Back injuries linked to memory impairment?
Saw this interesting study that links back pain with memory impairment.
From the article:
Patients with chronic back pain have significant impairments in short-term prospective memory compared with people without pain, according to the findings reported in the February/March issue of Psychosomatic Medicine.
Dr. Jonathan Ling, of Keele University, Staffordshire, UK, and colleagues compared the prospective memory of 50 subjects with chronic back pain to the memory of 50 subjects who were pain-free.
“One explanation for the observation of short-term prospective memory deficits may be related to the link between pain and stress and the impact of this relationship on cognitive function,” Ling’s team explains. “An alternative explanation may be related to glucocorticoid (steroid) treatment to which our group of patients may have been exposed.”
When I was a Workers’ Compensation Adjuster, there were a lot of clients with back injuries sutained on the job, from logging, healthcare and construction. I hadn’t noticed any memory impairments in any of them, although they did complain that there was more stress in their lives and they foud it difficult to get all the things done the did before they were injured. So, there may be more to this than I thought.
What’s your take on back injuries and memory impairment?
back injury, memory impairment, stress
back injury, memory impairment, stress
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