(Press-News.org) With the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games just around the corner, the extensive training and the sacrifices athletes make to compete at the games take centre stage.
For Paralympians and high-performance athletes with spinal cord injuries (SCI), assessing chronic pain plays a key role in their training and readiness to compete. However, the source of chronic pain is often misattributed to acute trauma or overuse injuries. While the International Olympic Committee acknowledges pain management data among Paralympians and athletes with disabilities is limited, few studies have been launched investigating this dilemma.
Now, new research from UBC Okanagan highlights the need for more comprehensive assessment tools that can help SCI athletes recognize and communicate neuropathic pain.
Neuropathic pain, where a person might feel pain from any part of their body, is nerve pain that occurs after a breakdown, or severe damage to the nervous system. It is often characterized as a burning, tingling and shooting pain. However, it is hard to diagnose for those living with an SCI.
School of Health and Exercise Sciences alumna Dr. Kendra Todd is a Senior Policy Analyst for the Government of Canada’s Office of Public Service Accessibility and coach of British Columbia’s Wheelchair Rugby team.
Dr. Todd says results from her latest study provide the first comprehensive description of neuropathic pain experiences among SCI athletes while also highlighting their challenges in recognizing and communicating this pain.
“Athletes often have greater bodily awareness compared with people who are comparatively inactive and better at identifying painful sensations,” says Dr. Todd. “However, athletes with SCI in this study had difficulty describing their neuropathic pain symptoms. This often means pain can be misunderstood and can result in poor diagnosis and injury management.”
While not everyone diagnosed with neuropathic pain describes it as serious, a clear determination of the cause of the pain is essential for defining treatment approaches. Dr. Todd says participants in her study could express they were in pain, but used terms like indescribable, ambiguous, uncomfortable and dislocated, meaning they could feel pain but couldn’t accurately describe where it was coming from.
“Athletes in our study reported moderately intense neuropathic pain, but found it difficult to communicate their neuropathic pain without being prompted with a list of symptoms,” she adds. “Proper identification and management of neuropathic pain are critical, given its debilitating nature and likelihood of becoming unresponsive to treatment.”
The study, published recently in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine stresses the need for sports medicine clinicians and trainers to expand the toolbox to include a variety of standardized assessment tools, including symptom-based questionnaires to help identify signs and symptoms of neuropathic pain. They should also become skilled in interpreting patient descriptions and examination findings.
“If we can better understand neuropathic symptoms, we can better guide early pain management decisions for athletes who are forced to limit sports participation or have a slower return to play,” says study supervisor Dr. Kathleen Martin Ginis, UBC Professor and Director of the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management.
Dr. Martin Ginis stresses the need for sharing best practices with decision-makers to gain a deeper understanding of the language that athletes with SCI use when describing their neuropathic pain.
“Clinicians and trainers must be trained in identifying signs and symptoms of neuropathic pain and be skilled in interpreting patient descriptions and examination findings,” she adds.
Dr. Todd says while everyone expects athletes to train and compete at their full potential, it’s important to keep in mind those with an SCI often deal with hidden and undiagnosed pain.
“The vast majority of athletes with spinal cord injuries are dealing with chronic pain, which is food for thought as we cheer on our Paralympians competing at the Games,” she adds. “And effective neuropathic pain management among athletes with SCI is essential not only for alleviating discomfort but also for facilitating sport participation and promoting their overall wellbeing.”
END
Defining chronic pain for high-performance athletes with disabilities
UBC Okanagan study says customized training and recovery plans critical to success
2024-08-27
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Illinois researchers develop near-infrared spectroscopy models to analyze corn kernels, biomass
2024-08-27
URBANA, Ill. – In the agricultural and food industry, determining the chemical composition of raw materials is important for production efficiency, application, and price. Traditional laboratory testing is time-consuming, complicated, and expensive. New research from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign demonstrates that near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and machine learning can provide quick, accurate, and cost-effective product analysis.
In two studies, the researchers explore the use of NIR spectroscopy for analyzing characteristics of corn kernels and sorghum biomass.
“NIR spectroscopy has many advantages over traditional methods. ...
It’s the most common STI you’ve never heard of. Will this newly developed drug provide the cure?
2024-08-27
Researchers at Tulane University are leading a groundbreaking study to seek a more effective treatment for trichomoniasis, an infection that, despite being the most common curable sexually transmitted infection (STI) worldwide, continues to fly under the radar.
The five-year, multi-center study is funded by a $9.2 million National Institutes of Health grant and will compare the effectiveness of a recently approved medication, secnidazole, against the current standard treatment, metronidazole, using ...
Texas A&M researchers find that aoudad, bighorn sheep share respiratory pathogens
2024-08-27
By Courtney Price, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
A team of researchers at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) has discovered that aoudad — an animal in the sheep and goat family — can catch and spread many of the same respiratory pathogens that can impact desert bighorn sheep, a native species in Texas that often shares its habitat with aoudad.
The new research, recently published in the journal PLOS ONE, will help wildlife conservationists better understand the complex relationship between ...
CRF announces TCT 2024 late-breaking clinical trials and science
2024-08-27
NEW YORK – August 27, 2024 – The Cardiovascular Research Foundation® (CRF®) is pleased to announce the late-breaking clinical trials and science to be featured at TCT® 2024. As the annual scientific symposium of CRF® and the world’s premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine, TCT® 2024 will be held October 27-30 in Washington, D.C. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
For over three decades, TCT® has been at the forefront of innovation, education, and collaboration in interventional ...
