Effects of Obesity on Function and Quality of Life in Chronic Pain Conditions

Arranz, Laura-Isabel; Rafecas, Magda; Alegre, Cayetano

doi:10.1007/s11926-013-0390-7

Cited by 100 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 93 publications

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“…The discounting of women's pain may put women who are both undertreated for chronic pain and who are overweight or obese at risk for greater disability and reduced quality of life. 2 These risks are in addition to the stigmatization and negative social consequences (e.g., lower occupational and educational attainment) of being overweight or obese. 13,14,21,26,52,57,63 Additionally, obese women may have less social support to buffer against these disadvantages, as obesity is linked to less social contact and greater loneliness.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential Effect of Patient Weight on Pain-Related Judgements About Male and Female Chronic Low Back Pain Patients

Miller

Allison

Trost

et al. 2018

The Journal of Pain

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Compared to men, women report more pain and are at increased risk for having pain discounted or misattributed to psychological causes. Overweight individuals experience high rates of pain and may receive suboptimal care due to provider bias. Research suggests the social consequences of being overweight are worse for women than men, and that gender and weight uniquely and interactively impact pain experience and care. Healthy participants (N=616) viewed six videos of back pain patients (1 female and 1 male of normal-weight, overweight, and obese categories) performing a functional task. Participants provided judgments/ratings regarding patient pain (intensity, interference, exaggeration), potential sources of patient pain (medical, psychological), and treatment recommendations (opioids, psychological therapy, seek workplace accommodations). Results suggest that the pain of normal and overweight women and obese men was discounted (judged as less intense, less interfering, more exaggerated, and less attributable to medical factors) and judged as less in need of treatment (treated with less opioids and workplace accommodations). Across all weight categories, women's pain was attributed more to psychological factors and was more likely to receive recommendations for psychological therapy than men's pain. These findings highlight the differential impact of patient weight on painrelated judgments about women and men.Keywords: obesity, weight, gender, chronic low back pain, pain assessment, pain treatment Perspective: This article examines the relationships among patient weight, patient gender, and observers' pain appraisals and treatment recommendations. These findings highlight the differential impact of patient weight on pain-related judgments about women and men and indicate the need for research to determine how these judgments affect treatment decisions in clinical settings.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential Effect of Patient Weight on Pain-Related Judgements About Male and Female Chronic Low Back Pain Patients

Miller

Allison

Trost

et al. 2018

The Journal of Pain

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Evidence-based studies of obesity and chronic pain are restricted to specific specialties such as rheumatology [18][19][20][21] or to specific conditions such as arthritis 22-24 and low-back pain. Only a limited number of articles on this topic have been published in pain medicine literature.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Obesity and Chronic Pain

Narouze

Souzdalnitski

2015

Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine

113

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The combination of obesity and pain may worsen a patient's functional status and quality of life more than each condition in isolation. We systematically searched PubMed/MEDLINE and the Cochrane databases for all reports published on obesity and pain. The prevalence of combined obesity and pain was substantial. Good evidence shows that weight reduction can alleviate pain and diminish pain-related functional impairment. However, inadequate pain control can be a barrier to effective lifestyle modification and rehabilitation. This article examines specific pain management approaches for obese patients and reviews novel interventional techniques for treatment of obesity. The infrastructure for simultaneous treatment of obesity and pain already exists in pain medicine (eg, patient education, behavioral medicine approaches, physical rehabilitation, medications, and interventional treatment). Screening for obesity, pain-related disability, and behavioral disorders as well as monitoring of functional performance should become routine in pain medicine practices. Such an approach requires additional physician and staff training. Further research should focus on better understanding the interplay between these 2 very common conditions and the development of effective treatment strategies.

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“…Studies have shown that chronic pain affects approximately 25-35% of adults worldwide depending on the definition used [11]. In the United States an estimated prevalence of 30% has been reported with more females than males affected [12] and worldwide the prevalence is estimated to be over 20% of all adults, with 10% newly diagnosed each year [13,14].…”

Section: Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain and Obesitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These biomarkers sensitise nociceptors lowering their thresholds of activation resulting in an amplified nociceptive input to the central nervous system. Hence, adiposopathy may contribute to non-resolving systemic inflammation and states of persistent pain [1,12,34,43]. Furthermore, unresolving systemic inflammation may contribute to continued sensitisation of the nociceptive system and may also prevent the healing of tissue in the periphery [44].…”

Section: Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain and Obesitymentioning

confidence: 99%