1. No Brain, No Pain
Herkenning van centrale sensitisatie
in de manueel therapeutische praktijk
Central sensitization 1
Mira Meeus, Kelly Ickmans, Margot De Kooning,
Iris Coppieters, Jo Nijs
2. 2
Pain
Protection mechanism
Subjective complex perception
Different components, no consistent relation
→ Acute pain
Cause / nociception
→ Chronic pain
Suffering and Behaviour
Central sensitization
3. 3
Acute pain
Pain receptors
Nociceptive neurons &
Wide-Dynamic Range (WDR)
neurons in dorsal horn
Thalamus
Cortical regions
Cortical output
Central sensitization
7. Central sensitization 7
If pain still persists
In chronic musculoskeletal disorders????
→ lack of distinct localisation
→ lack of tissue damage
No longer adaptive function
≠ prolonged acute pain
◦ Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
◦ Whiplash Associated Disorders
◦ Aspecific chronic low back pain
8. Central sensitization 8
Chronic pain
Nociceptive mechanisms
CHRONIC PAIN
Non-nociceptive mechanisms
CNS: “Body still in danger”
Nociceptive system changes
Peripheral and central hypersensitivity
probably not:
no tissue damage
no spatial localisation
9. Chronic pain
Widespread, no distinct localisation
No source of nociception
Therapy resistant, bad recovery
Central hypersensitivity or sensitization
9Central sensitization
12. Central sensitization
= Hyperexcitability CNS
= Hypersensitivity for all mechanic stimuli
Allodynia
Generalized hyperalgesia
Referred pain
Chronic pain
12Central sensitization
13. Symptoms of central sensitization
Nijs et al. Manual Therapy 2010;15:135-141.
Central sensitization 13
14. Central Sensitization
Neuroplasticity: Habituation & sensitization
prolonged or strong stimulation
= Functional & chemical changes:
- More receptors
- Ion channels longer open
- Expansion involved regions
- …
Efficacy signal trandsduction ↗↗
14Central sensitization
26. Central Sensitisation: mechanisms
Meeus & Nijs, 2007
Nijs & Van Houdenhove 2008
Yarnitsky et al. 2010
Changes in top-
down pathways:
Inhibitory
Facilitatory
Central sensitization 26
27. CS: Impaired pain inhibition
Descending inhibitory pathways in
dorsolateral funiculus:
◦ Inhibitory substances (serotonin, opioids, etc.)
in synapses in dorsal horn
Experimental block or
lesions of pathways
→ equivalent of CS
27Central sensitization
28. CS: Impaired pain inhibition
Spinal block inhibition
expansion receptive fields
hypersensitivity
faster Wind-up
Presynaptic activity not essential for CS
CS by failing endogenous pain inhibition
28Central sensitization
32. Conditioned pain modulation
Diffuse noxious inhibitory control or CPM:
◦ CFS (Meeus et al 2008): ↘
◦ WAD (Daenen et al 2013): ↘
◦ FM (Julien et al. 2005, Staud et al. 2003, …) ↘
◦ RA (Leffler et al. 2002) =
◦ …
Central sensitization 32
40. Central Sensitisation: mechanisms
Meeus & Nijs, 2007
Nijs & Van Houdenhove 2008
Yarnitsky et al. 2010
Changes in top-
down pathways:
Inhibitory
Facilitatory
Central sensitization 40
42. Psychosocial factors
Yellow flags
Poor prognosis
Related to brain changes
Lloyd et al. 2008, George et al. 2007, Flor et al. 2002, Gracchev et al. 2002,2003
Central sensitization 42
43. Catastropizing
Catastrophizing
≈ increased activity in brain areas related to:
◦ anticipation of pain,
◦ attention to pain (ACC),
◦ emotional aspects of pain
◦ and motor control.
(Gracely, 2003)
Central sensitization 43
45. Catastropizing
- Prediction pain intensity in CFS: 20%
(Meeus et al. 2012)
- Related to CPM (Weissman-fogel et al. 2008)
- Related to TS (Goodin et al. 2013)
CATASTROPHIZING PREDICTS
ENDOGENOUS PAIN MODULATION
Central sensitization 45
49. Neuropathic pain
Haanpää et al. Pain 2011
Non-neuropathic central
sensitization pain
evidence abnormality / damage
nervous system
≠ evidence abnormality / damage
nervous system
medical cause ≠ medical cause
neuroanatomically logical neuroanatomically illogical
burning, shooting, or pricking ≠ burning, shooting, or pricking
sensory dysfunction is
neuroanatomically logical
↑sensitivity at segmentally
unrelated sites
51. Musculoskeletal
pain
Disproportionate pain experience?
no Central
Sensitization
Diffuse pain
distribution?
Central Sensitization Inventory ≥ 40 ?Central
Sensitization
YES
YES
YES
NO
NO
NO
no Central
Sensitization
Central
Sensitization
52. Criterion1: Disproportionate pain?
Severity of pain and related disability
disproportionate to the nature and extent of
injury or pathology
Examples:
◦ chronic neck pain, no structural lesions on cervical
scans, segmentally unrelated pain areas and severe
disability
◦ knee osteoarthritis, too early for surgery, widespread
pain & severe disability
53. Criterion 2: Diffuse pain distribution?
One of the following options:
Widespread pain
Large pain area with a non-segmental
distribution
Pain varying in (anatomical) location
Bilateral pain / mirror pain (i.e. symmetrical pain
pattern)
Hemilateral pain
55. Central Sensitization Inventory
Measuring hypersensitivity to various stimuli:
◦ Certain smells, such as parfums, make me feel dizzy and sick
◦ When I go to bed, my legs feel uncomfortable and restless
◦ Stress enhances my physical symptoms
◦ I am sensitive to bright light
Part A only
Cutoff = 40
Mayer et al. Pain Practice 2012; Neblett et al. Journal of Pain 2013
56. Musculoskeletal
pain
Disproportionate pain experience?
no Central
Sensitization
Diffuse pain
distribution?
Central Sensitization Inventory ≥ 40 ?Central
Sensitization
YES
YES
YES
NO
NO
NO
no Central
Sensitization
Central
Sensitization
61. Assessing central pain processing
Conditioned Pain Modulation
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
PPT voor PPT na
CON
FM
Central sensitization 61
62. Treatment response
CS possibly NOT at treatment initiation
BUT during rehabilitation
◦ Post-exertional malaise
◦ Pain increase following
hands-on treatment
◦ Poor treatment progress
◦ Symptoms expand to non-segmental related areas