Article

Patients with acute whiplash-associated disorder (WAD) demonstrate an inefficient
endogenous pain inhibition and may experience a dysfunction in autonomic nervous
system reactivity to pain. This study compared the autonomic response to painful
stimuli between patients with acute and chronic WAD and healthy controls. In
addition, the role of the autonomic nervous system for explaining inefficient
endogenous pain inhibition was examined in acute WAD. Seventeen patients with
acute WAD, 30 patients with chronic WAD, and 31 healthy controls participated in
an experiment evaluating the autonomic nervous system at rest and during painful
stimuli. Skin conductance and heart rate variability (HRV) parameters were
monitored continuously during conditioned pain modulation. A significant
autonomic response to pain was present for skin conductance and two HRV
parameters in all experimental groups. There was an interaction effect in the
skin conductance response to pain but not in HRV responses in any of the groups.
In patients with acute WAD, no significant correlations were present between
pain, pressure pain thresholds, pain inhibition, and any of the autonomic
parameters. This study refutes autonomic dysfunction at rest and in response to
pain in acute WAD. The dysfunctional conditioned pain modulation appears
unrelated to autonomic responses to pain.

Langue : ANGLAIS