Some people report that they are in pain just by looking at something painful, according to the results of a study published in the journal Journal of Pain. This contagious pain is especially true in people with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a crippling chronic pain disorder in a limb. In them, the simple observation of a painful gesture can also worsen their pain.
Researchers at the University of Aalto, Finland analyzed functional magnetic resonance (MRI) images of 13 patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and 13 healthy control subjects. The volunteers watched short videos of a hand gripping a ball with maximum force, a gesture that in reality generates severe pain in sick patients.
To read also: which drug to choose for which pain?
A new therapeutic voice for chronic pain
Scientists found that when CRPS patients felt pain caused by observing other people’s movements, their brains exhibited abnormal activation in many areas that responded to normal physical pain. Thus, the pain that CRPS patients experienced while observing movement was similar to the “normal” pain associated with tissue damage.
“CPRS is a very complex disease with devastating chronic pain. Its pathophysiology is not fully understood and definitive biomarkers are lacking. Our discovery can help develop diagnostics and therapeutic strategies for these patients, ”said neurologist Jaakko Hotta, Aalto University.
Read also:
Infographic: one in 2 French people suffers from pain
30 neurons control pain
Pain: men and women endure it the same way
