Characterizing Pain Among Adolescents and Young Adults With Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita.
Jaclyn Megan Sions, Maureen Donohoe, Emma Haldane Beisheim-Ryan and 3 others
PMID 35639545WHAT IT FOUND
Pain is common in adolescents and adults with arthrogryposis.
Higher pain scores and more painful body regions were associated with reduced functional mobility. A 7-day average pain rating is more reliable for tracking change than a single current pain score.
Key findings
01A 7-day average pain rating showed good reliability, whereas a single current pain score showed poor reliability.
02Greater pain intensity, severity, and extent were associated with reduced functional mobility.
03Adults reported significantly more painful body regions and higher pain severity scores than adolescents.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot prove that pain causes reduced mobility; it only shows an association. Participants were required to be able to walk within the home, excluding non-ambulatory individuals with AMC. The sample size was small (63 participants), limiting the power to detect differences between adolescents and adults. Data relied on self-report without medical record verification, introducing potential recall bias. The study was conducted in English only, limiting generalizability to other populations.
Declared interests
The study was supported by non-U.S. government and NIH extramural grants. No specific conflicts of interest were declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume pain is less severe in adolescents than in adults based on this study. While adolescents reported fewer painful regions and lower severity scores, the 7-day average pain intensity was similar between the two groups, and the study was not powered to definitively rule out differences in all pain dimensions.