Pain Tolerance in Chronic Pain Patients Seems to be More Associated with Physical Activity than with Depression and Anxiety.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the associations between habitual self-reported physical activity, pain sensitivity and patient-reported outcomes (including pain intensity) in patients with chronic pain.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional, experimental study.

SUBJECTS

Patients (n = 78), age range 18-65 years, with different chronic pain conditions (> 3 months) were compared with age- and sex-matched healthy controls (n = 98).

METHODS

Multivariate correlations between self-reported physical activity, pressure pain sensitivity, and patient-reported outcome measures were assessed.

RESULTS

Lower perceived health status (p < 0.001, Cohen's d = 2.34), higher levels of depression (p < 0.001, Cohen's d = 1.77), and lower pain tolerance threshold (p < 0.001, Cohen's d = 1.66) were the most prominent variables discriminating patients from controls. In patients, bivariate and multivariate analyses showed that higher pressure pain tolerance was associated with male sex, lower pain intensity and fewer painful regions, higher self-efficacy and more self-reported physical activity, but not with lower levels of anxiety and depression.

CONCLUSION

Pain tolerance thresholds, as well as degree of depression and perceived health status discriminated between patients and controls, and there was an association between pain tolerance thresholds and level of self-reported physical activity in patients. This study highlights the importance of further research into how increased physical activity may improve pain sensitivity in patients with chronic pain.