title: Background pain in fibromyalgia patients affecting clinical examination of the skin.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between on-going pain and acute thermal pain in patients suffering from chronic pain. This experimental study in cold and heat sensitivity was performed in order to test the following hypothesis: that fibromyalgia patients scoring high in current background pain tolerate less experimental thermal pain in the skin than patients with low scores. Ethical aspects of the study are discussed. The level of tolerable experimental thermal stimuli was tested and compared between the 'low-score' and the 'high-score' patients. Background pain seemed to affect the intensity of experimental cold pain. Clinical routine examinations and bodily care of the skin that might interfere with background pain in the fibromyalgia patients are discussed. Clinical practice should be carefully planned in order to assist fibromyalgia patients in understanding and coping with thermal conditions that might influence background pain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Caring Sciences and Sociology, University of Gävle, Sweden. ragnhild.raak@imv.liu.se
authors.forename: Ragnhild
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Raak
authors.forename: Lis Karin
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Wahren
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000451:nursing* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation*; D013823:Thermoreceptors / Q000503:physiopathology; D013697:Thermosensing / Q000502:physiology*