ORCID Profile
0000-0002-9034-1137
Current Organisation
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Does something not look right? The information on this page has been harvested from data sources that may not be up to date. We continue to work with information providers to improve coverage and quality. To report an issue, use the Feedback Form.
Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Date: 07-2016
DOI: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000305
Abstract: The experience of chronic pain critically alters one’s ability to interact with their environment. One fundamental issue that has received little attention, however, is whether chronic pain disrupts how one perceives their environment in the first place. The Economy of Action hypothesis purports that the environment is spatially scaled according to the ability of the observer. Under this hypothesis it has been proposed that the perception of the world is different between those with and without chronic pain. Such a possibility has profound implications for the investigation and treatment of pain. The present investigation tested the application of this hypothesis to a heterogenous chronic pain population. In iduals with chronic pain (36 27F) and matched pain-free controls were recruited. Each participant was required to judge the distance to a series of target cones, to which they were to subsequently walk. In addition, at each distance, participants used Numerical Rating Scales to indicate their perceived effort and perceived pain associated with the distance presented. Our findings do not support the Economy of Action hypothesis: there were no significant differences in distance estimates between the chronic pain and pain-free groups ( F 1,60 =0.927 P =0.340). In addition, we found no predictive relationship in the chronic pain group between anticipated pain and estimated distance ( F 1,154 =0.122, P =0.727), nor anticipated effort (1.171, P =0.281) and estimated distance ( F 1,154 =1.171, P =0.281). The application of the Economy of Action hypothesis and the notion of spatial perceptual scaling as a means to assess and treat the experience of chronic pain are not supported by the results of this study.
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 12-01-2017
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2011
DOI: 10.1016/J.MATH.2010.06.008
Abstract: There is increasing evidence that chronic pain problems are characterised by alterations in brain structure and function. Chronic back pain is no exception. There is a growing sentiment, with accompanying theory, that these brain changes contribute to chronic back pain, although empirical support is lacking. This paper reviews the structural and functional changes of the brain that have been observed in people with chronic back pain. We cast light on the clinical implications of these changes and the possibilities for new treatments but we also advise caution against concluding their efficacy in the absence of solid evidence to this effect.
Publisher: AMPCo
Date: 04-2012
DOI: 10.5694/MJA12.10468
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 03-2014
DOI: 10.1111/PME.12306
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2010
DOI: 10.1002/ANA.21829
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 13-05-2015
No related grants have been discovered for Michael Thacker.