Pain Experience and Sensory Changes in Astronauts During and After Short-Lasting Commercial Spaceflight: A Proof-of-Concept Study.

Autor:	Sauer AK; Department of Anesthesia, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany., Vigouroux M; Department of Anesthesia, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.; Edwards Family Interdisciplinary Center for Complex Pain, Montreal Children's Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada., Dougherty PM; Department of Pain Medicine, The University of Texas - MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA., Cata JP; Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, The University of Texas - MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.; Anesthesiology and Surgical Oncology Research Group, Houston, TX, USA., Ingelmo PM; Department of Anesthesia, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.; Edwards Family Interdisciplinary Center for Complex Pain, Montreal Children's Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada.; Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.; Research Institute, McGill University Health Center, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Journal of pain research [J Pain Res] 2023 Dec 11; Vol. 16, pp. 4253-4266. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Dec 11 (Print Publication: 2023).
DOI:	10.2147/JPR.S440630
Abstrakt:	Space travel has been associated with musculoskeletal pain, yet little is known about the nociceptive changes and pain experience during spaceflight. This preliminary study aims to investigate the pain experience and sensory alterations in astronauts following a 17-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Axiom Space's AX-1 commercial space flight. Two participants were enrolled, and data were collected pre-flight, in-flight, post-flight, and three-month post-flight. Validated pain questionnaires assessed anxiety, catastrophizing, impact on physical and mental health, disability, and overall pain experience. Qualitative interviews were conducted post-landing and conditioned pain modulation (CPM) and quantitative sensory testing (QST) were performed. Both astronauts reported musculoskeletal pain during and after the flight, which was managed with anti-inflammatories and stretching techniques. Pain levels returned to baseline after three months. Pain questionnaires revealed heightened pain experiences in-flight and immediately post-flight, although their adequacy in assessing pain in space is uncertain. Qualitative interviews allowed astronauts to describe their pain experiences during the flight. Sensory changes included increased mechanical touch detection thresholds, temporal pain summation, heat pain thresholds, and differences in conditioned pain modulation post-flight. This preliminary study suggested that spaceflight may affect various aspects of sensory perception and regulation in astronauts, albeit in a variable manner. More data are needed to gain insight of on gain and loss of sensory functions during space missions. Further investigation into the multifactorial stressors affecting the somatosensory system during space travel could contribute to advancements in space and pain medicine. Competing Interests: All authors declare no competing interests in this work. (© 2023 Sauer et al.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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