Highlights
- •Participants were injected with nerve growth factor (day 0) and hypertonic saline (day 2).
- •Saline-induced pain increased the variation and changed the direction of the force.
- •Persistent pain changed force direction from the pain-free direction.
- •The results support the search and consolidation of new motor strategies during pain.
Abstract
Musculoskeletal pain is associated with multiple adaptions in movement control. This
study aimed to determine whether changes in movement control acquired during acute
pain are maintained over days of pain exposure. On day 0, the extensor carpi radialis
brevis muscle of healthy participants was injected with nerve growth factor (NGF)
to induce persistent movement-evoked pain (n = 13) or isotonic saline as a control
(n = 13). On day 2, short-lasting pain was induced by injection of hypertonic saline
into extensor carpi radialis brevis muscles of all participants. Three-dimensional
force components were recorded during submaximal isometric wrist extensions on day
0, day 4, and before, during, and after saline-induced pain on day 2. Standard deviation
(variation of task-related force) and total excursion of center of pressure (variation
of force direction) were assessed. Maximal movement-evoked pain was 3.3 ± .4 (0–10
numeric scale) in the NGF-group on day 2 whereas maximum saline-induced pain was 6.8 ± .3 cm
(10-cm visual analog scale). The difference in centroid position of force direction
relative to day 0 was greater in the NGF group than in the control group (P < .05) on day 2 (before saline-induced pain) and day 4, reflecting changes in tangential
force direction used to achieve the task. During saline-induced pain in both groups,
tangential and task-related force variation was greater than before and after saline-induced
pain (P < .05).
Perspective
Persistent movement-evoked pain changes force direction from the pain-free direction.
Acute pain leads to increased variation in force direction irrespective of persistent
movement-evoked pain preceding the acutely painful event. These differences provide
novel insight into the search for and consolidation of new motor strategies in the
presence of pain.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 29, 2016
Accepted:
June 28,
2016
Received in revised form:
May 16,
2016
Received:
December 21,
2015
Footnotes
The Center for Neuroplasticity and Pain is supported by the Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF121). P.H. is supported by a Senior Principal Research Fellowship (APP1002190) and Program Grant (ID631717) from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Supplementary data accompanying this article are available online at www.jpain.org and www.sciencedirect.com.
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 by the American Pain Society
