The Importance of “Clearly Defined Symptoms”

The Clinical Journal of Pain published an article examining the power of clearly defined symptoms in pain conditions and affects on patient stigmatization. The study looked at two pain conditions in particular: rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia sufferers, through daily diaries, reported more pain and  higher levels of isolation than their counterparts with RA and its well defined symptoms. Because of those well defined symptoms, RA patients also had access to more treatment plans than those with fibromyalgia.

The study compared psychological, physical, and social well-being, along with perceived stigmatization. From the study, an “absence of clearly defined symptoms and pathophysiology deviates from the widely endorsed biomedical model and as such, may lead to stigmatization, which in turn” affected those with chronic pain, through poorer perceived well-being.

 

Access the article.

Other Categories:

• chronic pain

• fibromyalgia

• pain assessment

• pain management

• pain terminology

• rheumatoid arthritis