Not sure how to stand out as a leader on Zoom calls? It starts with how you communicate, new study shows
2024-08-27
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- More companies are embracing remote work, and with that comes a need for more frequent communication. Teamwork through a screen isn’t always the same as having a group in the same room, so how are companies cultivating leaders in these virtual settings?
New research involving a collaboration between Binghamton University, State University of New York schools and research centers shows how, in virtual teams where nonverbal cues are limited, a person’s engagement and influence in conversations can significantly shape whether they’re perceived as a leader.
But taking charge of the conversation isn’t enough, the study found; for leadership ...
Prenatal smoking risks academic achievement of unborn babies
2024-08-27
Smoking harms almost every part of your body. But if you smoke when pregnant, the toxic chemicals in tobacco will also harm your unborn baby, with new research showing that it could lead to reduced academic outcomes at school.
In a systematic review of 19 studies and 1.25 million participants, researchers at the University of South Australia along with a team at Curtin University, SAHMRI, Harvard University and others* found that 79% of studies reported reduced academic achievement in children exposed to maternal prenatal smoking.
An additional meta-analysis of eight primary studies with 723,877 participants ...
The importance of brand strength when designing group and individual sales incentives in brand-managed retail sales settings
2024-08-27
Researchers from Wake Forest University and University of California-Riverside published a new Journal of Marketing article that examines the dynamic BMR retail context and investigates the sales incentives there.
The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing, is titled “Group or Individual Sales Incentives? What is Best for Brand-Managed Retail Sales Operations?” and is authored by Wenshu Zhang, Jia Li, and Subramanian Balachander.
Should a brand adopt group or individual sales incentives for its retail sales force? Could differences in brand strength or brand equity affect how brands incentivize their sales ...
Discovery gives answers to parents of children with rare disease
2024-08-27
Shortly after Kelly Cervantes’ daughter Adelaide was born, she started having terrible seizures. Doctors were unable to give her a solution, or even a cause.
“We never had an overarching diagnosis for her, which was extraordinarily frustrating and isolating,” she says. “If we did, we could join groups or talk to people who had various symptoms in common. We also had no idea what her prognosis looked like, or if we could have other children.”
Over time her condition worsened and sadly she died five days before her fourth birthday.
“She ...
UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry names director of Center for Pain Therapeutics and Addiction Research
2024-08-27
SAN ANTONIO, Aug. 27, 2024 – Kenneth M. Hargreaves, DDS, PhD, professor of endodontics at the School of Dentistry of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio), has been named inaugural director of the school’s Center for Pain Therapeutics and Addiction Research.
Hargreaves, who chaired the Department of Endodontics at the school for 26 years, is a world-renowned expert in pain research and has served as principal or co-principal investigator on numerous National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense and foundation-funded projects totaling more than $139 million.
Just recently, his research proposal, ...
Researchers develop affordable, rapid blood test for brain cancer
2024-08-27
Researchers at the University of Notre Dame have developed a novel, automated device capable of diagnosing glioblastoma, a fast-growing and incurable brain cancer, in less than an hour. The average glioblastoma patient survives 12-18 months after diagnosis.
The crux of the diagnostic is a biochip that uses electrokinetic technology to detect biomarkers, or active Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors (EGFRs), which are overexpressed in certain cancers such as glioblastoma and found in extracellular vesicles.
“Extracellular vesicles or exosomes are unique ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
‘How drunk do you feel?’: Ozempic, Wegovy may help reduce alcohol use, Virginia Tech researchers find
Divine punishment as an ancient tool for modern sustainability
Hotter does mean wetter
Internal migrants in the U.S. age with fewer disabilities, study finds
Anna Krylov and Mikhail Yampolsky are the new George Gamow award laureates
Methane from overlooked sources higher than predicted in Osaka
World’s largest rays may be diving to extreme depths to build mental maps of vast oceans
Can we hear gravitational-wave "beats" in the rhythm of pulsars?
New survey shows many are unaware of advancements in obstetrics care
New combination therapy shows promise for aggressive lymphoma resistant to immunotherapy
Photocatalytic olefin double bond cleavage acylation
Unveiling the impact of compound drought and wildfire events on PM2.5 air pollution in the era of climate change
A bioadhesive sponge inspired by mussels and extracellular matrix offers a new way to stop internal bleeding
Poorer health linked to more votes for Reform UK, 2024 voting patterns suggest
Loneliness and social isolation linked to heightened risk of death in those with cancer
Ditch ‘shrink it and pink it’ approach to women’s running shoes, manufacturers urged
Domestic abusers forge ‘trauma bonds’ with victims before violence begins
UK food needs radical transformation on scale not seen since Second World War, new report finds
New AI tool makes medical imaging process 90% more efficient
Nitrogen-fortified nanobiochar boosts soil health and rice productivity
Generative art enhances virtual shopping experience
Fluid-based laser scanning for brain imaging
Concordia study links urban heat in Montreal to unequal greenspace access
Hidden patterns link ribosomal RNAs to genes of the nervous system
Why does losing the Y chromosome make some cancers worse? New $6.5 million NIH grant could provide clues
Xiao receives David W. Robertson Award for Excellence in Medicinal Chemistry
Boron isotopes reveal how nuclear waste glass slowly dissolves over time
Biochar helps Mediterranean vineyards hold water and fight erosion
Checking the quality of materials just got easier with a new AI tool
Does hiding author names make science fairer?
[Press-News.org] Defining chronic pain for high-performance athletes with disabilitiesUBC Okanagan study says customized training and recovery plans critical to success