Relationships between physical findings (GPE-78) and psychological profiles (MMPI-2) in patients with long-lasting musculoskeletal pain

The purpose of the study was to evaluate possible relationships between phy sical findings, as measured with the Global Physiotherapeutic Examination ( GPE-78), and psychological characteristics, as measured with the revised Mi nnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2), in three groups of pati ents with long-lasting musculoskeletal pain. A total of 177 patients (114 w omen, 63 men), sick-listed owing to long-lasting musculoskeletal pain, were studied. The sample was subcategorized on the basis of pain localization, as marked on a pain drawing: group 1 = pain above a horizontal line in the thoracic-lumbar region (n = 24); group 2 = pain below the line (n = 48); gr oup 3 = pain both above and below the line (n = 105). The CPE-78 consists o f 78 standardized tests yielding quantitative information within five bodil y domains: Posture, Movement, Muscle, Skin, and Respiration. Significant co rrelations were obtained between the GPE-78 and the MMPI-2 with regard to s omatization, somatic concern, and depression. Patients with localized pain (groups 1 and 2) had few correlations between bodily findings and psycholog ical problems compared with many inpatients with generalized pain (group 3) . Women showed correlations between the domains Posture, Movement, and Musc le and psychological problems, whereas men showed correlations with Movemen t, Skin and Respiration. A psychosomatic MMPI-2 "V-profile" was present in groups 1 and 3. Women showed significantly higher scores than men. The rela tionships found between GPE-78 and MMPI-2 measures were significant, but fi ndings differed depending on pain localization and sex. Patients with gener alized pain had significantly more physical and psychological aberrations t han patients with more localized pain.