The relationship between pain sensitivity and blood pressure in normotensives

Bruehl, Stephen; Carlson, Charles R.; McCubbin, James A.

doi:10.1016/0304-3959(92)90099-w

Cited by 192 publications

(118 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…They found a generally higher pain tolerance in the borderline hypertensive subjects as compared to the normotensive ones. Similarly, Bruehl et al (1992) found subjective pain ratings were significantly correlated (r= −0.43) with resting systolic, but not diastolic (r = −0.11) blood pressure. Subjects with higher, but still normotensive, blood pressure values reported less pain during this mechanical pain maneuver.…”

Section: Relationship Between Tonic Blood Pressure Le6el and Pain Senmentioning

confidence: 76%

Psychophysiology of arterial baroreceptors and the etiology of hypertension

Rau

Elbert

2001

Biological Psychology

161

143

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Arterial baroreceptors are sensitive to blood pressure dependent blood vessel dilation. They play a key role in the short term regulation of blood pressure. Their impact on psychological and psychophysiological aspects is of increasing interest. The review focuses on experimental techniques for the controlled baroreceptor manipulation. Results from the application of these techniques show that baroreceptor activation influences the cardiovascular system as well as central nervous functioning: Behavioral and electrophysiological measures of arousal, low level reflexes and pain responses are modulated through baroreceptor manipulation. The observation of an overall dampening ('barbiturate like') effect of baroreceptor activity led Dworkin et al. formulate the theory of learned hypertension: Subjects might experience blood pressure dependent baroreceptor activation as stress and pain relieving. High blood pressure periods become negatively reinforced. Phasic high blood pressure might develop as a coping strategy. Data from a longitudinal human study supporting this theory are reported.

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Section: Relationship Between Tonic Blood Pressure Le6el and Pain Senmentioning

confidence: 76%

Psychophysiology of arterial baroreceptors and the etiology of hypertension

Rau

Elbert

2001

Biological Psychology

161

143

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“…The hyperalgesic effects of this profile can be interpreted in light of literature regarding blood pressure-related analgesia. Elevated resting blood pressure is reliably associated with reduced acute pain responsiveness (Bruehl et al 1992;Ghione 1996), and evidence suggests that transient increases in systolic blood pressure also elicit hypoalgesia (Edwards et al 2001;. Individuals who are prone to catastrophize about pain who also exhibit low stress-induced cardiovascular reactivity may experience greater daily chronic pain intensity due to automatic negative appraisals of pain stimuli in combination with limited activation of blood pressure-related antinociceptive mechanisms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pain catastrophizing, physiological indexes, and chronic pain severity: tests of mediation and moderation models

et al. 2007

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Catastrophizing about pain is related to elevated pain severity and poor adjustment among chronic pain patients, but few physiological mechanisms by which pain catastrophizing maintains and exacerbates pain have been explored. We hypothesized that resting levels of lower paraspinal muscle tension and/or lower paraspinal and cardiovascular reactivity to emotional arousal may: (a) mediate links between pain catastrophizing and chronic pain intensity; (b) moderate these links such that only patients described by certain combinations of pain catastrophizing and physiological indexes would report pronounced chronic pain. Chronic low back pain patients (N = 97) participated in anger recall and sadness recall interviews while lower paraspinal and trapezius EMG and systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded. Mediation models were not supported. However, pain catastrophizing significantly interacted with resting lower paraspinal muscle tension to predict pain severity such that high catastrophizers with high resting lower paraspinal tension reported the greatest pain. Pain catastrophizing also interacted with SBP, DBP and HR reactivity to affect pain such that high catastrophizers who showed low cardiovascular reactivity to the interviews reported the greatest pain. Results support a multi-variable profile approach to identifying pain catastrophizers at © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2007 john.burns@rosalindfranklin.edu. NIH Public Access NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript greatest risk for pain severity by virtue of resting muscle tension and cardiovascular stress function. KeywordsPain catastrophizing; Chronic pain severity; Lower paraspinal muscle tension; Cardiovascular reactivity; Profile approachCatastrophizing about pain is linked to elevated pain severity and poor adjustment among chronic pain patients (Sullivan et al. 1995). It is defined as a tendency to rumi-nate, magnify and feel helpless about pain (Sullivan et al. 1995), and as a negative automatic appraisal of painful stimuli rooted in activation of maladaptive beliefs or pain schemas (Michael and Burns 2004;Spanos et al. 1979;Sullivan et al. 2001). Irrespective of theoretical conceptualization, only a few physiological mechanisms by which pain catastrophizing maintains and exacerbates chronic pain intensity have been explored (e.g., Edwards and Fillingim 2005).Physical and psychological stress may lead to frequent and intense, or low level but sustained muscular contractions (Sjegaard et al. 2000). This muscle activity can increase pain through ischemia and hypoxia (Fields 1987), and through changes in mechanoreceptor sensitivity (Mense 1993). Flor and colleagues (Flor et al. 1985(Flor et al. , 1991(Flor et al. , 1992 proposed a "symptom-specificity" model of chronic pain, which proposes that patients with certain kinds of musculoskeletal disorders can be distinguished from patients with other kinds of musculoskeletal disorders by substantial stres...

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“…A negative relationship between tonic blood pressure and pain sensitivity has been repeatedly observed in humans (Bruehl, Carlson & McCubbin, 1992;Ghione, Rosa, Mezzasalma & Panattoni, 1988;Ghione, Rosa, Panattoni, Nuti, Mezzasalma & Giuliano, 1985;Maixner, 1991;Zamir & Shuber, 1980) and animals (Maixner, Touw, Brody, Gebhart & Long, 1982). One link between the cardiovascular system and the central nervous system is the arterial baroreceptors which serve as sensors for blood pressure and its changes and which are involved in cardiovascular homeostasis (Persson & Kirchheim, 1991).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Baroreceptor stimulation: Pain perception and sensory thresholds

Droste

Kardos

Brody

et al. 1994

Biological Psychology

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Baroreceptor activity has been implicated in the modulation of pain. Sensory detection thresholds and pain ratings were measured in a group of 28 men during carotid baroreceptor manipulation with the PRES (phase-related external suction) neck suction technique. Brief, cardiac phase-related electrical impulses were delivered intracutaneously to the finger. The results indicate that minimum baroreceptor activity was associated with more severe pain, but had no effect on sensory detection threshold. The results are discussed in terms of the learned model of hypertension.

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The relationship between pain sensitivity and blood pressure in normotensives

Cited by 192 publications

References 17 publications

Psychophysiology of arterial baroreceptors and the etiology of hypertension

Psychophysiology of arterial baroreceptors and the etiology of hypertension

Pain catastrophizing, physiological indexes, and chronic pain severity: tests of mediation and moderation models

Baroreceptor stimulation: Pain perception and sensory thresholds

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