The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 News
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Ankylosing Spondylitis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting 2012: Children Experience Pain Differently from Adults

ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting 2012: Children Experience Pain Differently from Adults

March 1, 2013 • By Thomas R. Collins

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Children in pain—as a result of rheumatic diseases or other causes—is a whole different ballgame than adults in pain in terms of how it’s experienced, how it’s related to others, and the effects of feeling that pain, an expert said at a session titled, “Past, Present and Future Regulatory Perspectives on Analgesics,” at the 2012 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, held here November 9–14.

You Might Also Like
  • 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Better Pain Prevention, Treatment Needed for Older Adults
  • ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting 2012: Understanding Pain Signals May Pave Path to More Effective Therapies
  • 2014 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Bone Fracture Concerns in Children
Explore This Issue
March 2013
Also By This Author
  • Learn to Lead: Tips for Diagnosing & Resolving Conflict

Mark Connelly, PhD, a clinical psychologist and acting director of integrative pain management at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, said that, until the 1970s, it was widely believed that young children didn’t experience pain, and it might not be surprising that myths on the subject still persist. For instance, outdated notions persist that children can “get used to” pain more easily or can simply tell adults when they’re in pain.

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Communicating Pain

Dr. Connelly said children in pain might communicate their pain in different ways than adults, such as by saying they don’t feel well or by clinging to parents. “If you see pain from an adult lens and apply that lens to pediatrics, you will have outcomes that are misleading,” he said.

The idea that children tolerate discomfort better than adults is not correct, he said—in fact, the reverse seems to be true. “Young children actually are more likely to become sensitized to pain—in other words, experience more pain, in some ways—because they have not yet fully developed the built-in ability to modulate or downregulate the pain as effectively as older kids and adults,” Dr. Connelly said.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Early experiences of pain can have big implications for later in life, he said. “There might be things that happen in early childhood with repeated painful stimulations that ultimately determine which kids might go on to develop chronic widespread pain,” he said.

The overarching idea stemming from pediatric pain research into pain medicine is that, hypothetically, there’s a “normal” pathway from childhood to adulthood when it comes to experiencing pain, and that early experiences might jolt someone off that course. For some children, one bump might be all that it takes; for others, a series of bumps over time might knock them into “an entirely different trajectory into adulthood,” Dr. Connelly said.

Pain from Childhood to Adulthood

There is some indication that pain experienced as a child can lead to chronic widespread pain as an adult. In one Danish study of 650 people, lower back pain in 14-year-old children predicted lower back pain, disability, and hospitalization 25 years later.1

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Pages: 1 2 3 4 | Single Page

Filed Under: Conditions, Meeting Reports, Soft Tissue Pain Tagged With: Pain, Pediatric, Rheumatic DiseaseIssue: March 2013

You Might Also Like:
  • 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Better Pain Prevention, Treatment Needed for Older Adults
  • ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting 2012: Understanding Pain Signals May Pave Path to More Effective Therapies
  • 2014 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Bone Fracture Concerns in Children
  • 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: How Gender Differences Affect Pain

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

Simple Tasks

Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

Visit the Simple Tasks site »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2021 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.