Stimulus Control and Chronic Pain Behavior

This study evaluated the effects of several situational contexts on the behavior of pain patients with chronic low back pain or head, neck, and face pain. Subjects participated in an interview in which questions relevant to both pain and nonpain- related experiences were asked. Subjects were also instructed to walk, bend, and pick up a small object. Target behaviors, (e.g., pain gestures and ordinal pain ratings) were measured throughout the interview. The results showed a clear differentiation between the frequency of gestures, touching, and grimacing between the pain and nonpain events for the low back pain patients. Behavior during the motor task for the back patients was similar to the pain situations. Head, neck, and face pain patients showed similar trends in differential pain display, but these differences were significant only for grimacing behavior.