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Reduced pressure pain thresholds in response to exercise in CFS but not back pain

D

Dolphin

Senior Member
Messages
17,567
Full title (I had to shorten)
Reduced pressure pain thresholds in response to exercise in chronic fatigue syndrome but not in chronic low back pain: an experimental study.
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Free full text: pdf: http://www.medicaljournals.se/jrm/content/download.php?doi=10.2340/16501977-0595 html: http://www.medicaljournals.se/jrm/content/?doi=10.2340/16501977-0595&html=1

Reduced pressure pain thresholds in response to exercise in chronic fatigue syndrome but not in chronic low back pain: an experimental study.

J Rehabil Med. 2010 Oct;42(9):884-90.

Meeus M, Roussel NA, Truijen S, Nijs J.

Source
Division of Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy, Department of Health Sciences, Artesis University College Antwerp, Merksem, Belgium.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:
The aims of this study were to examine: (i) baseline pressure pain thresholds in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and those with chronic low back pain compared with healthy subjects; (ii) the change in mean pain threshold in response to exercise; and (iii) associations with exercise-induced increase in nitric oxide.

PARTICIPANTS:
Twenty-six patients with chronic fatigue syndrome suffering of chronic pain, 21 patients with chronic low back pain and 31 healthy subjects.

METHODS:
Participants underwent a submaximal aerobic exercise protocol on a bicycle ergometer, preceded and followed by venous blood sampling (nitric oxide) and algometry (hand, arm, calf, low back).

RESULTS:
Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome presented overall lower pain thresholds compared with healthy subjects and patients with chronic low back pain (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found between healthy subjects and patients with chronic low back pain. After submaximal aerobic exercise, mean pain thresholds decreased in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, and increased in the others (p < 0.01). At baseline, nitric oxide levels were significantly higher in the chronic low back pain group. After controlling for body mass index, no significant differences were seen between the groups at baseline or in response to exercise. Nitric oxide was not related to pain thresholds in either group.

CONCLUSION:
The results suggest hyperalgesia and abnormal central pain processing during submaximal aerobic exercise in chronic fatigue syndrome, but not in chronic low back pain. Nitric oxide appeared to be unrelated to pain processing.

PMID: 20878051 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Snow Leopard

Snow Leopard

Hibernating
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South Australia
NO is supposed to reduce pain sensitivity, which is (in simplistic terms) why it is higher in those with low back pain.
CFS is associated with a Th2 immune response and one of the consequences of Th2 cytokines is the inhibition of NO synthesis. I know there have been papers hypothesising both high or low NO as part of the pathology of CFS, but I agree with the findings of this paper that absolute expression of NO is not a central factor.

However there may be downstream factors, eg: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9824439 (the NK Cells were not responding to NO activation)
 
WillowJ

WillowJ

คภภเє ɠรค๓թєl
Messages
4,940
Location
WA, USA
bookmarking; need to come back later and look at these better; hopefully read the papers. Thanks to both. :Retro smile:
 
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