Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 29, 2025
07:14
A Quantitative Sensory Testing Paradigm to Obtain Measures of Pain Processing in Patients Undergoing Breast Cancer Surgery
Published on: January 18, 2018
9.7K
Movement-Evoked Pain Versus Pain at Rest in Postsurgical Clinical Trials and Meta-Analyses: Protocol for a Follow-Up
Daenis Camiré1, Jason Erb1, Henrik Kehlet2
1Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
JMIR Research Protocols
|February 4, 2020
Summary
This review updates a 2011 study on postoperative pain, examining if recent clinical trials distinguish between pain at rest (PAR) and movement-evoked pain (MEP). It aims to assess the progress in reporting MEP as a key outcome in surgical pain research.
Area of Science:
- Pain research
- Surgical outcomes
- Clinical trial methodology
Background:
- Postoperative pain is a significant surgical complication impacting recovery and quality of life.
- Distinguishing between pain at rest (PAR) and movement-evoked pain (MEP) is crucial, as MEP is often more severe and functionally limiting.
- A 2011 review found limited reporting of MEP in surgical pain trials, highlighting a need for updated assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the progress in reporting movement-evoked pain (MEP) versus pain at rest (PAR) as outcomes in early postoperative pain intensity trials.
- To determine if recent clinical trials and meta-analyses acknowledge the distinction between PAR and MEP.
Main Methods:
- This updated systematic review focuses on randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses published after the 2011 review.
- Studies examining pain treatment after thoracotomy, knee arthroplasty, and hysterectomy are included.
- Data extraction characterizes trials based on assessment of PAR and MEP, acknowledgment of the distinction, and pain-evoking maneuvers used for MEP.
Main Results:
- Pilot data extraction is currently underway.
- Full results are anticipated by March 2020.
Conclusions:
- Every postsurgical analgesic trial should incorporate movement-evoked pain (MEP) as a primary outcome measure.
- This follow-up review reevaluates the frequency of MEP reporting compared to PAR in recent literature.
- The study aims to ascertain if the 2011 review's findings have influenced current pain trial reporting practices.
