2013/857045 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 39-45 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Mark Petter ◽

Christine T Chambers ◽

Jill MacLaren Chorney

Keyword(s):

Pain Intensity ◽

Acute Pain ◽

Coping Style ◽

Guided Imagery ◽

Experimental Pain ◽

Cold Pressor ◽

Pain Tolerance ◽

Trait Mindfulness ◽

Cold Pressor Task ◽

Mindful Attention

BACKGROUND: Typical interventions for acute pain in children attempt to reduce pain by directing attention away from pain. Conversely, mindfulness involves devoting attention to one’s experience in an accepting and nonjudgmental way. However, the effect that instructing children to mindfully devote attention to acute pain has on pain outcomes is unknown.OBJECTIVES: To examine whether mindful attention can help children attend to pain without increasing pain intensity or decreasing pain tolerance; to compare the effects of mindful attention with a well-established intervention designed to take attention away from pain (guided imagery); and to test whether baseline coping style or trait mindfulness alter the effects of these interventions.METHODS: A total of 82 children (10 to 14 years of age) completed measures of coping style and trait mindfulness. Participants then received either mindful attention or guided imagery instructions designed to direct attention toward or away from pain, respectively, before participating in a cold pressor task.RESULTS: The mindful attention group reported more awareness of the physical sensations of pain and thoughts about those sensations. Overall, there were no between-group differences in measures of pain intensity or pain tolerance during the cold pressor task, and no evidence of an interaction between baseline characteristics of the child and experimental condition.CONCLUSIONS: Mindful attention was successful in helping children focus attention on experimental pain without increasing pain intensity or decreasing tolerance compared with a well-established intervention for acute pain reduction.

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Hope Against the Cold: Individual Differences in Trait Hope and Acute Pain Tolerance on the Cold Pressor Task

Journal of Personality ◽

10.1111/j.1467-6494.2005.00318.x ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 73 (2) ◽

pp. 287-312 ◽

Cited By ~ 61

Author(s):

C. R. Snyder ◽

Carla Berg ◽

Julia T. Woodward ◽

Amber Gum ◽

Kevin L. Rand ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Acute Pain ◽

Cold Pressor ◽

Pain Tolerance ◽

Cold Pressor Task ◽

Trait Hope

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Improving Exposure Component and Generalization Potential of Stress Inoculation for Pain

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.1979.48.3c.1132 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 48 (3_suppl) ◽

pp. 1132-1134 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Gail Hackett ◽

John J. Horan ◽

Jay Buchanan ◽

Paul Zumoff

Keyword(s):

Coping Skills ◽

Cold Pressor ◽

Pain Tolerance ◽

The Other ◽

Stress Inoculation ◽

Practice Session ◽

Cold Pressor Task ◽

Pressure Algometer ◽

Dimensions Of Pain ◽

Psychological Dimensions

Stress inoculation for pain involves education about the psychological dimensions of pain, training in a number of coping skills, and practice in applying these skills during exposure to the noxious stimulus. In a previous study the exposure component (which involved six practice sessions) proved ineffective; moreover the efficacy of the other components was not repeated on the generalization measures. The present study compared three variations in the exposure component and found that training with a single practice session on the cold pressor task proved more helpful than training with no practice at all, which in turn was no worse than training with six practice sessions. Moreover, therapeutic attention to generalization resulted in increased pain tolerance on the pressure algometer task.

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A longitudinal exploration of pain tolerance and participation in contact sports

Scandinavian Journal of Pain ◽

10.1016/j.sjpain.2017.02.007 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 36-44 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Claire Thornton ◽

David Sheffield ◽

Andrew Baird

Keyword(s):

