Clinical Assessment of Pain (CAP)
The CAP programme aims to translate foundational pain research to clinical practice by exploring new ways of utilizing common pain assessments in individuals with chronic painful conditions. This includes exploring the use of novel strategies, such as trajectory and machine learning applications, to analyse pain-related information. The intention is to help identify opportunities for targeted pathways of care and prediction of patient outcomes.
The CAP programme has emerged from an existing Pain Mechanism Champion Research Programme and therefore includes contributions from ongoing research investigating mechanisms of visceral and musculoskeletal pain.
Research programme principal investigator: Dr Carrie Falling, Lecturer, School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago
Contact: carrie.falling@otago.ac.nz
Project Areas
Persistent pain in individuals with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD)
This research aims to explore persistent abdominal and musculoskeletal pain experiences in people with IBD, including profiles of pain and assessment of pain processing pathways. This project area is led by Dr Carrie Falling.
Pain recovery in patients undergoing treatment for chronic conditions.
This research aims to explore novel ways of capturing and utilizing routinely collected health information to characterize pain recovery following treatment. This research includes:
- Investing postoperative pain experiences in IBD patients following colorectal surgery (led by Dr Carrie Falling; collaborators: Profs Richard Gearry and Tim Eglinton, Dr Andrew McCombie).
- Exploring trajectory and machine learning approaches to predict 30-day rehospitalization in patients after major colorectal surgery (University of Auckland Engineering Honours project co-supervised by Dr Carrie Falling, A/Prof Cameron Walker, and Dr Michael O'Sullivan).
- Pain resolution following biologic therapy in patients with Crohn's disease (led by Dr Carrie Falling; collaborators: Prof Richard Gearry, Dr Akhilesh Swaminathan)
Collaborating investigators
Associate Professor Ramakrishnan Mani (Senior Lecturer, School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago)
Professor Richard Gearry (Head of Department of Medicine, University of Otago Christchurch)
Dr Corey Siegel (Section Chief, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center)
Professor Tim Eglinton (Head of Department of Surgery, University of Otago Christchurch)
Dr Jessica Salwen-Deremer (Assistant Professor and Psychologist, Department of Psychiatry & Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center)
Dr Andrew McCombie (Research Officer & Data Analyst, Dept of General Surgery, Canterbury District Health Board)
Dr Sarah Ward (Lecturer, Faculty of Science, University of Auckland)
Associate Professor Cameron Walker (Faculty of Engineering, University of Auckland)
Dr Michael O'Sullivan (Faculty of Engineering, University of Auckland)
Publications
Falling CL, Siegel CA, Salwen-Deremer JK. Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Pain Interference: A Conceptual Model for the Role of Insomnia, Fatigue, and Pain Catastrophizing. Crohn's & Colitis 360. 2022 Jul;4(3):otac028.
Falling, C. L., Stebbings, S., David Baxter, G., Siegel, C. A., Gearry, R. B., & Mani, R. (2022). Somatosensory assessments in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: A cross-sectional study examining pain processing pathways and the role of multiple patient factors. European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 34(5), 503-511. doi: 10.1097/meg.0000000000002354
Falling, C., Stebbings, S., Baxter, G. D., Gearry, R. B., & Mani, R. (2021). Criterion validity and discriminatory ability of the central sensitization inventory short form in individuals with inflammatory bowel disease. Scandinavian Journal of Pain, 21(3), 577-585. doi: 10.1515/sjpain-2021-0021
Falling, C., Stebbings, S., Baxter, G. D., Siegel, C. A., Gearry, R. B., Nijs, J., & Mani, R. (2021). Symptoms of central sensitization in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases: A case-control study examining the role of musculoskeletal pain and psychological factors. Scandinavian Journal of Pain, 21(2). doi: 10.1515/sjpain-2020-0109
Falling, C. L., Stebbings, S., Baxter, G. D., Gearry, R. B., & Mani, R. (2020). Central sensitization inventory mediates the relationship between inflammatory bowel disease activity and worse musculoskeletal pain experiences. Pain Practice, 20(1), 24-33. doi: 10.1111/papr.12821
Falling, C., Stebbings, S., Baxter, G. D., Gearry, R. B., & Mani, R. (2019). Musculoskeletal pain in individuals with inflammatory bowel disease reflects three distinct profiles. Clinical Journal of Pain, 35, 559-568. doi: 10.1097/ajp.0000000000000698