Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38078362›Full record

ArticleHand (New York, N.Y.)2025

Contralateral Arm Pain as a Sign of Distress Regarding Symptoms.

Floor A Davids, Jose C Padilla, David Ring, Gregg A Vagner, Lee M Reichel, Sina Ramtin

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Hand (New York, N.Y.), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact, top 80% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed, 0 citations in OpenAlex.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Floor A DavidsThe University of Texas at Austin, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8053-574X
Jose C PadillaThe University of Texas at Austin, USA.
David RingThe University of Texas at Austin, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6506-4879
Gregg A VagnerThe University of Texas at Austin, USA.
Lee M ReichelThe University of Texas at Austin, USA.
Sina RamtinThe University of Texas at Austin, USA.
The University of Texas at Austin · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPain intensity and magnitude of incapability are associated with common unhelpful thoughts about symptoms such as catastrophic thinking and kinesiophobia. To determine whether reports of pain in the upper limb contralateral to a non-trauma condition were associated with unhelpful thoughts, we measured the relationship between pain intensity in the opposite limb and levels of unhelpful thinking.

methodsIn a cross-sectional study, 152 new and return patients seeking care of an upper-limb musculoskeletal condition completed measures of upper-extremity-specific magnitude of capability, pain intensity of the involved and contralateral arms, unhelpful thoughts regarding symptoms, symptoms of distress regarding symptoms, and general symptoms of depression. Factors associated with contralateral and ipsilateral pain intensity and upper-extremity-specific magnitude of capability were assessed using multivariable statistics.

resultsIn bivariate analysis, contralateral arm pain was associated with symptoms of distress regarding pain, but not in multivariable analysis. Accounting for potential confounding in negative binominal regression analysis, greater pain intensity of the affected side was independently associated with greater feelings of distress regarding symptoms and no prior surgery. Greater upper-extremity-specific capability was independently associated with less distress regarding symptoms, married/partnered, men, and no prior surgery.

conclusionsThe observation that greater pain intensity in the opposite arm was associated with greater distress regarding symptoms suggests that, in combination with other verbal and non-verbal signs of distress, patient concerns about pain in the contralateral limb can help direct patients and surgeons to evidence-based care strategies for alleviating stress regarding symptoms.

Indexed as

ArmMusculoskeletal PainPsychological DistressUpper ExtremityAdultAgedCatastrophizationCross-Sectional StudiesDepressionFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPain Measurementcapabilitydistressnon-traumapainunhelpful thoughtsupper extremity

Identifiers

PMID38078362
PMCPMC11833831
OpenAlexW4389571307

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.