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Pain and respiration: a systematic review
Hassan Jafari1, Imke Courtois, Omer Van den Bergh
1aHealth Psychology Unit, Faculty of Psychology & Educational Science, KU Leuven University, Leuven, Belgium bDepartment of Clinical Psychological Science, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Breathing techniques can help reduce pain, but the exact physiological reasons are unclear. This review examines how respiration affects pain and suggests the cardiovascular system may play a role in pain modulation.
Area of Science:
- Pain research
- Respiratory physiology
- Systematic review
Background:
- Breathing techniques are widely used for pain relief.
- The physiological mechanisms and efficacy of these techniques remain poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and critically appraise studies on the respiration-pain association.
- To explore potential physiological mechanisms, particularly the cardiovascular system's role, in respiratory pain modulation.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of 31 publications (1984-2015).
- Articles classified into four groups based on study design and focus (pain's effect on respiration, breathing techniques' effect on pain, respiration's effect on laboratory-induced pain).
Main Results:
- Pain increases respiratory flow, frequency, and volume.
- Paced slow breathing shows potential for pain reduction in some studies.
- Underlying physiological mechanisms for breathing's pain-reducing effects are not well-elucidated.
Conclusions:
- Pain significantly impacts respiratory patterns.
- Slow breathing techniques may offer pain relief, but further research is needed.
- The cardiovascular system is a potential key factor in the respiratory modulation of pain.
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