Is there differences in psychological aspects between men and women with chronic shoulder pain?

Abstract

Shoulder pain is a health condition present in approximately 1/3 of the world population, and is generally related to functional limitation, with a higher prevalence in women. Although physical therapy treatment is effective to improve pain and function, half of this population evolves with pain chronicity. Aspects of body structure and function are related to the prognosis of shoulder pain, and gender seems to mediate the higher prevalence of shoulder pain and disability in women. Negative and positive psychological aspects present in individuals with pain also influence the prognosis, however, it is still unclear whether these aspects present differently in men and women with chronic shoulder pain. Objective: The objective will be to explore the whether and how gender is associated with psychological aspects in people with chronic shoulder pain. Methods: Men and women from 18 to 65 years of age who complain of shoulder pain for at least 3 months will be evaluated. The psychological variables, pain catastrophizing, kinesiophobia, fear-avoidance beliefs, and self-efficacy, will be evaluated by the Brazilian versions of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), Tampa Kinesiophobia Scale (TSK), Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ), and Chronic Pain Self-Efficacy Scale (CPSS) questionnaires, respectively. Expected results: it is expected that women will have worse catastrophizing, fear-avoidance beliefs, kinesiophobia, and self-efficacy when compared to men. Furthermore, the results of this study may contribute to the improvement of the practice of physical therapy evaluation in the condition of chronic shoulder pain in men and women and promote the importance of expanding the clinical look to the psychological context in clinical practice.(AU)