Chronic stress in myofascial pain patients

Abstract

Although myofascial pain has often been described as being associated with psychosocial stress, detailed evidence in support of this assumption, either from standardized clinical examination or from validated chronic stress questionnaires, is absent. The hypothesis of the present study was that some stressors lead to higher scores in patients suffering from chronic myofascial pain than in pain-free controls and in patients suffering from chronic facial pain. One hundred and fifty subjects were included in the study, and depending on clinical findings, divided into three groups: exclusively chronic myofascial pain group, controls with chronic facial pain but without temporomandibular disorders (TMD), and controls without pain or TMD. Chronic stress was assessed on nine subscales by use of a validated questionnaire. Myofascial pain patients have a significantly higher stress score for "social isolation" than pain-free controls (t-test, p = 0.003). However, they do not have higher scores than patients suffering from facial pain (t test, p = 0.169). Thus, the hypothesis of this study could not be completely rejected.

Sleep-associated aspects of myofascial pain in the orofacial area among Temporomandibular Disorder patients and controls

“…The mean pain intensity in the patient group was approximately 4.9 on the NRS. This is comparable with results obtained in a previous study that assessed pain intensity among TMD patients by the use of the GCPS [36]. In this study, subjects with GCPS >2 were excluded, because these patients have been shown to suffer from psychosocial dysfunction, including elevated depression and somatization scores [37].…”

Salivary cortisol and psychological factors in women with chronic and acute oro‐facial pain

“…It is known that elevated levels of psychological stress have the potential to intensify perceived pain, reduce an individual's capacity to tolerate pain and affect overall well‐being . This is particularly applicable for chronic myofascial pain which in several studies have been strongly associated with stress in addition to other psychological aspects . Although several studies have assessed the relationship between chronic OP and stress, no study has taken into account patients with acute OP.…”

Differentiating and Managing Common Psychiatric Comorbidities Seen in Chronic Pain Patients

“…30 Pain patients frequently fear isolation, estrangement from others, and may have a general sense of feeling like an outcast. 31 Also, financial burdens and family role changes are common stressors. In deciding whether to treat anxiety, the patient's subjective level of distress is the primary impetus for the initiation of treatment.…”