P37 Exploring the experience of pain flares in adolescent inflammatory and non-inflammatory musculoskeletal disorders: a phenomenological study
Authors: Khanom Sonia , McBeth John , Briggs Michelle , McDonagh Janet 
Published: October 2019

Background

Adolescents with inflammatory and non-inflammatory rheumatic musculoskeletal disorders (RMD) experience acute exacerbations in pain, referred to as pain flares in the adult literature. But little remains known about what pain flares are, why they occur, how they are managed and what lasting effects they have during adolescence. This study explored the lived experience of pain flares in adolescents with RMD.

Methods

Adolescents with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) or chronic idiopathic pain syndromes (CIPS) were recruited from a UK tertiary paediatric and adolescent rheumatology centre. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and visual aids, and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Results

Participants were eight females and two males aged between 13 and 17 years (M = 14.7, SD = 1.25). Four participants had JIA and six had CIPS. All participants experienced periods when pain deviates from their usual variation in pain, but none reported using the term pain flare to describe these experiences. These experiences were conceptualised as a journey of change from their 1) daily life with pain, 2) pre-flare period, 3) flare period, to their 4) post-flare period. 1) In daily life, adolescents report a level of pain that is usual for them which they manage and continue their daily routines around. 2) Pain, at times, increased beyond usual levels and adolescents reported noticing when a pain flare was coming on (e.g. due to physical exertion). They employed strategies for managing the pre-flare period, however, if they did not succeed in preventing a flare, or when flares occurred without a trigger or controllable cause, pain began to intrude on their lives. 3) All pain flares were described as an increase in the intensity of their usual pain, and were also associated with an increase in the location, duration and/or quality of pain; an increase in other unpleasant symptoms such as fatigue, psychological symptoms, headaches and/or sickness; and a reduction in physical, emotional, cognitive and/or social functioning. The frequency of flares was variable, ranging from weekly flare events to less than two a year. Flares were generally short lived, lasting a few hours to a few days. The majority of flares were managed with parental input, with adolescents seeking medical support when a flare was perceived to be associated with infection in JIA. 4) As flares were brought under control, the pain returned to usual levels but the psychological symptoms outstayed the pain. Participants took actions to regain the level of normality experienced in daily life.

Conclusion

Participants had varying interpretations of what constitutes a flare, but the key finding was that flares are not only an increase in pain intensity, but other features are also required to change. These findings help to differentiate flares from normal variation in pain.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.