Cross-Sectional Comparative Study on Central Sensitization-Psychosocial Associated Comorbidities and Psychological Characteristics in Breast Cancer Survivors with Nociceptive Pain and Pain with Neuropathic Features and without Pain
by
, and
Irene de la Rosa-Díaz
1,2,3
,
Laura Barrero-Santiago
1,
Paz Acosta-Ramírez
4,
Marina Martín-Peces-Barba
1,
Esther Iglesias-Hernández
1,
Bastien Plisset
1,
Nicolás Lutinier
1,
Margot Belzanne
1,
Roy La Touche
1,3,5,*
and
Mónica Grande-Alonso
1,3,6
1
Departamento de Fisioterapia, Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Aravaca, Calle Ganímedes, n° 11, 28023 Madrid, Spain
2
Physical Therapist in Women’s Health Research Group, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Alcalá, Avenida de León, 3A, 28805 Madrid, Spain
3
Motion in Brains Research Group, Institute of Neuroscience and Sciences of the Movement (INCIMOV), Departamento de Fisioterapia, Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Aravaca, Calle Ganímedes, n° 11, 28023 Madrid, Spain
4
Physical Therapy in Torrejón Hospital, Rehabilitation Department, Calle Mateo Inurria, 28850 Madrid, Spain
5
Instituto de Dolor Craneofacial y Neuromusculoesquelético (INDCRAN), Calle Luisa Fernanda, n° 12, Bj Izq, 28023 Madrid, Spain
6
Instituto de Rehabilitación Funcional La Salle, Aravaca, 28850 Madrid, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Life 2022, 12(9), 1328; https://doi.org/10.3390/life12091328
Submission received: 28 July 2022
/
Revised: 15 August 2022
/
Accepted: 23 August 2022
/
Published: 27 August 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnostic and Therapeutic Interventions for Musculoskeletal disorders, Myofascial Pain Syndrome and Neuropathies)
Simple Summary
Persistent pain after breast cancer treatment is still under research due to its complex and multifactorial underlying pathogenesis, including phycological factors. Further research is needed to elucidate more information about the factors that cause and perpetuate this pain. Thus, this study defined the influence of psychosocial and psychological factors on breast cancer survivors who report pain and those who do not. The psychosocial factors assessed were those that are associated with a central sensitization process, and the psychological factors were pain catastrophizing, fear of movement, anxiety and depression. Hence, the psychosocial symptom clusters were identified related to the clinical features of pain or to not reporting pain, which may encourage health clinicians to establish a customized biopsychosocial model focused on the management of pain-catastrophizing thoughts and fear of movement. Furthermore, anxiety and depression should be detected early by health professionals and referred to psychologists to be managed.
Abstract
The frequency of a high Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI) total score and the prevalence of pain have already been established among breast cancer survivors (BCS). However, the psychological factors’ influence based on the clinical features of pain is still unknown, as well as BCS characteristics with no pain. Thus, our main aim was to evaluate the presence of a high CSI total score in BCS with pain and compare it with BCS without pain and to evaluate the influence of psychosocial factors. A cross-sectional comparative study was designed to compare BCS with nociceptive pain (n = 19), pain with neuropathic features (n = 19) or no pain (n = 19), classified by the Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (LANSS). CSI, pain catastrophizing, fear of movement, anxiety and depression symptoms were analyzed and compared among the three groups. The CSI total score was higher in both BCS pain groups compared to BCS without pain, but there were no statistical differences between the pain groups. The same observation was made when comparing pain catastrophizing. The neuropathic feature group showed greater levels of fear of movement, anxiety and depression compared to the no pain group. Thus, CS-psychosocial associated comorbidities and pain-catastrophizing thoughts were more prevalent among BCS with pain, regardless of the clinical features of pain. BCS with neuropathic pain features showed greater psychological disturbances.
