How do we measure Pain?
As someone with ME I often wonder how my pain compares to other people.
Emotional stress can be just as debilitating as physical exertion to someone with ME.
As a neurodiverse nerd I want to quantify and analyse everything.
Thankfully #GreysAnatomy stepped in to help me out!
The Cold Pressor Test
I’m going to explain and advocate a slightly safer and more detailed version of the test than in Grey’s.
And yes, pressor test is the correct way to spell it, I’ve learned, and I’m obviously no expert on this, so I will add in references at the bottom, and might even get some professionals to look over it?
Safety First!
This test/challenge is more dangerous, tougher & harder than the Ice Bucket Challenge and in fact has the potential to give you frostbite or even kill you (if you have certain heart problems).
Don’t do this if you have any concerns, or if you do, talk to your doctor.
Don’t do it alone, and preferably with two other people – one to help + film you and another one to monitor you.
Safety Requirements!
- Two Helpers
- Blood Pressure monitor
- Two Phones (One for filming, one for emergencies!)
- Some cloth or mesh fabric
Safety Procedure
References
Validity of the cold pressor test and pain sensitivity questionnaire via online self-administration
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0231697
Cold Pressor and Cardiovascular Measures of Pain Tolerance – Monash Uni Experiment
https://ilearn.med.monash.edu.au/physiology/cardiovascular/cold-pressor.html
How to Test and Increase Your Pain Tolerance
https://www.healthline.com/health/high-pain-tolerance
What is pain tolerance?
Pain comes in many forms, whether it’s from a burn, joint ache, or throbbing headache. Your pain tolerance refers to the maximum amount of pain you can handle. This is different from your pain threshold.
Cold stress and the cold pressor test :- A Lab Experiment
Adv Physiol Educ. 2013 Mar;37(1):93-6. doi: 10.1152/advan.00002.2013.
Dee U Silverthorn 1, Joel Michael
PMID: 23471256
HTML DOI: 10.1152/advan.00002.2013
PDF (4 pages) : https://journals.physiology.org/doi/pdf/10.1152/advan.00002.2013
Abstract
Temperature and other environmental stressors are known to affect blood pressure and heart rate. In this activity, students perform the cold pressor test, demonstrating increased blood pressure during a 1- to 2-min immersion of one hand in ice water. The cold pressor test is used clinically to evaluate autonomic and left ventricular function. This activity is easily adapted to an inquiry format that asks students to go to the scientific literature to learn about the test and then design a protocol for carrying out the test in classmates. The data collected are ideal for teaching graphical presentation of data and statistical analysis.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_pressor_test
https://www.healthline.com/health/high-pain-tolerance
An outline for performing the CPT on students as a Psychology study
https://journals.physiology.org/doi/pdf/10.1152/advan.00002.2013
Other Challenges
Ice Bucket Challenge
“The Ice Bucket Challenge, sometimes called the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, was an activity involving the pouring of a bucket of ice water over a person’s head, either by another person or self-administered, to promote awareness of the disease”
Health risks
On August 22, 2014, Dr. Brian O’Neill, a physician at the Detroit Medical Center, warned that the challenge may have adverse health effects on participants, including potentially inducing a vagal response which might, for example, lead to unconsciousness in people taking blood pressure medications.[151] A number of participants have sustained injuries,[152] and at least one death has been indirectly linked to the challenge, as a result of injuries sustained unrelated to the dumping of ice water,[153] with another death thought to be caused by a variation on the challenge, jumping feet first into ice water.[154]