Conditioned Pain Modulation Is Not Impaired in Individuals with Frozen Shoulder: A Case-Control Study

Marta Aguilar-Rodríguez, Lirios Dueñas, Mercè Balasch i Bernat, Mira Meeus, Filip Struyf and Enrique Lluch
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Marta Aguilar-Rodríguez: Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Physiotherapy, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
Lirios Dueñas: Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Physiotherapy, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
Mercè Balasch i Bernat: Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Physiotherapy, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
Mira Meeus: Pain in Motion International Research Group, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium
Filip Struyf: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium
Enrique Lluch: Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Physiotherapy, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 23, 1-8

Abstract: Frozen shoulder (FS) is a poorly understood condition resulting in substantial shoulder pain and mobility deficits. The mechanisms behind FS are not yet fully understood, but, similar to other persistent pain states, central pain mechanisms may contribute to ongoing symptoms in this population. The objective of this research was to investigate conditioned pain modulation (CPM) in people with FS compared with pain-free individuals. A total of 64 individuals with FS and 64 healthy volunteers participated in this cross-sectional study. CPM was assessed by using the pressure pain threshold (PPT) and an occlusion cuff (tourniquet test) as the test and conditioning stimulus, respectively. The absolute and percentage of change in PPT (CPM effect) as well as pain profiles (pro-nociceptive vs. anti-nociceptive) of individuals with FS and healthy controls were calculated. No significant differences in the absolute change in the PPT or CPM effect were found in people with FS compared to pain-free controls. Moreover, no between-group differences in the percentage of subjects with pro-nociceptive and anti-nociceptive pain profiles were observed. These results suggest that endogenous pain inhibition is normally functioning in people with FS. Altered central pain-processing mechanisms may thus not be a characteristic of this population.

Keywords: frozen shoulder; conditioned pain modulation; inhibitory endogenous pain mechanisms; chronic pain; assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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