Relationships Between Psychological, Sleep, and Physical Activity Measures and Somatosensory Function in People With Peripheral Joint Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

Abstract

Objective Alteration in somatosensory function has been linked to pain experience in individuals with joint pain. In this systematic review we aimed to establish the level of evidence of associations between psychological, social, physical activity, and sleep measures and somatosensory function that were assessed via quantitative sensory testing (QST) among individuals with joint pain. Methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted in 6 electronic databases from their inception to July 2019. Two reviewers independently assessed the methodological quality using a modified Quality in Prognostic Studies (QUIPS) tool and supplemented with recommendations from the Critical Appraisal and Data Extraction for Systematic Review of Prediction Modelling Studies (CHARMS) checklist and the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS‐2) tool. The level of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) system. Data were pooled to evaluate the strength of the relationships of interest. Results Seventeen studies related to joint pain were included. Pain catastrophizing, depression, anxiety, and physical activity level have been shown to have a significant (small to fair) association with several QST measures. Pressure pain threshold (PPT) is the only measure that was found to be consistently correlated with all the domains. The overall quality of evidence for all factors ranged from very low to moderate. Subgroup analysis revealed a stronger association for depression and pain catastrophizing and PPT and temporal pain summation in individuals with shoulder pain. Conclusion Psychological factors and physical activity levels are associated with somatosensory function in people with joint pain. These factors need to be adjusted when establishing predictive relationships between somatosensory function and pain outcomes in individuals with joint pain.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation, Reliability, and Psychophysical Validation of the Pain and Sleep Questionnaire Three-Item Index in Finnish

“…The reciprocal relationship between pain affecting sleep—and disturbances to sleep affecting pain—is well-established [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. However, the PSQ-3 is the only PROM for directly assessing pain–sleep interactions in the CLBP population [ 13 ].…”

“…The factors leading to chronic pain are complex, with multiple contributors leading to persistent symptoms [ 1 ]. Sleep quality and disturbances are one of the main contributors to chronic musculoskeletal pain [ 10 , 11 ]. The significant discriminative ability of the total PSQ-3-FI score to identify controls with no pain and the -ite and multisite chronic pain groups is in line with previous research that showed clear relationships between multisite pain and various sleep disturbances [ 62 , 63 ].…”

“…Sleep disturbances have a fundamental effect on health and are associated with mental disorders such as anxiety; depression; numerous chronic systemic metabolic, cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurological diseases; and increased risk of certain types of cancer [ 4 , 5 , 6 ], as well as negative effects on short-term, day-to-day function, and well-being [ 7 , 8 ]. Reciprocal relationships between sleep disturbances and different chronic musculoskeletal pain conditions have also been well-established [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]; thus, there is a need for a concise, reliable, and valid patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) for clinical assessments and research to measure the direct effects of pain on sleep.…”

Quantitative Sensory Testing Across Chronic Pain Conditions and Use in Special Populations

“…In addition, effects of age must be considered when incorporating QST, as loss of sensory function has been observed in older adults for cold, warmth, mechanical, and vibratory detection thresholds ( 90 ). Moreover, a recent systematic review with meta-analysis surrounding the use of QST in individuals with joint pain, reports an association between depression, pain catastrophizing, and physical activity level with several QST measures; therefore, such variables need be acknowledged when evaluating the relationship between pain and somatosensory function ( 91 ). Despite the potential of such cofounding factors, the ability of QST to detect and discriminate peripheral vs. central contributors to pain, and its potential to help guide targeted therapies, including non-pharmacological interventions, argues for its greater incorporation in research and clinical initiatives.…”

Test cuantitativo sensorial con algometría de presión: experiencia preliminar en un servicio de anestesiología

“…Parecería ser que la ansiedad por sí misma es capaz de afectar la medida de los umbrales de presión medidos por algometría, disminuyéndolos. Othman en una revisión sistemática sobre alteraciones de la función somatosensorial en pacientes con dolor articular, encontró una significativa asociación de la ansiedad, la depresión y el catastrofismo con varias de las medidas de los TSC, ente ellos el UDP (14). Rudhi encontró que la ansiedad disminuye los umbrales de dolor y plantea que puede tener un rol en la determinación de hipersensibilidad central (15).…”