A new study aimed at better tailoring pain treatments for patients has found that fear of pain influences the intensity of post-surgical pain for some people.
Researchers at the University of Florida Health conducted the study with 150 shoulder surgery patients. Each patient was interviewed to determine their attitudes about pain and tested for genetic variation of the COMT gene, which is linked to pain sensitivity and inflammation. Study participants were also asked to rate their pain on a scale of 1 to 10 at various intervals before and after shoulder surgery.
Those participants who tested positive for a high pain sensitivity variant of the COMT gene and also expressed a strong fear of pain were 40 percent more likely to still report feeling pain 12 months after their shoulder surgery. In contrast, only 20 percent of patients who did not have these two factors reported feeling pain 12 months after the surgery.
While the main focus of the study was shoulder pain, researchers also explored patient perceptions on the pain associated with a variety of injuries that range from a paper cut to slamming a hand in a car door. By understanding how patients perceive pain, researchers are hoping to provide more effective pain management therapies.
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