The Effect of Pain Experienced During the COVID-19 Infection on the Fear of Pain and Quality of Life.
Sevda Korkut, Türkan Ülker
PMID 34511378WHAT IT FOUND
Adults who had pain during COVID-19 infection reported more fear of pain and lower quality of life than adults without pain.
Many feared reliving the pain. These are associations, not proof that treating pain changes outcomes.
Key findings
0187.1% reported pain during infection, and fear-of-pain scores averaged 78.75 ± 19.34 in those with pain versus 65.42 ± 21.09 in those without.
02Pain severity during infection was significantly correlated with fear of pain and with lower physical functioning, role limitations due to physical problems, role limitations due to emotional problems, vitality, social functioning, bodily pain, and general health.
03After infection, 37.1% reported pain for a while, with average intensity 3.81 ± 3.00, and 74.5% feared reliving the pain they had during infection.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was self-selected through an online snowball survey, so people who chose to respond may differ from people who did not. All data were self-reported through an online form, not checked by clinical examination. The study measured pain, fear of pain, and quality of life at one time, so it cannot show which came first or whether one caused the other. It was done in one country, Turkey, so the results may not apply to other settings. People with chronic pain before infection were excluded, so the findings do not address patients with pre-existing chronic pain. The study did not test any treatment, so it cannot tell clinicians whether reducing pain or fear improves outcomes.
Declared interests
No funding was reported, and the authors declared no competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that severe pain during infection caused fear of pain or lower quality of life. The survey measured these experiences at one time and cannot show which came first or whether treating pain would improve outcomes.