Distraction from chronic pain during a pain-inducing activity is associated with greater post-activity pain
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of distraction from pain during and after a pain-inducing lifting task in a sample of chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients. Fifty-two CLBP patients (25 males, 27 females; mean age=46.30 years) performed a pain-inducing lifting task twice, once alone and once with a simultaneous cognitive distraction task. The results revealed that (1) distraction had no effect upon self-reported pain during the lifting task, (2) distraction had a paradoxical effect of more pain immediately after the lifting task, (3) both pain-related fear and pain catastrophizing did not moderate the effects of distraction on pain, but (4) catastrophic thinking about pain during the lifting task was related to more vigilance to pain and less engagement in the distracting task. Further investigation of the catastrophizing data showed that the effect of catastrophizing about pain during the lifting task on the cognitive distraction task was mediated by the amount of attention paid to pain. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
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Research demonstrates that distraction or attempts to remove pain from attention are not reliably effective and can even result in greater pain.
“Research demonstrates that distraction or attempts to remove pain from attention are not reliably effective and can even result in greater pain.”
From A Contextual Analysis of Attention to Chronic Pain: What the Patient Does With Their Pain Might Be More Important Than Their Awareness or Vigilance Alone (2007) · cites this paper as [10]
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- Authors
- Goubert, L., Crombez, G., Eccleston, C., & Devulder, J.
- Affiliations
- Utrecht University (NL)
- University of Bath (GB)
- Ghent University Hospital (BE)
- Corresponding author
- Goubert, Liesbet
- Venue
- Pain
- Published
- 2004-07
- Volume
- 110
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 220-227
- ISSN
- 0304-3959 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2110943144
- Cited by
- 143
- References
- 9
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 8
- FWCI
- 4.71
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Pain (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Universitair Ziekenhuis Gent
- Universiteit Gent
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Pediatric Pain Management Techniques
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Pain Management and Placebo Effect
- Keywords
- cognitive distraction, chronic low back pain, pain catastrophizing, fear of pain, attention to pain, pain vigilance, catastrophic thinking, pain modulation
- MeSH terms
- Activities of Daily Living, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Attention, Back Pain, Chronic Disease, Fear, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Pain Measurement, Psychomotor Performance, Reaction Time, Lifting
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