Pain Intensity ◽

Experimental Pain ◽

Cold Pressor ◽

Pain Tolerance ◽

Drop Out ◽

American Football ◽

Pain Coping ◽

Cold Pain ◽

Contact Sports ◽

Over Time

AbstractBackground/aims Athletes who choose to engage in contact sports do so with the knowledge that participation will bring pain in the form of contact with others, injury, and from exertion. Whilst athletes who play contact sports have been shown to have higher pain tolerance than those who do not, it is unclear whether this is a result of habituation over time, or as a result of individual differences at the outset. The aim was to compare pain responses over an athletic season in athletes who participated in contact sport and those who disengaged from it.Methods One hundred and two new contact athletes completed measures of cold and ischaemic pain tolerance, perceived pain intensity, pain bothersomeness, pain coping styles and attendance at the start, middle (4 months) and end (8 months) of their season. The athletes were drawn from martial arts, rugby and American football. Cluster analysis placed 47 athletes into a participating category and 55 into a non-participating cluster.ResultsParticipating athletes had higher ischaemic pain tolerance at the start (r = 0.27, p = 0.05), middle (r = 0.41, p < 0.0001) and end of the season (r = 0.57, p < 0.0001) compared to non-participating athletes. In addition participating athletes were more tolerant to cold pain at the end of the season (r = 0.39, p < 0.0001), compared to non-participating athletes. Participating athletes also exhibited higher direct coping, catastrophized less about injury pain and also found contact pain to be less bothersome physically and psychologically compared to non-participating athletes. Participating athletes were more tolerant of ischaemic pain at the end of the season compared to the start (r = 0.28, p = 0.04). Conversely nonparticipating athletes became significantly less tolerant to both pain stimuli by the end of the season (cold pressor; r = 0.54, p < 0.0001; ischaemia; r = 0.43, p = 0.006). Pain intensity as measured by a visual analogue scale did not change over the season for both groups.Conclusions Those who cease participation in contact sports become less pain tolerant of experimental pain, possibly a result of catastrophizing. The results suggest that athletes who commit to contact sports find pain less bothersome over time, possibly as a result of experience and learning to cope with pain. Athletes who continue to participate in contact sports have a higher pain tolerance, report less bothersomeness and have higher direct coping than those who drop out. In addition, tolerance to ischaemic pain increased over the season for participating athletes.ImplicationsHaving a low pain tolerance should not prevent athletes from taking part in contact sports, as pain becomes less bothersome in athletes who adhere to such activities. Participating in contact sports may result in maintained cold pain tolerance, increased ischaemic pain tolerance, reduced catastrophizing and better coping skills. Coaches can therefore work with athletes to develop pain coping strategies to aid adherence to contact sports.

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The Role of Musical Attributes in Music-induced Analgesia: A Preliminary Brief Report

10.31234/osf.io/3n7kp ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Krzysztof Basiński ◽

Agata Zdun-Ryżewska ◽

Mikołaj Majkowicz

Keyword(s):

Pain Perception ◽

Experimental Pain ◽

Cold Pressor ◽

Pain Modulation ◽

Pain Tolerance ◽

Cold Pressor Task ◽

Novel Approach ◽

Pain Ratings ◽

Musical Characteristics ◽

Average Pain

Music-induced analgesia (MIA) is the ability of music to influence pain perception. Although this phenomenon has been extensively studied in recent years, only a few studies have addressed what musical characteristics are optimal for MIA. Here, we present a novel approach to this topic, using a recently proposed model of music attribute preferences. The model addresses three musical dimensions: arousal, valence, and depth. Thirty participants (fifteen women and fifteen men, M age = 37.1 years, standard deviation = 15.7) were subjected to experimental pain stimulation (cold-pressor task) while listening to music characteristic of the three attribute dimensions. There was also a control condition, where participants listened to white noise. Results showed that average pain ratings were significantly lower in arousal (p = .002) and depth (p = .01) conditions in comparison to the control condition. Furthermore, participants showed increased pain tolerance in musical conditions in comparison to the control condition (p = .04). The results contribute to better understanding of the mechanisms of pain modulation, and to the development of novel evidence-based therapies of chronic pain. In the advent of on-line music streaming services, this research opens new possibilities for music-based pain interventions.

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Painfully Cold: Effects of a Loving-Kindness Meditation on Cold Pressor Task Performance and Empathic Responses

10.31219/osf.io/h5dk9 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ryan Robertson ◽

Evangeline Wheeler ◽

Stephanie Lietzau

Keyword(s):

Pain Management ◽

Pain Perception ◽

Mindfulness Meditation ◽

Cold Water ◽

Cold Pressor ◽

Pain Tolerance ◽

Cold Pressor Task ◽

Loving Kindness ◽

Meditation Group ◽

To Receive

Mindfulness meditation is sometimes taught as an adjunct to pain management techniques, but scant research has examined the mechanisms by which it works. We compared the effects of different types of meditation (i.e., mindfulness relaxation vs. loving-kindness) on pain tolerance and pain threshold, pain reactivity, self-reported pain levels, and pleasure during a cold pressor task. Furthermore, we explored how empathy levels may differ after a short-term meditation induction, since differences in empathy affect perception of pain. A sample of 71 participants was randomly assigned to receive one of two 6-minute meditation inductions before submerging their hand in ice-cold water. Results indicated no effect of condition on pain tolerance, threshold, or pain reactivity. However, participants in the loving-kindness meditation group reported greater pleasure than those in the mindfulness group. Moreover, empathy levels did not alter after induction, and did not have a significant role in pain management. Results are discussed in terms of how empathy affects pain perception and pain management.

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