Central sensitization patients present different characteristics compared with other
musculoskeletal patients: A case - control study
Sammanfattning
The aims of this study were to identify the prevalence of a clinical dominance of musculoskeletal
pain
type and to compare pain characteristics among patients with musculoskeletal disorders. A case-
sectional
study was conducted at a physiotherapy outpatient service in 149 consecutive patients with
complaints
of musculoskeletal pain. Participants completed a sociodemographic and pain characteristics
questionnaire. The dominance of nociceptive (NO), peripheral neuropathic (PN) and central
sensitization
(CS) mechanisms of musculoskeletal pain was based on clinical classification. The most prevalent
clinical
predominance was NO pain (53.57%), followed by PN (25.00%) and CS (21.43%). Age, gender and
sedentary
behaviour did not show differences between pain groups. Patients with CS predominance had a
higher number of separated areas (CS 8.1 vs NO 3.0 vs PN 4.9; p < 0.001) and widespread pain
(CS 0.52 cm2 vs NO 0.14 cm2 vs PN 0.28 cm2
; p ¼ 0.001). Patients with CS predominance had an average
pain intensity of 7.90, and the majority of patients were classified as having severe pain. In
conclusion,
patients with a predominance of CS pain showed higher pain intensity, pain duration and number of
pain areas and more widespread pain than those with PN and NO. Chronicity of pain is not sufficient
to
distinguish CS predominance.