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09:38
Determining Pain Detection and Tolerance Thresholds Using an Integrated, Multi-Modal Pain Task Battery
Published on: April 14, 2016
Coffee intake and development of pain during computer work.
Vegard Strøm1, Cecilie Røe, Stein Knardahl
1National Institute of Occupational Health, Oslo, Norway. vegarstr@yahoo.no
BMC Research Notes
|September 5, 2012
Summary
Coffee consumption before computer work may reduce neck, shoulder, and wrist pain. This study found that coffee drinkers experienced less pain increase during a 90-minute office task compared to non-drinkers.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Pain Management
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Computer work commonly provokes pain in the neck, shoulders, forearms, and wrists.
- The impact of pre-task coffee consumption on pain development during office work is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if coffee consumption prior to a simulated computer office-work task influences the time course of pain development.
- To compare pain progression in coffee consumers versus non-consumers during a standardized work task.
Main Methods:
- Forty-eight full-time workers (22 with chronic pain, 26 healthy) performed a 90-minute computer task.
- Pain intensity in the neck, shoulders, forearms, and wrists was self-rated every 15 minutes using a visual analogue scale.
- Nineteen subjects (40%) consumed coffee approximately 1 hour 18 minutes before the task.
Main Results:
- Coffee consumers reported significantly lower increases in pain intensity compared to those who abstained from coffee.
- Pain development was attenuated in subjects who consumed coffee before the pain-provoking office work task.
Conclusions:
- Pre-task coffee consumption may modulate pain perception during computer-based office work.
- Caffeine's potential pain-reducing effects in everyday settings warrant further investigation.
- Future research should employ double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized designs to confirm these findings.
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