Discomfort, pain and stiffness: what do these terms mean to patients? A cross-sectional survey with lexical and qualitative analyses.

ABSTRACT:

Background

While pain is often the focus of clinical interventions, other clinical outcomes (e.g., discomfort, stiffness) might also contribute to patients' functionality and well-being. Although researchers and clinicians may view discomfort, pain and stiffness as different constructs, it remains unclear how patients perceive and differentiate between these constructs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore patients' perceptions of pain, discomfort, and stiffness.

Methods

Chiropractic patients were invited to complete an online cross-sectional survey and describe what 'discomfort', 'pain' and 'stiffness' meant to them using their own words. Lexical and inductive qualitative content analyses were conducted independently and then triangulated.

Results

Fift

SUBMITTER: Funabashi M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8944041 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature