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Sample records for pain necessarily follow

  1. Pain patterns and descriptions in patients with radicular pain: Does the pain necessarily follow a specific dermatome?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hurwitz Eric L

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background It is commonly stated that nerve root pain should be expected to follow a specific dermatome and that this information is useful to make the diagnosis of radiculopathy. There is little evidence in the literature that confirms or denies this statement. The purpose of this study is to describe and discuss the diagnostic utility of the distribution of pain in patients with cervical and lumbar radicular pain. Methods Pain drawings and descriptions were assessed in consecutive patients diagnosed with cervical or lumbar nerve root pain. These findings were compared with accepted dermatome maps to determine whether they tended to follow along the involved nerve root's dermatome. Results Two hundred twenty-six nerve roots in 169 patients were assessed. Overall, pain related to cervical nerve roots was non-dermatomal in over two-thirds (69.7% of cases. In the lumbar spine, the pain was non-dermatomal in just under two-thirds (64.1% of cases. The majority of nerve root levels involved non-dermatomal pain patterns except C4 (60.0% dermatomal and S1 (64.9% dermatomal. The sensitivity (SE and specificity (SP for dermatomal pattern of pain are low for all nerve root levels with the exception of the C4 level (Se 0.60, Sp 0.72 and S1 level (Se 0.65, Sp 0.80, although in the case of the C4 level, the number of subjects was small (n = 5. Conclusion In most cases nerve root pain should not be expected to follow along a specific dermatome, and a dermatomal distribution of pain is not a useful historical factor in the diagnosis of radicular pain. The possible exception to this is the S1 nerve root, in which the pain does commonly follow the S1 dermatome.

  2. Pain progression, intensity and outcomes following tonsillectomy.

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    Warnock, F F; Lander, J

    1998-03-01

    The objective of this study was to assess outcomes of pediatric day surgery tonsillectomy. A total of 129 children, aged 5-16 years, and their parents were recruited from three urban hospitals which provided pediatric day surgery. Children reported pain on a visual analogue scale (VAS) in day surgery and then daily at home for 7 days. Parents reported outcomes of surgery, including fluid intake, nausea, vomiting and sleep disturbances. They also recorded analgesic administration. Three main results related to extent and duration of pain, quality of management of pain, and effect of pain on utilization of health services. Tonsillectomy caused considerable pain which lasted more than 7 days. Pain followed a trajectory of intense or moderately intense pain for the first 3 days followed by a gradual decline over the next 4 days. In general, post-tonsillectomy pain was poorly managed by health professionals and parents. An unexpected observation was that children who had a bupivacaine infiltration of the tonsil fossa during surgery had significantly more pain in the evening of surgery than children who did not have an infiltration. The increase in postoperative pain experienced by those who had the infiltration was attributed to quality of pain management. Children with persistent pain (those who did not follow the typical trajectory) were likely to be taken to a medical practitioner. One-third of the sample made unscheduled visits to practitioners with most occurring from Day 4 to Day 7 of the follow-up.

  3. Prevalent pain and pain level among torture survivors: a follow-up study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dorthe Reff, Olsen; Montgomery, Edith; Carlsson, J

    2006-01-01

    AIM: To estimate change over nine months and over two years, as concerns the prevalence and level of pain in the head, back and feet, among previously tortured refugees settled in Denmark, and to compare associations between torture methods and the prevalence of pain at baseline and at follow...... pattern was found when examining the level of pain as indicated by Visual Analogue Scales. Pain in the feet at follow-up was associated with previous exposure to beating against the feet. Pain in the back at baseline and pain in the head at follow-up were associated with suffocation. CONCLUSION: More than...... ten years after the torture took place, survivors of torture continue to suffer from pain associated with the type of torture they had been subjected to. This presents a considerable challenge to future evidence-based development of effective treatment programmes....

  4. Pain following the repair of an abdominal hernia

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    Hansen, Mark Berner; Andersen, Kenneth Geving; Crawford, Michael Edward

    2010-01-01

    Pain and other types of discomfort are frequent symptoms following the repair of an abdominal hernia. After 1 year, the incidence of light to moderate pain following inguinal hernia repair is as high as 10% and 2% for severe disabling chronic pain. Postoperative chronic pain not only affects......, psychosocial characteristics, and surgical procedures) related to the postoperative pain conditions. Furthermore, the mechanisms for both acute and chronic pain are presented. We focus on inguinal hernia repair, which is the most frequent type of abdominal hernia surgery that leads to chronic pain. Finally...

  5. Clitoral Pain Following Retropubic Midurethral Sling Placement

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    Melanie Christofferson, DO

    2015-12-01

    Conclusion: Clitoral pain symptoms following placement of a retropubic midurethral sling should be evaluated and promptly addressed, given the potential negative impact on the patient's sexual function. Christofferson M, Barnard J, and Montoya TI. Clitoral pain following retropubic midurethral sling placement. Sex Med 2015;3:346–348.

  6. Pain and Function Following Revision Cubital Tunnel Surgery.

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    Davidge, Kristen M; Ebersole, Gregory C; Mackinnon, Susan E

    2017-11-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine pain and functional outcomes following revision cubital tunnel surgery and to identify predictors of poor postoperative outcome. A retrospective cohort study was conducted of all patients undergoing revision cubital tunnel surgery over a 5-year period at a high-volume peripheral nerve center. Intraoperative findings, demographic and injury factors, and outcomes were reviewed. Average pain, worst pain, and impact of pain on self-perceived quality of life were each measured using a 10-cm visual analog scale (VAS). Function was evaluated using pinch and grip strength, as well as the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire. Differences in preoperative and postoperative pain, strength, and DASH were analyzed using nonparametric tests. Predictors of postoperative average pain were evaluated using odds ratios and linear regression analyses. The final cohort consisted of 50 patients (mean age: 46.3 ± 12.5 years; 29 [68%] male) undergoing 52 revision ulnar nerve transpositions (UNTs). Pain VAS scores decreased significantly following revision UNT. Strength and DASH scores demonstrated nonsignificant improvements postoperatively. Worse preoperative pain and greater than 1 prior cubital tunnel procedure were significant predictors of worse postoperative average pain VAS scores. Patients can and do improve following revision cubital tunnel surgery, particularly as it relates to pain. Intraoperative findings during the revision procedure suggest that adherence to specific principles in the primary operation is key to prevention of secondary cubital tunnel syndrome.

  7. Chronic Pain and Neuropathy Following Adjuvant Chemotherapy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ventzel, Lise; Madsen, Caspar S; Karlsson, Páll

    2017-01-01

    Objective: To determine symptoms and characteristics of chronic sensory neuropathy in patients treated with oxaliplatin and docetaxel, including patterns of somatosensory abnormalities, pain descriptors, and psychological functioning. Design: A retrospective cross-sectional study. Setting: A chro...... mechanisms useful for future studies in the tailored treatment of prevention of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and pain.......Objective: To determine symptoms and characteristics of chronic sensory neuropathy in patients treated with oxaliplatin and docetaxel, including patterns of somatosensory abnormalities, pain descriptors, and psychological functioning. Design: A retrospective cross-sectional study. Setting......: A chronic pain research center. Subjects: Thirty-eight patients with chronic peripheral pain and/or dysesthesia following chemotherapy. Methods:  Sensory profiles, psychological functioning, and quality of life were assessed using standardized questionnaires. In addition, standardized quantitative sensory...

  8. Predictors and effects of patellofemoral pain following hamstring-tendon ACL reconstruction.

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    Culvenor, Adam G; Collins, Natalie J; Vicenzino, Bill; Cook, Jill L; Whitehead, Timothy S; Morris, Hayden G; Crossley, Kay M

    2016-07-01

    Patellofemoral pain is a frequent and troublesome complication following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), irrespective of graft source. Yet, little is known about the factors associated with patellofemoral pain following hamstring-tendon ACLR. Retrospective analysis of potential patellofemoral pain predictors, and cross-sectional analysis of possible patellofemoral pain consequences. Potential predictors (pre-injury patellofemoral pain and activity level, concomitant patellofemoral cartilage damage and meniscectomy, age, sex, and surgical delay) and consequences (hopping performance, quality of life, kinesiophobia, and return to sport rates and attitudes) of patellofemoral pain 12 months following hamstring-tendon ACLR were assessed in 110 participants using univariate and multivariate analyses. Thirty-three participants (30%) had patellofemoral pain at 12 months post-ACLR. Older age at the time of ACLR was the only predictor of post-operative patellofemoral pain. Following ACLR, those with patellofemoral pain had a higher body mass index, and worse physical performance, quality of life, kinesiophobia and return to sport attitudes. Patellofemoral pain has a significant burden on individuals 12 months following hamstring-tendon ACLR. Clinicians need to be cognisant of patellofemoral pain, particularly in older individuals and those with a higher body mass index. The importance of considering psychological factors that are not typically addressed during ACLR rehabilitation, such as kinesiophobia, quality of life and return to sport attitudes is emphasised. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  9. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for phantom pain and stump pain following amputation in adults.

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    Johnson, Mark I; Mulvey, Matthew R; Bagnall, Anne-Marie

    2015-08-18

    This is the first update of a Cochrane review published in Issue 5, 2010 on transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for phantom pain and stump pain following amputation in adults. Pain may present in a body part that has been amputated (phantom pain) or at the site of amputation (stump pain), or both. Phantom pain and stump pain are complex and multidimensional and the underlying pathophysiology remains unclear. The condition remains a severe burden for those who are affected by it. The mainstay treatments are predominately pharmacological, with increasing acknowledgement of the need for non-drug interventions. TENS has been recommended as a treatment option but there has been no systematic review of available evidence. Hence, the effectiveness of TENS for phantom pain and stump pain is currently unknown. To assess the analgesic effectiveness of TENS for the treatment of phantom pain and stump pain following amputation in adults. For the original version of the review we searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, AMED, CINAHL, PEDRO and SPORTDiscus (February 2010). For this update, we searched the same databases for relevant randomised controlled trials (RCTs) from 2010 to 25 March 2015. We only included RCTs investigating the use of TENS for the management of phantom pain and stump pain following an amputation in adults. Two review authors independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. We planned that where available and appropriate, data from outcome measures were to be pooled and presented as an overall estimate of the effectiveness of TENS. In the original review there were no RCTs that examined the effectiveness of TENS for the treatment of phantom pain and stump pain in adults. For this update, we did not identify any additional RCTs for inclusion. There were no RCTs to judge the effectiveness of TENS for the management of phantom pain and stump pain. The published literature on TENS

  10. The association between Modic changes and pain during 1-year follow-up in patients with lumbar radicular pain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schistad, Elina Iordanova; Roee, Cecilie; Espeland, Ansgar; Rygh, Lars Joergen; Gjerstad, Johannes

    2014-01-01

    To examine whether Modic changes influence pain during a 1-year follow-up in patients with lumbar radicular pain. A total of 243 patients with lumbar radicular pain due to disc herniation were recruited from two hospitals in Norway and followed up at 6 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months. On baseline lumbar magnetic resonance images, two observers independently evaluated Modic changes (types I-III; craniocaudal size 0-3). Outcomes were sensory pain (McGill Pain Questionnaire), back and leg pain (visual analogue scale, VAS). Association between Modic type and outcomes was explored with a mixed model and then by two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) at each time point with Modic and treatment groups (surgical, n = 126; nonsurgical, n = 117) as fixed factors, adjusted for disc degeneration, age, sex, smoking, and duration of radicular pain. Modic size was also analyzed using ANOVA. Pain scores had decreased significantly at 1-year follow-up. Modic type was significantly related to McGill sensory scores (mixed model: p = 0.014-0.026; ANOVA: p = 0.007 at 6 weeks), but not to VAS back pain or VAS leg pain scores. At 6 weeks, the mean McGill sensory score was higher in Modic I than in Modic II-III patients (p = 0.003) and in patients without Modic changes (p = 0.018). Modic size L1-S1 was not associated with pain outcomes. Patients with lumbar radicular pain have a substantial pain reduction during 1-year follow-up, but Modic type I changes may imply a slower initial decrease in sensory pain. (orig.)

  11. The association between Modic changes and pain during 1-year follow-up in patients with lumbar radicular pain

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    Schistad, Elina Iordanova; Roee, Cecilie [Oslo University Hospital, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ullevaal, Nydalen, Postbox 4956, Oslo (Norway); University of Oslo, Faculty of Medicine, Oslo (Norway); Espeland, Ansgar [Haukeland University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Bergen (Norway); University of Bergen, Section for Radiology, Department of Clinical Medicine, Bergen (Norway); Rygh, Lars Joergen [Haukeland University Hospital, Department of Anesthesiology, Bergen (Norway); Gjerstad, Johannes [National Institute of Occupational Health, Oslo (Norway); University of Oslo, Department of Molecular Biosciences, Oslo (Norway)

    2014-09-15

    To examine whether Modic changes influence pain during a 1-year follow-up in patients with lumbar radicular pain. A total of 243 patients with lumbar radicular pain due to disc herniation were recruited from two hospitals in Norway and followed up at 6 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months. On baseline lumbar magnetic resonance images, two observers independently evaluated Modic changes (types I-III; craniocaudal size 0-3). Outcomes were sensory pain (McGill Pain Questionnaire), back and leg pain (visual analogue scale, VAS). Association between Modic type and outcomes was explored with a mixed model and then by two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) at each time point with Modic and treatment groups (surgical, n = 126; nonsurgical, n = 117) as fixed factors, adjusted for disc degeneration, age, sex, smoking, and duration of radicular pain. Modic size was also analyzed using ANOVA. Pain scores had decreased significantly at 1-year follow-up. Modic type was significantly related to McGill sensory scores (mixed model: p = 0.014-0.026; ANOVA: p = 0.007 at 6 weeks), but not to VAS back pain or VAS leg pain scores. At 6 weeks, the mean McGill sensory score was higher in Modic I than in Modic II-III patients (p = 0.003) and in patients without Modic changes (p = 0.018). Modic size L1-S1 was not associated with pain outcomes. Patients with lumbar radicular pain have a substantial pain reduction during 1-year follow-up, but Modic type I changes may imply a slower initial decrease in sensory pain. (orig.)

  12. Conditioned pain modulation and situational pain catastrophizing as preoperative predictors of pain following chest wall surgery: a prospective observational cohort study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kasper Grosen

    Full Text Available Variability in patients' postoperative pain experience and response to treatment challenges effective pain management. Variability in pain reflects individual differences in inhibitory pain modulation and psychological sensitivity, which in turn may be clinically relevant for the disposition to acquire pain. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of conditioned pain modulation and situational pain catastrophizing on postoperative pain and pain persistency.Preoperatively, 42 healthy males undergoing funnel chest surgery completed the Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Beck's Depression Inventory before undergoing a sequential conditioned pain modulation paradigm. Subsequently, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale was introduced and patients were instructed to reference the conditioning pain while answering. Ratings of movement-evoked pain and consumption of morphine equivalents were obtained during postoperative days 2-5. Pain was reevaluated at six months postoperatively.Patients reporting persistent pain at six months follow-up (n = 15 were not significantly different from pain-free patients (n = 16 concerning preoperative conditioned pain modulation response (Z = 1.0, P = 0.3 or level of catastrophizing (Z = 0.4, P = 1.0. In the acute postoperative phase, situational pain catastrophizing predicted movement-evoked pain, independently of anxiety and depression (β = 1.0, P = 0.007 whereas conditioned pain modulation predicted morphine consumption (β = -0.005, P = 0.001.Preoperative conditioned pain modulation and situational pain catastrophizing were not associated with the development of persistent postoperative pain following funnel chest repair. Secondary outcome analyses indicated that conditioned pain modulation predicted morphine consumption and situational pain catastrophizing predicted movement-evoked pain intensity in the acute postoperative phase. These findings may have

  13. Outcomes of Follow-Up Visits to Chronic Nonmalignant Pain Patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Jan

    2010-01-01

    Follow-up visits by clinical nurse specialists are beneficial for patients with various chronic conditions. It is unknown whether patients with chronic nonmalignant pain can achieve similar benefit. The aim of this study was to assess outcomes of follow-up visits by clinical nurse specialists...... to chronic nonmalignant pain patients regarding health-related quality of life (HRQoL), pain, opioid treatment, quality of sleep, and depression. A total of 102 patients were enrolled in a prospective randomized controlled trial during a 2-year period after discharge from multidisciplinary pain treatment...... and randomized to intervention or control group. Intervention group patients (n = 52) received home visits every fourth month for 2 years. The findings showed that HRQoL improved generally more in the intervention group. Statistically significant improvements were observed for physical function and bodily pain...

  14. Pain and behaviour changes in children following surgery.

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    Power, Nina Mary; Howard, Richard F; Wade, Angie M; Franck, Linda S

    2012-10-01

    To quantify postoperative pain and problematic behaviour (PB) in children at home following day-case (same day admission and discharge) or inpatient (≥1 night in hospital) surgery, to identify factors associated with PB at 2 and 4 weeks after discharge and to determine whether pain is associated with PB after adjustment for other factors. Children scheduled for elective surgery were recruited to a descriptive study involving direct observation and self-report questionnaires. The principal outcomes were pain and PB on the 2nd post-discharge day and after the 1st, 2nd and 4th weeks. 131 parents and their children (aged 2-12years) participated in the study. 93% of children had pain and 73% exhibited PB on day 2 after discharge. The incidence of pain and PB decreased over time, but 25% of children still had pain and 32% PB at week 4. Factors associated with PB were child's previous pain experience, parent and child anxiety and parent's level of education. There was a high incidence of pain and PB persisting for several weeks after surgery in this cohort of children. Previous painful medical experiences and anxiety were important modifiable factors that require further attention from healthcare providers and researchers to potentially improve health and social outcomes for children after surgery.

  15. [Prospective evaluation of pain associated with indwelling JJ stents following ureterorenoscopic lithotripsy].

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    Dudek, Przemysław; Gołabek, Tomasz; Jaskulski, Jarosław; Orłowski, Paweł; Bukowczan, Jakub; Szopiński, Tomasz; Chłosta, Piotr

    2013-01-01

    Routine placement of JJ ure teric stents, following uncomplicated endoscopic removal of a ureteral stone, still remains debatable. Indwelling JJ stents are not without any risks. They often can cause marked discomfort, or even pain. The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate patient's perceived pain due to renal colic and indwelling JJ stent left following ure terorenoscopic lithotripsy (URSL). 54 patients with colicky pain due to distal ureteric stone, and who underwent uncompli cated ureterorenoscopic lithotripsy, were included in the study. Follow ing URSL, patients were randomly selected to have either JJ stent left in situ (Group I), or remain without a stent (Group II). Among all study par ticipants levels of pain prior, as well as 14 days after the procedure were evalu ated with the use of a visual analogue pain scale. Pain perception at the time of colic did not vary between men and women (6.30 +/- 1.33 and 6.38 +/- 1.11, respectively, p=0.293). Similarly, no differences in perceived pain were noted 14 days following URSL. Mean pain score in patients with indwelling JJ stent was 2.12 +/- 1.23 as compared to 2.15 +/- 0.67 in those without it (p=0.148). No increase in pain levels due to indwelling JJ stent could be observed. Further research to allow for better assessment of discomfort and pain caused by an indwelling JJ stent on a larger cohort, and which could also discriminate patients' psy chosomatic symptoms, is needed.

  16. Chest pain following oesophageal stenting for malignant dysphagia

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    Golder, Mark; Tekkis, Paris P.; Kennedy, Colette; Lath, Sadaf; Toye, Rosemary; Steger, Adrian C

    2001-03-01

    AIM: The palliative use of self-expanding metallic stents has been widely reported to relieve dysphagia in cases of oesophageal carcinoma. Little has been documented on the severity of chest pain following oesophageal stenting. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of pain with oesophageal stenting for malignant dysphagia. METHODS: Fifty-two patients with inoperable oesophageal carcinoma underwent stent placement between 1995-1999. Daily opioid analgesic requirements (mg of morphine equivalent doses) were monitored for 3 days before and 7 days after stenting. The degree of palliation was expressed as a dysphagia score (0-3). Hospital stay, readmission days, stent complications and patient survival time were also recorded. RESULTS: Twenty-six patients (50%) required opioid analgesia for chest pain (median dose: 80 mg morphine/day) within 48 h of the procedure compared to 11 (21.2%) patients before stenting (P = 0.0041). A significant increase was evident in the analgesic consumption following stent deployment (P < 0.001). The dysphagia score improved by a median value of 1 (CI 0.25)P < 0.001, with a re-intervention rate of 11.5%. The median survival time was 40 days post stenting (range 1-120). CONCLUSION: A significant proportion of patients developed chest pain after oesophageal stenting, requiring high dose opioid analgesia. As the origin of the pain is still unknown, pre-emptive analgesia may a play role in reducing stent-related morbidity and possibly in-hospital stay. Golder, M. et al. (2001)

  17. Chest pain following oesophageal stenting for malignant dysphagia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Golder, Mark; Tekkis, Paris P.; Kennedy, Colette; Lath, Sadaf; Toye, Rosemary; Steger, Adrian C.

    2001-01-01

    AIM: The palliative use of self-expanding metallic stents has been widely reported to relieve dysphagia in cases of oesophageal carcinoma. Little has been documented on the severity of chest pain following oesophageal stenting. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of pain with oesophageal stenting for malignant dysphagia. METHODS: Fifty-two patients with inoperable oesophageal carcinoma underwent stent placement between 1995-1999. Daily opioid analgesic requirements (mg of morphine equivalent doses) were monitored for 3 days before and 7 days after stenting. The degree of palliation was expressed as a dysphagia score (0-3). Hospital stay, readmission days, stent complications and patient survival time were also recorded. RESULTS: Twenty-six patients (50%) required opioid analgesia for chest pain (median dose: 80 mg morphine/day) within 48 h of the procedure compared to 11 (21.2%) patients before stenting (P = 0.0041). A significant increase was evident in the analgesic consumption following stent deployment (P < 0.001). The dysphagia score improved by a median value of 1 (CI 0.25)P < 0.001, with a re-intervention rate of 11.5%. The median survival time was 40 days post stenting (range 1-120). CONCLUSION: A significant proportion of patients developed chest pain after oesophageal stenting, requiring high dose opioid analgesia. As the origin of the pain is still unknown, pre-emptive analgesia may a play role in reducing stent-related morbidity and possibly in-hospital stay. Golder, M. et al. (2001)

  18. Time perspective as a predictor of acute postsurgical pain and coping with pain following abdominal surgery.

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    Sobol-Kwapinska, M; Plotek, W; Bąbel, P; Cybulski, M; Kluzik, A; Krystianc, J; Mandecki, M

    2017-04-01

    The aim of this study was to predict acute postsurgical pain and coping with pain following surgery based on preoperative time perspectives. Time perspective is a basic dimension of psychological time. It is a tendency to focus on a particular time area: the past, the present and the future. Seventy-six patients completed measures of time perspective and pain 24 h before abdominal surgery. During the 3 days after surgery, measures of pain and coping with pain were completed. We performed hierarchical regression analyses to identify predictors of acute postsurgical pain and how patients cope with it. These analyses suggested that a preoperative past-negative time perspective can be a predictor of postoperative pain level and catastrophizing after surgery. The findings of our study indicate the importance of time perspective, especially the past perspective, in dealing with postoperative pain. Our research indicates that a preoperative past-negative time perspective is a significant predictor of acute postsurgical pain intensity and the strongest predictor of pain catastrophizing. © 2016 European Pain Federation - EFIC®.

  19. Pain flare following external beam radiotherapy and meaningful change in pain scores in the treatment of bone metastases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chow, Edward; Ling, Alison; Davis, Lori; Panzarella, Tony; Danjoux, Cyril

    2005-01-01

    Background and purpose: To examine the incidence of pain flare following external beam radiotherapy and to determine what constitutes a meaningful change in pain scores in the treatment of bone metastases. Patients and methods: Patients with bone metastases treated with external beam radiotherapy were asked to score their pain on a scale of 0-10 before the treatment (baseline), daily during the treatment and for 10 days after completion of external beam radiation. Pain flare was defined as a two-point increase from baseline pain in the pain scale of 0-10 with no decrease in analgesic intake or a 25% increase in analgesic intake employing daily oral morphine equivalent with no decrease in pain score. To distinguish pain flare from progression of pain, we required the pain score and analgesic intake to return back to baseline levels after the increase/flare. They were also asked to indicate if their pain changed during that time compared to pre-treatment level. The change in pain score was compared with patient perception. Results: Eighty-eight patients were evaluated in this study. There were 49 male and 39 female patients with the median age of 70 years. Twelve of 88 patients (14%) had pain flare on day 1. The overall incidence of pain flare during the study period ranged from 2 to 16%. A total of 797 pain scorings were obtained. Patients perceived an improvement in pain when their self-reported pain score decreased by at least two points. Conclusions: Our study confirms the occurrence of pain flare following the external beam radiotherapy in the treatment of bone metastases. Further studies are required to predict who are at risk for flare. Appropriate measures can be taken to alleviate the pain flare. The finding in the meaningful change in pain scores supports the investigator-defined partial response used in some clinical trials

  20. Cupping for chronic nonspecific neck pain: a 2-year follow-up.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lauche, Romy; Cramer, Holger; Langhorst, Jost; Dobos, Gustav

    2013-01-01

    Several trials have shown that cupping might be an effective treatment for chronic nonspecific neck pain, but little is known about the long-term effectiveness. This study aimed to investigate long-term effects of a short series of cupping; therefore additional follow-up measurements were conducted 2 years after completion of 3 studies. Participants from 3 randomized waitlist controlled trials on cupping for chronic nonspecific neck pain were followed 2 years after treatment. Outcome measures included neck pain intensity (100 mm Visual Analog Scale; VAS), functional disability (Neck Disability Index, NDI), and health-related quality of life (Short Form 36 Health Survey Questionnaire; SF-36). 133 of 150 patients had received cupping treatment and were contacted; 82 of them (61.7%) returned the follow-up questionnaires. No effect was found for neck pain intensity, but for physical function (∆ NDI: -3.15; 95% CI: -5.89; -0.41; p = 0.025) and quality of life (∆ physical component summary: 2.97; 95% CI: 0.97; 4.97; p = 0.004; ∆ bodily pain: 14.53; 95 % CI: 9.67; 19.39; p cupping effect was 8.9 ± 8.7 months with 16 patients reporting that neck pain had not yet reached the level before cupping. The majority of the patients did not continue cupping therapy, mostly due to lack of providers, costs or loss of interest. A series of cupping treatments did not influence neck pain intensity on the longer term, however significant increases were found for physical function and quality of life in patients with chronic nonspecific neck pain. Due to the considerable drop-out rate conclusions are limited. There is evidence suggesting that cupping treatment might have sustainable effects in some patients. Further randomized controlled trials with long-term follow-up are urgently needed for conclusive judgment of long-term effectiveness. © 2013 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.

  1. Delayed diagnosis and worsening of pain following orthopedic surgery in patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).

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    Lunden, Lars K; Kleggetveit, Inge P; Jørum, Ellen

    2016-04-01

    Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a serious and disabling chronic pain condition, usually occurring in a limb. There are two main types, CRPS 1 with no definite nerve lesion and CRPS 2 with an identified nerve lesion. CRPS 1 and 2 may occur following an injury (frequently following fractures), surgery or without known cause. An early diagnosis and start of adequate treatment is considered desirable for patients with CRPS. From the clinical experience of the principal investigator, it became apparent that CRPS often remained undiagnosed and that the clinical conditions of many patients seemed to be worsened following orthopedic surgery subsequent to the initial eliciting event. The aim of the present retrospective study of 55 patients, all diagnosed with either CRPS 1 or 2, was to evaluate the time from injury until diagnosis of CRPS and the effect on pain of orthopedic surgical intervention subsequent to the original injury/surgery. Clinical symptoms with an emphasis on pain were assessed by going through the patients' records and by information given during the investigation at Oslo University Hospital, where the patients also were examined clinically and with EMG/neurography. Alteration in pain was evaluated in 27 patients who underwent orthopedic surgery subsequent to the eliciting injury. Of a total of 55 patients, 28 women and 27 men (mean age 38.7 (SD 12.3), 38 patients were diagnosed with CRPS type 1, and 17 with CRPS type 2. Mean time before diagnosis was confirmed was 3.9 years (SD1.42, range 6 months-10 years). The eliciting injuries for both CRPS type 1 and type 2 were fractures, squeeze injuries, blunt injuries, stretch accidents and surgery. A total of 27 patients (14 men and 13 women) were operated from one to 12 times at a later stage (from 6 months to several years) following the initial injury or any primary operation because of fracture. A total of 22 patients reported a worsening of pain following secondary surgical events, while four

  2. The emergence of adolescent onset pain hypersensitivity following neonatal nerve injury

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vega-Avelaira David

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Peripheral nerve injuries can trigger neuropathic pain in adults but cause little or no pain when they are sustained in infancy or early childhood. This is confirmed in rodent models where neonatal nerve injury causes no pain behaviour. However, delayed pain can arise in man some considerable time after nerve damage and to examine this following early life nerve injury we have carried out a longer term follow up of rat pain behaviour into adolescence and adulthood. Results Spared nerve injury (SNI or sham surgery was performed on 10 day old (P10 rat pups and mechanical nociceptive reflex thresholds were analysed 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, 38 and 44 days post surgery. While mechanical thresholds on the ipsilateral side are not significantly different from controls for the first 2–3 weeks post P10 surgery, after that time period, beginning at 21 days post surgery (P31, the SNI group developed following early life nerve injury significant hypersensitivity compared to the other groups. Ipsilateral mechanical nociceptive threshold was 2-fold below that of the contralateral and sham thresholds at 21 days post surgery (SNI-ipsilateral 28 (±5 g control groups 69 (±9 g, p Conclusions We report a novel consequence of early life nerve injury whereby mechanical hypersensitivity only emerges later in life. This delayed adolescent onset in mechanical pain thresholds is accompanied by neuroimmune activation and NMDA dependent central sensitization of spinal nociceptive circuits. This delayed onset in mechanical pain sensitivity may provide clues to understand the long term effects of early injury such as late onset phantom pain and the emergence of complex adolescent chronic pain syndromes.

  3. Does catastrophic thinking enhance oesophageal pain sensitivity?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Martel, M O; Olesen, A E; Jørgensen, D

    2016-01-01

    that catastrophic thinking exerts an influence on oesophageal pain sensitivity, but not necessarily on the magnitude of acid-induced oesophageal sensitization. WHAT DOES THIS STUDY ADD?: Catastrophizing is associated with heightened pain sensitivity in the oesophagus. This was substantiated by assessing responses...

  4. Neuropathic Pain Following Poly-L-Lactic Acid (Sculptra) Injection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vrcek, Ivan; El-Sawy, Tarek; Chou, Eva; Allen, Theresa; Nakra, Tanuj

    Injectable fillers have become a prevalent means of facial rejuvenation and volume expansion. While typically well tolerated, serious complications have been reported. The authors present a case in which an otherwise healthy female with a history of multiple filler injections including poly-L-lactic acid, developed 3 weeks of neuropathic pain in the left temporal fossa following injection. To the best of the authors knowledge, neuropathic pain has not been reported as a complication following poly-L-lactic acid injection. The patient was treated with an injection of steroid and long-acting anesthetic with resolution of symptoms.

  5. Periodontal CGRP contributes to orofacial pain following experimental tooth movement in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Long, Hu; Liao, Lina; Gao, Meiya; Ma, Wenqiang; Zhou, Yang; Jian, Fan; Wang, Yan; Lai, Wenli

    2015-08-01

    Calcitonin-related gene peptide (CGRP) plays an important role in orofacial inflammatory pain. The aim of this study was to determine whether periodontal CGRP contributes to orofacial pain induced by experimental tooth movement in rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used in this study. Closed coil springs were used to deliver forces. Rats were euthanized on 0d, 1d, 3d, 5d, 7d, and 14d following experimental tooth movement. Then, alveolar bones were obtained for immunostaining of periodontal tissues against CGRP. Two hours prior to euthanasia on each day, orofacial pain levels were assessed through rat grimace scale. CGRP and olcegepant (CGRP receptor antagonist) were injected into periodontal tissues to verify the roles of periodontal CGRP in orofacial pain induced by experimental tooth movement. Periodontal CGRP expression levels and orofacial pain levels were elevated on 1d, 3d, 5d, and 7d following experimental tooth movement. The two indices were significantly correlated with each other and fitted into a dose-response model. Periodontal administration of CGRP could elevate periodontal CGRP expressions and exacerbate orofacial pain. Moreover, olcegepant administration could decrease periodontal CGRP expressions and alleviate orofacial pain. Therefore, periodontal CGRP plays an important role in pain transmission and modulation following experimental tooth movement. We suggest that it may participate in a positive feedback aiming to amplify orofacial pain signals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Pain prevalence and trajectories following pediatric spinal fusion surgery

    OpenAIRE

    Sieberg, Christine B.; Simons, Laura E.; Edelstein, Mark R.; DeAngelis, Maria R.; Pielech, Melissa; Sethna, Navil; Hresko, M. Timothy

    2013-01-01

    Factors contributing to pain following surgery are poorly understood with previous research largely focused on adults. With approximately 6 million children undergoing surgery each year8, there is a need to study pediatric persistent postsurgical pain. The present study includes patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis undergoing spinal fusion surgery enrolled in a prospective, multi-centered registry examining post-surgical outcomes. The Scoliosis Research Society Questionnaire- Version...

  7. Pain Intensity and Its Objective Determinants Following Implant ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2017-10-26

    Oct 26, 2017 ... has been shown to result with a lower pain score than the conventional techniques. ..... Effect of age, impaction types and operative time on inflammatory tissue reactions following lower third molar surgery. Head Face Med ...

  8. Structured intervention for management of pain following day surgery in children

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Walther-Larsen, Søren; Aagaard, Gitte; Friis, Susanne Molin

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Ambulatory surgery forms a large part of pediatric surgical practice. Several studies indicate that postoperative pain is poorly managed with more than 30% of children having moderate to severe pain. In a busy outpatient clinic contact between healthcare professionals and the family...... is increasingly limited calling for a global and efficient pain management regime. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this prospective observational cohort study was to determine postoperative pain intensity following day surgery in children after our structured intervention for pain management. METHODS: A number...... of interventions in an effort to address barriers to effective postoperative pain management after day surgery were identified in the literature. By introducing our concept structured intervention, we aimed to address the majority if not all these barriers. Accordingly, we adapted postoperative pain management...

  9. Endogenous Opioid Inhibition of Chronic Low Back Pain Influences Degree of Back Pain Relief Following Morphine Administration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruehl, Stephen; Burns, John W.; Gupta, Rajnish; Buvanendran, Asokumar; Chont, Melissa; Schuster, Erik; France, Christopher R.

    2014-01-01

    Background and Objectives Factors underlying differential responsiveness to opioid analgesic medications used in chronic pain management are poorly understood. We tested whether individual differences in endogenous opioid inhibition of chronic low back pain were associated with magnitude of acute reductions in back pain ratings following morphine administration. Methods In randomized, counterbalanced order over three sessions, 50 chronic low back pain patients received intravenous naloxone (8mg), morphine (0.08 mg/kg), or placebo. Back pain intensity was rated pre-drug and again after peak drug activity was achieved using the McGill Pain Questionnaire-Short Form (Sensory and Affective subscales, VAS intensity measure). Opioid blockade effect measures to index degree of endogenous opioid inhibition of back pain intensity were derived as the difference between pre-to post-drug changes in pain intensity across placebo and naloxone conditions, with similar morphine responsiveness measures derived across placebo and morphine conditions. Results Morphine significantly reduced back pain compared to placebo (MPQ-Sensory, VAS; P effects of opioid blockade on back pain intensity. However, individual differences in opioid blockade effects were significantly associated with degree of acute morphine-related reductions in back pain on all measures, even after controlling for effects of age, sex, and chronic pain duration (P morphine. Conclusions Morphine appears to provide better acute relief of chronic back pain in individuals with lower natural opioidergic inhibition of chronic pain intensity. Possible implications for personalized medicine are discussed. PMID:24553304

  10. Predicting low back pain outcome following rehabilitation for low back pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roberts, Andrew J; Dew, Angela; Bridger, Robert; Etherington, John; Kilminster, Shaun

    2015-01-01

    Psychosocial factors are known to play a key role in determining the progress of back pain patients. However, it is not known whether these factors are applicable to military personnel, who tend to be fitter than the general population. The aim was to identify physical and psychological predictors in a prospective study of the outcome of back pain rehabilitation over 6 months and a longer follow-up time of between 15 and 32 months. Two hundred and fifty military personnel reporting for a residential rehabilitation programme completed a battery of physical and psychological tests. The physical tests included 800 m run time and the Biering-Sorensen test. The psychological/psychosocial measures included items on fear avoidance, self efficacy, anxiety and depression and occupational psychosocial factors such as job satisfaction. Self efficacy and 800 m run time predicted self-reported functional ability at 6 months and medical discharge/return to full fitness at 15–32 months. Patients with 800 m run times of more than 3 minutes 31 seconds had a four times greater chance of medical discharge from the Armed forces. Eight hundred metre run time and self-efficacy were independent predictors of both self-reported functional ability at 6 months and return to full fitness/medical discharge at 15–32 months. Self-efficacy also predicted 40% of the variance in the intensity of back pain and 10% of other non-back pain. Rehabilitation should include greater emphasis on physical fitness and on improving self-efficacy.

  11. Multidimensional Patient Impression of Change Following Interdisciplinary Pain Management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gagnon, Christine M; Scholten, Paul; Atchison, James

    2018-04-20

    To assess patient impression of change following interdisciplinary pain management utilizing a newly developed Multidimensional Patient Impression of Change (MPIC) questionnaire. A heterogeneous group of chronic pain patients (N = 601) participated in an interdisciplinary treatment program. Programs included individual and group therapies (pain psychology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, relaxation training/biofeedback, aerobic conditioning, patient education and medical management). Patients completed measures of pain, mood, coping, physical functioning and pain acceptance both prior to and at completion of their treatment programs. The newly developed MPIC is an expansion to the Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) including seven additional domains (Pain, Mood, Sleep, Physical Functioning, Cope with Pain, Manage Pain Flare-ups, and Medication Effectiveness). The MPIC was administered to the patients post-treatment. There were statistically significant pre- to post-treatment improvements found on all outcome measures. The majority of these improvements were significantly correlated with all domains of the MPIC. The original PGIC item was significantly associated with all of the new MPIC domains and the domains were significantly associated with each other; but there were variations in the distribution of responses highlighting variation of perceived improvements among the domains. Our results support the use of the MPIC as a quick and easy post-treatment assessment screening tool. Future research is needed to examine relevant correlates to Medication Effectiveness. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  12. Improvements in Neck and Arm Pain Following an Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Massel, Dustin H; Mayo, Benjamin C; Bohl, Daniel D; Narain, Ankur S; Hijji, Fady Y; Fineberg, Steven J; Louie, Philip K; Basques, Bryce A; Long, William W; Modi, Krishna D; Singh, Kern

    2017-07-15

    A retrospective analysis. The aim of this study was to quantify improvements in Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) neck and arm pain, Neck Disability Index (NDI), and Short Form-12 (SF-12) Mental (MCS) and Physical (PCS) Composite scores following an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). ACDF is evaluated with patient-reported outcomes. However, the extent to which these outcomes improve following ACDF remains poorly defined. A surgical registry of patients who underwent primary, one- or two-level ACDF during 2013 to 2015 was reviewed. Comparisons of VAS neck and arm, NDI, and SF-12 MCS and PCS scores were performed using paired t tests from preoperative to each postoperative time point. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to estimate the reduction in neck and arm pain over the first postoperative year. Subgroup analyses were performed for patients with predominant neck (pNP) or arm (pAP) pain, as well as for one- versus two-level ACDF. Eighty-nine patients were identified. VAS neck and arm, NDI, and SF-12 PCS improved from preoperative scores at all postoperative time points (P pain (P pain over the first 6 months and 12 weeks postoperatively, respectively (P pain and 55.1% reduction in arm pain over the first postoperative year (P pain following ACDF regardless of presenting symptom. In addition, patients undergoing one-level ACDF report greater reductions in neck and arm pain than patients undergoing two-level fusion. 4.

  13. Pain Sensitization Associated with Non-Response Following Physiotherapy in People with Knee Osteoarthritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Leary, Helen; Smart, Keith M; Moloney, Niamh A; Blake, Catherine; Doody, Catherine M

    2018-05-22

    In knee osteoarthritis (OA) pain sensitization has been linked to a more severe symptomatology, but the prognostic implications of pain sensitivity in people undergoing conservative treatment such as physiotherapy are not established. This study aimed to prospectively investigate the association between features of pain sensitization and clinical outcome (non-response) following guideline-based physiotherapy in people with knee OA. Participants (n=156) with moderate/severe knee OA were recruited from secondary care. All participants completed self-administered questionnaires and underwent quantitative sensory testing (QST) at baseline, thereby establishing subjective and objective measures of pain sensitization. Participants (n=134) were later classified following a physiotherapy intervention, using treatment responder criteria (responder/non-responder). QST data was reduced to a core set of latent variables using principal component analysis. A hierarchical logistic regression model was constructed to investigate if features related to pain sensitization predicted non-response after controlling for other known predictors of poor outcome in knee OA. Higher temporal summation (TS) (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.23 to 3.27) and lower pressure pain thresholds (PPT) (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.81) emerged as robust predictors of non-response following physiotherapy, along with a higher comorbidity score. The model demonstrated high sensitivity (87.8%) but modest specificity (52.3%). The independent relationship between pain sensitization and non-response may indicate an underlying explanatory association between neuroplastic changes in nociceptive processing and the maintenance of on-going pain and disability in knee OA pain. These preliminary results suggest interventions targeting pain sensitization may warrant future investigation in this population.

  14. The relationship between pain and mood following spinal cord injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kennedy, Paul; Hasson, Laurence

    2017-05-01

    To explore the relationship between pain and mood during spinal cord injury rehabilitation, and to discuss clinical implications to optimize rehabilitation outcomes. Repeated measures, retrospective cohort study. Tertiary care, spinal cord injury rehabilitation center. Patients (N = 509) who completed both Needs Assessment Checklist (NAC) 1 and NAC2 between February 2008 and February 2015. Not applicable. Pain ratings (0-10) and mood scores (0-24) were obtained from the Needs Assessment Checklist (NAC). NAC1 is completed within 4 weeks post-mobilization and NAC2 upon the patient moving to the pre-discharge ward. There were statistically significant improvements in both pain and mood from NAC1 to NAC2. There were significant correlations between pain and mood at both NAC1 and NAC2 (a decrease in pain was associated with an improvement in mood). Individuals who reported that pain interfered with their rehabilitation had higher pain scores and lower mood scores at both NAC1 and NAC2. Pain and mood evidently interact following spinal cord injury, and the nature of this relationship is complex. The current study provides some support for the bidirectional causality hypothesis, suggesting that pain and mood exert an effect upon each other. It is important to address pain and psychological issues early and together in the post-injury phase to optimize rehabilitation outcomes.

  15. Pain and quality of life following palliative radiotherapy of bone metastases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sauer, N.; Wild, B.; Henningsen, P.; Jakobsen, T.; Leising, D.; Treiber, M.

    2006-01-01

    Pain and quality of life following palliative radiotherapy of bone metastases Background and purpose: palliative irradiation is used to provide pain relief and to increase quality of life. Most studies exclude patients with advanced cancer disease and, therefore, a positive selection results. This prospective clinical study investigates the effect of palliative radiotherapy on pain and quality of life of patients with painful bone metastases. Patients and methods: 263 patients with bone metastases due to advanced cancer were observed with respect to pain and quality of life during a 2-month course of radiotherapy. Missing data were substituted by the LOCF method (last observation carried forward) to prevent a biased reduction of data. Results: radiotherapy resulted in pain relief. In the complete group, pain medication was not increased. Quality of life was not affected positively. Side effects of radiotherapy increased remarkably. Conclusion: Radiotherapy leads to pain relief. However, risks and benefits must be considered critically due to side effects. (orig.)

  16. Frequency, Impact, and Predictors of Persistent Pain Following Root Canal Treatment: A National Dental PBRN Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nixdorf, Donald R.; Law, Alan S.; Lindquist, Kimberly; Reams, Gregory J.; Cole, Emery; Kanter, Keith; Nguyen, Ruby H.N.; Harris, D. Robert

    2015-01-01

    Root canal treatment (RCT) is commonly performed surgery and persistent pain is known to occur, but little is known about how these patients are affected by this pain. While biopsychosocial mechanisms are thought to be associated with the development of such pain, similar to persistent pain following surgery in other body sites, little is known about the baseline predictors for persistent pain. We assessed the frequency of persistent pain 6 months following RCT, measured the impact this pain had on patients, and determined predictive factors for persistent tooth pain in a multi-center prospective cohort study conducted within the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network. Of 708 patients enrolled, 651 (91.9%) provided follow-up data, with 65 (10.0%) meeting criteria for pain 6 months following RCT. On average, these patients reported their pain as mild to moderate in intensity, present for about 10 days in the preceding month, and minimally interfered with daily activities. After adjusting for type of dental practitioner and patient age, gender and household income, pain duration over the week prior to RCT significantly increased the risk of developing persistent pain (odds ratio [OR]=1.19 per 1 day increase in pain duration, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07–1.33), whereas optimism about the procedure reduced the risk (OR=0.39, 95% CI: 0.22–0.67). Our data suggest that persistent pain following RCT is fairly common, but generally does not have a large impact on those experiencing it. Furthermore, patient age and gender did not predict persistent pain, while pre-operative pain duration and the patient’s expectation did. PMID:26335907

  17. Effect of Corticosteroids on Pain Relief Following Root Canal Treatment: A Systematic Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iranmanesh, Foad; Parirokh, Masoud; Haghdoost, Ali Akbar; Abbott, Paul V

    2017-01-01

    Post-operative pain and flare-up may occur in up to 58% of patients following root canal treatment. The aim was to conduct a systematic review and a possible meta-analysis to determine the effect of glucocorticosteroid (GCS) on pain following root canal treatment. Scopus, MEDLINE and CENTRAL databases were searched up to 30 th January 2017 with broad key words. In addition, the reference lists in eligible papers and text books were hand-searched. Assessment of the eligibility of papers and data extraction were performed by two independent reviewers. Of 9891 articles, 18 were recruited as eligible papers. Most of these papers showed pain reducing effect of GCS on post-endodontic pain. Because of wide heterogeneity among the recruited papers, it was not possible to perform meta-analysis. Based on the results of this systematic review, there is a vast heterogeneity amongst articles regarding the use of GCS and their effect on post-operative pain after endodontic treatment. Further investigations with similar methods and materials are needed before meta-analysis on the effect of GCS on post-operative pain following root canal treatment can be performed .

  18. Chronic Pain Following Spinal Cord Injury: The Role of Immunogenetics and Time of Injury Pain Treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-12-01

    Award Number: W81XWH-11-1-0806 TITLE: Chronic Pain Following Spinal Cord Injury: The Role of Immunogenetics and Time of Injury Pain Treatment...OF REPORT: Final PREPARED FOR: U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command Fort Detrick, Maryland 21702-5012 DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: Approved...for Public Release; Distribution Unlimited The views, opinions and/or findings contained in this report are those of the author(s) and should not

  19. The effects of menstrual phase on orthodontic pain following initial archwire engagement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Long, H; Gao, M; Zhu, Y; Liu, H; Zhou, Y; Liao, L; Lai, W

    2017-04-01

    To explore the effects of menstrual cycle on orthodontic pain following initial archwire engagement. Female participants with regular menstrual cycles were recruited and assigned into follicular group or luteal group. Demographical and baseline variables were collected: age, education, menstrual duration, anxiety, oral health impact profile-14 (OHIP-14), and index of complexity outcome and need (ICON). Following initial archwire engagement, orthodontic pain was determined through visual analogue scale (VAS) on 1st day, 2nd day, and 3rd day. Demographical and baseline variables were compared between the two groups. Two-way repeated-measures anova was used to examine the effects of menstrual phase, time, and their interactions on orthodontic pain. Multivariate linear regression was employed to examine the independent effect of each variable on orthodontic pain. Finally, 37 and 39 were assigned to the follicular and luteal groups, respectively, with balanced demographical and baseline data. Orthodontic pain was significantly affected by menstrual phase and time (both P  0.05). Moreover, orthodontic pain was independently predicted by menstrual phase, OHIP, education level, and anxiety (all P < 0.05). We suggest that practitioners arrange female patients to receive initial archwire engagement during their follicular phases to relieve orthodontic pain. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  20. Are transvestites necessarily heterosexual?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bullough, B; Bullough, V

    1997-02-01

    A survey of 372 male cross-dressers gathered data about present and childhood experiences and attitudes in light of the growing knowledge about transvestism. This article focuses on data related to sexual orientation, particularly in relationship to the definition of transvestism in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association. It is argued that transvestism is not necessarily a heterosexual phenomenon.

  1. Predictors of Pain Relief Following Spinal Cord Stimulation in Chronic Back and Leg Pain and Failed Back Surgery Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Rod S; Desai, Mehul J; Rigoard, Philippe; Taylor, Rebecca J

    2014-01-01

    We sought to assess the extent to which pain relief in chronic back and leg pain (CBLP) following spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is influenced by patient-related factors, including pain location, and technology factors. A number of electronic databases were searched with citation searching of included papers and recent systematic reviews. All study designs were included. The primary outcome was pain relief following SCS, we also sought pain score (pre- and post-SCS). Multiple predictive factors were examined: location of pain, history of back surgery, initial level of pain, litigation/worker's compensation, age, gender, duration of pain, duration of follow-up, publication year, continent of data collection, study design, quality score, method of SCS lead implant, and type of SCS lead. Between-study association in predictive factors and pain relief were assessed by meta-regression. Seventy-four studies (N = 3,025 patients with CBLP) met the inclusion criteria; 63 reported data to allow inclusion in a quantitative analysis. Evidence of substantial statistical heterogeneity (P pain relief following SCS was noted. The mean level of pain relief across studies was 58% (95% CI: 53% to 64%, random effects) at an average follow-up of 24 months. Multivariable meta-regression analysis showed no predictive patient or technology factors. SCS was effective in reducing pain irrespective of the location of CBLP. This review supports SCS as an effective pain relieving treatment for CBLP with predominant leg pain with or without a prior history of back surgery. Randomized controlled trials need to confirm the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of SCS in the CLBP population with predominant low back pain. PMID:23834386

  2. Lead toxicity as an etiology for abdominal pain in the emergency department.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moriarity, Risa S; Harris, James T; Cox, Robert D

    2014-02-01

    Abdominal pain is an uncommon presentation of lead toxicity in the emergency department (ED). However, making the diagnosis is important in avoiding unnecessary testing and the long-term sequelae of lead toxicity. To illustrate possible presentations of abdominal pain secondary to lead toxicity and highlight the importance of taking a thorough patient history. We report 2 patients who presented to the ED with abdominal pain and underwent extensive evaluations that did not reveal an etiology. At follow-up visits, their occupational histories revealed possible lead exposures from working for a bullet-recycling company. Tests revealed that each patient had extremely high lead levels and they were both treated for lead toxicity. Their abdominal pain resolved as their lead levels decreased. These cases demonstrate a rare but significant cause of abdominal pain in the ED. Although history-taking in the ED is necessarily brief, these cases underscore the importance of obtaining an occupational history. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Post-trauma ratings of pre-collision pain and psychological distress predict poor outcome following acute whiplash trauma: A 12-month follow-up study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Carstensen, Tina; Frostholm, Lisbeth; Ørnbøl, Eva

    2008-01-01

    emergency departments or primary care after car accidents in four counties in Denmark. After the collision patients received a questionnaire on psychological distress, unspecified pain and socio-demographics and 12 months later a follow-up on work capability and neck pain was performed. Risk factors were......Patients with acute whiplash trauma were followed to examine if post-trauma ratings of pre-collision pain and psychological distress were associated with reduced work capability and neck pain at 12 months follow-up. The study included 740 consecutive patients (474 females, 266 males) referred from...... identified by multiple logistic regression analysis. Factors associated with affected work capacity at the 12-month follow-up were pre-collision unspecified pain condition (OR = 2.4, p = 0.002) and socio-demographic characteristics: female gender, low educational level, unemployment and blue collar worker...

  4. Long-term follow-up after mesh removal and selective neurectomy for persistent inguinal postherniorrhaphy pain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bischoff, J M; Enghuus, Casper Nørskov; Werner, M U

    2013-01-01

    PURPOSE: Persistent inguinal pain, influencing daily activities, is seen in about 5 % of patients following inguinal herniorrhaphy. Surgical treatment of patients with persistent postherniorrhaphy pain has been associated with pain relief and improvement in functional status. However, the detailed...... and functional ability when comparing preoperative and postoperative assessments. RESULTS: Pain intensities (average, maximum, and during activity) were significantly lower at all time points during follow-up compared to preoperative values (p ...

  5. Mechanism-based classification of pain for physical therapy management in palliative care: A clinical commentary

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Senthil P Kumar

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Pain relief is a major goal for palliative care in India so much that most palliative care interventions necessarily begin first with pain relief. Physical therapists play an important role in palliative care and they are regarded as highly proficient members of a multidisciplinary healthcare team towards management of chronic pain. Pain necessarily involves three different levels of classification-based upon pain symptoms, pain mechanisms and pain syndromes. Mechanism-based treatments are most likely to succeed compared to symptomatic treatments or diagnosis-based treatments. The objective of this clinical commentary is to update the physical therapists working in palliative care, on the mechanism-based classification of pain and its interpretation, with available therapeutic evidence for providing optimal patient care using physical therapy. The paper describes the evolution of mechanism-based classification of pain, the five mechanisms (central sensitization, peripheral neuropathic, nociceptive, sympathetically maintained pain and cognitive-affective are explained with recent evidence for physical therapy treatments for each of the mechanisms.

  6. Multivariate prognostic modeling of persistent pain following lumbar discectomy.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Hegarty, Dominic

    2013-03-04

    Persistent postsurgical pain (PPSP) affects between 10% and 50% of surgical patients, the development of which is a complex and poorly understood process. To date, most studies on PPSP have focused on specific surgical procedures where individuals do not suffer from chronic pain before the surgical intervention. Individuals who have a chronic nerve injury are likely to have established peripheral and central sensitization which may increase the risk of developing PPSP. Concurrent analyses of the possible factors contributing to the development of PPSP following lumbar discectomy have not been examined.

  7. Effect of Cryoanalgesia on Post Midsternotomy Pain and Paresthesia Following CABG

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H Hosseini

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Control of post thoracotomy pain is particularly important in prevention of post operative respiratory complications. Several methods are proposed for control of postoperative pain. Cryoanalgesia by freezing of intercostal nerves is able to providing long term pain relief in post operative period which probably results in cutaneous sensory changes. Methods: This clinical trial study was done on 124 patients who underwent CABG surgery. Patients were randomly divided in two groups; control group (group I and study group (group II. In study group cryoanalgesia was applied intraoperatively on the intercostal nerves. All of the patients received appropriate analgesia on demand in postoperative period. Pain in LIMA harvesting site and sternum was measured by visual analogue pain score before discharge, one and three months following cryoanalgesia. In all of the patient’s, presence of paresthesia was evaluated. The amount of administered analgesics (narcotic, opium, indomethacin was noted daily. Data of this investigation was analyzed and evaluated using SPSS 11.5 software. Results: Pain score of sternum was higher in study group before discharge and was lower at one and three months after operation than the control group that was statistically significant (P=0.01. Pain score of LIMA region before discharge was higher, at one month post operation was equal and at three months post operative was lower than the control group (P=0.045. Use of morphine and opium was lower (P=0.017 and use of indomethacin was higher in the cryoanalgesia group that was statistically significant (P=0.001. Incidence of paresthesia was lower in the study group (P=0.001. Conclusion: It is proposed that cryoanalgesia is a safe and effective method for reduction of pain and paresthesia and need for analgesics following CABG operation.

  8. Factors associated with acute postoperative pain following breast reconstruction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anita R. Kulkarni

    2017-03-01

    Conclusions: This study identifies patients at risk for severe acute postoperative pain following breast reconstruction. These findings will allow plastic surgeons to better tailor postoperative care to improve patient comfort, reduce clinical morbidity, and enhance patient satisfaction with their surgical outcome.

  9. Ipsilateral shoulder pain in patients following lung resection in the decubitus position.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bando, Takae; Kondo, Kazuya; Onishi, Chiemi; Kajiura, Koichiro; Takizawa, Hiromitsu; Yamada, Kazuyo; Sato, Hiromi; Imai, Yoshie

    2018-03-01

    To examine the frequency, influencing factors and clinical course of shoulder pain in patients following lung resection. Thoracoscopes have been introduced in the surgical treatment of lung cancer and allow for less invasive surgery with a minimal incision. However, decubitus position-related shoulder pain on the operated side has not yet been investigated. A longitudinal descriptive study. Patients who underwent lung resection in the decubitus position. Patients were interviewed 2 days before surgery and once daily for 5 days after surgery. Interview items included background data, the concomitant use of epidural anaesthesia, operative duration, the presence of preoperative shoulder stiffness (excluding shoulder pain), type of surgery and site of operation. The intensity of pain was approximately 5 on an 11-point numerical rating scale. Descriptive statistics on patient backgrounds were obtained using SPSS Statistics 22 for Windows. Of the 74 patients who underwent lung resection in a decubitus position, 30 (40.5%) developed shoulder pain on the operated side. The highest rating occurred 1 day after surgery and decreased over time. The following two factors were found to influence shoulder pain on the operated side: operative duration (Z = -2.63; p = .01) and the presence of preoperative shoulder stiffness (excluding shoulder pain) (χ 2  = 4.16; p = .04). This study demonstrated that approximately 40% of patients who underwent lung resection in the decubitus position developed shoulder pain. The presence of postoperative shoulder pain was related to both the duration of the operation and to the presence of preoperative shoulder stiffness. Although the shoulder pain resolves within 4 days, it causes the patient additional discomfort and distress. Therefore, further research is needed on positioning for thoracotomy in order to investigate ways to reduce or eliminate this complication of lung surgery. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. Abnormalities of somatosensory perception in patients with painful osteoarthritis normalize following successful treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kosek, E; Ordeberg, G

    2000-01-01

    To investigate the effect of chronic nociceptive pain on somatosensory perception, quantitative sensibility testing was performed in the most painful area and the homologous contralateral side in 14 patients with painful osteoarthritis of the hip. Twelve patients were reassessed in a painfree state 6-14 months following surgery. Von Frey filaments were used to test low-threshold mechanoreceptive function. Pressure pain sensitivity was assessed with a pressure algometer and thermal sensitivity with a Thermotest. Sex- and age-matched controls were examined in the corresponding areas at similar time intervals. There was no statistically significant difference between groups in the sensitivity to light touch and innocuous cold in either session. Compared to controls, patients had increased sensitivity to pressure pain in the most painful area (p pain (ppain (p = 0.054) before surgery. In the painful area, patients' sensitivity to pressure pain decreased (p pain. Copyright 2000 European Federation of Chapters of the International Association for the Study of Pain.

  11. Pain following hysterectomy: epidemiological and clinical aspects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brandsborg, Birgitte

    2012-01-01

    It is well known that different surgical procedures like amputation, thoracotomy, inguinal herniotomy, and mastectomy are associated with a risk of developing chronic postsurgical pain. Hysterectomy is the most frequent gynecological procedure with an annual frequency of 5000 hysterectomies for a benign indication in Denmark, but is has not previously been documented in detail to what extent this procedure leads to chronic pain. The aim of this PhD thesis was therefore to describe the epidemiology, type of pain, risk factors, and predictive factors associated with chronic pain after hysterectomy for a benign indication. The thesis includes four papers, of which one is based on a questionnaire study, two are based on a prospective clinical study, and one is a review of chronic pain after hysterectomy. The questionnaire paper included 1135 women one year after hysterectomy. A postal questionnaire about pain before and after hysterectomy was combined with data from the Danish Hysterectomy Database. Chronic postoperative pain was described by 32%, and the identified risk factors were preoperative pelvic pain, previous cesarean section, other pain problems and pain as an indication for hysterectomy. Spinal anesthesia was associated with a decreased risk of having pain after one year. The type of surgery (i.e. abdominal or vaginal hysterectomy) did not influence chronic pain. The prospective paper included 90 women referred for a hysterectomy on benign indication. The tests were performed before, on day 1, and 4 months after surgery and included questionnaires about pain, coping, and quality of life together with quantitative sensory testing of pain thresholds. Seventeen percent had pain after 4 months, and the risk factors were preoperative pain problems elsewhere and a high intensity of acute postoperative pain. Type of surgery was not a risk factor. Preoperative brush-evoked allodynia, pinprick hyperalgesia, and vaginal pain threshold were associated with a high

  12. Knee Pain during Strength Training Shortly following Fast-Track Total Knee Arthroplasty

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bandholm, Thomas; Thorborg, Kristian; Lunn, Troels Haxholdt

    2014-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Loading and contraction failure (muscular exhaustion) are strength training variables known to influence neural activation of the exercising muscle in healthy subjects, which may help reduce neural inhibition of the quadriceps muscle following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). It is unkn......BACKGROUND: Loading and contraction failure (muscular exhaustion) are strength training variables known to influence neural activation of the exercising muscle in healthy subjects, which may help reduce neural inhibition of the quadriceps muscle following total knee arthroplasty (TKA......). It is unknown how these exercise variables influence knee pain after TKA. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of loading and contraction failure on knee pain during strength training, shortly following TKA. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Consecutive sample of patients from the Copenhagen area, Denmark...... TKA. However, only the increase in pain during repetitions to contraction failure exceeded that defined as clinically relevant, and was very short-lived. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01729520....

  13. ESRD QIP - Pain Assessment and Follow-up - Payment Year 2018

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — This dataset includes facility details, measure score, and the state and national average measure scores for the pain assessment and follow up reporting measure...

  14. CHANGES IN PAIN PERCEPTION IN WOMEN DURING AND FOLLOWING AN EXHAUSTIVE INCREMENTAL CYCLING EXERCISE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel G. Drury

    2005-09-01

    Full Text Available Exercise has been found to alter pain sensitivity with a hypoalgesic response (i.e., diminished sensitivity to pain typically reported during and/or following high intensity exercise. Most of this research, however, has involved the testing of men. Thus, the purpose of the following investigation was to examine changes in pain perception in women during and following exercise. Seventeen healthy female subjects (age 20.47±.87; VO2 peak 36.77± 4.95 volunteered to undergo pain assessment prior to, during, and after a graded exhaustive VO2 peak cycling challenge. Heart Rate (HR and Oxygen Uptake (VO2 were monitored along with electro-diagnostic assessments of Pain Threshold (PT and Pain Tolerance (PTOL at: 1 baseline (B, 2 during exercise (i.e., 120 Watts, 3 at exhaustive intensity (VO2 peak, and 4 10 minutes into recovery (R. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA to determine differences across trials. Significant differences in PT and PTOL were found across trials (PT, p = 0.0043; PTOL p = 0.0001. Post hoc analyses revealed that PT were significantly elevated at VO2 peak in comparison to B (p = 0.007, 120 Watts (p = 0.0178 and R (p = 0.0072. PTOL were found to be significantly elevated at 120 Watts (p = 0.0247, VO2 peak (p < 0.001, and R (p = 0.0001 in comparison to B. In addition, PTOL were found to be significantly elevated at VO2 peak in comparison to 120 Watts (p = 0.0045. It is concluded that exercise-induced hypoalgesia occurs in women during and following exercise, with the hypoalgesic response being most pronounced following exhaustive exercise

  15. Predictors of pain relief following spinal cord stimulation in chronic back and leg pain and failed back surgery syndrome: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, Rod S; Desai, Mehul J; Rigoard, Philippe; Taylor, Rebecca J

    2014-07-01

    We sought to assess the extent to which pain relief in chronic back and leg pain (CBLP) following spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is influenced by patient-related factors, including pain location, and technology factors. A number of electronic databases were searched with citation searching of included papers and recent systematic reviews. All study designs were included. The primary outcome was pain relief following SCS, we also sought pain score (pre- and post-SCS). Multiple predictive factors were examined: location of pain, history of back surgery, initial level of pain, litigation/worker's compensation, age, gender, duration of pain, duration of follow-up, publication year, continent of data collection, study design, quality score, method of SCS lead implant, and type of SCS lead. Between-study association in predictive factors and pain relief were assessed by meta-regression. Seventy-four studies (N = 3,025 patients with CBLP) met the inclusion criteria; 63 reported data to allow inclusion in a quantitative analysis. Evidence of substantial statistical heterogeneity (P regression analysis showed no predictive patient or technology factors. SCS was effective in reducing pain irrespective of the location of CBLP. This review supports SCS as an effective pain relieving treatment for CBLP with predominant leg pain with or without a prior history of back surgery. Randomized controlled trials need to confirm the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of SCS in the CLBP population with predominant low back pain. © 2013 The Authors Pain Practice Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of World Institute of Pain.

  16. Whose pain is it anyway? Comparability of pain reports from children and their parents

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kamper, S. J.; Dissing, K. B.; Hestbaek, L.

    2015-01-01

    predictor of pain in adulthood. Musculoskeletal pain in children thereby represents a substantial societal problem, worthy of further investigation. Clinical assessment of children's health conditions necessarily involves interaction with both children and their parents. This situation introduces complexity...... report. Purpose: To assess the degree of agreement between parents' report of their child's pain and the child's own assessment. Methods: Data were collected as part of a larger cohort study investigating the health of Danish school children. The study sample included 354 child-parent pairs who were...... independently asked whether the child had experienced musculoskeletal pain in the previous week. The children were between the ages of 10 and 14 years old. Parents provided answers via text message and children were questioned in person at their school. Crosstabulations were presented to assess the concordance...

  17. Immediate Postoperative Pain Scores Predict Neck Pain Profile up to 1 Year Following Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adogwa, Owoicho; Elsamadicy, Aladine A; Vuong, Victoria D; Mehta, Ankit I; Vasquez, Raul A; Cheng, Joseph; Bagley, Carlos A; Karikari, Isaac O

    2018-05-01

    Retrospective cohort review. To assess whether immediate postoperative neck pain scores accurately predict 12-month visual analog scale-neck pain (VAS-NP) outcomes following Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion surgery (ACDF). This was a retrospective study of 82 patients undergoing elective ACDF surgery at a major academic medical center. Patient reported outcomes measures VAS-NP scores were recorded on the first postoperative day, then at 6-weeks, 3, 6, and 12-months after surgery. Multivariate correlation and logistic regression methods were utilized to determine whether immediate postoperative VAS-NP score accurately predicted 1-year patient reported VAS-NP Scores. Overall, 46.3% male, 25.6% were smokers, and the mean age and body mass index (BMI) were 53.7 years and 28.28 kg/m 2 , respectively. There were significant correlations between immediate postoperative pain scores and neck pain scores at 6 weeks VAS-NP ( P = .0015), 6 months VAS-NP ( P = .0333), and 12 months VAS-NP ( P = .0247) after surgery. Furthermore, immediate postoperative pain score is an independent predictor of 6 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year VAS-NP scores. Our study suggests that immediate postoperative patient reported neck pain scores accurately predicts and correlates with 12-month VAS-NP scores after an ACDF procedure. Patients with high neck pain scores after surgery are more likely to report persistent neck pain 12 months after index surgery.

  18. Post-trauma ratings of pre-collision pain and psychological distress predict poor outcome following acute whiplash trauma: A 12-month follow-up study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Carstensen, Tina

    2008-01-01

    emergency departments or primary care after car accidents in four counties in Denmark. After the collision patients received a questionnaire on psychological distress, unspecified pain and socio-demographics and 12months later a follow-up on work capability and neck pain was performed. Risk factors were...... were not associated with poor outcome. In conclusion unspecified as opposed to specified pain (neck pain) before the collision is associated with poor recovery and high accumulation of pre-collision psychological distress is associated with considerable neck pain at follow-up. However, no conclusions...... on causality can be drawn. Personal characteristics before the collision are important for recovery and attention to pre-collision characteristics may contribute to the prevention of poor recovery after acute whiplash trauma....

  19. Post-trauma ratings of pre-collision pain and psychological distress predict poor outcome following acute whiplash trauma: A 12-month follow-up study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Carstensen, Tina; Frostholm, Lisbeth; Ørnbøl, Eva

    2008-01-01

    emergency departments or primary care after car accidents in four counties in Denmark. After the collision patients received a questionnaire on psychological distress, unspecified pain and socio-demographics and 12 months later a follow-up on work capability and neck pain was performed. Risk factors were...... of accident were not associated with poor outcome. In conclusion unspecified as opposed to specified pain (neck pain) before the collision is associated with poor recovery and high accumulation of pre-collision psychological distress is associated with considerable neck pain at follow-up. However......, no conclusions on causality can be drawn. Personal characteristics before the collision are important for recovery and attention to pre-collision characteristics may contribute to the prevention of poor recovery after acute whiplash trauma....

  20. Following the clues to neuropathic pain. Distribution and other leads reveal the cause and the treatment approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belgrade, M J

    1999-11-01

    Neuropathic pain can seem enigmatic at first because it can last indefinitely and often a cause is not evident. However, heightened awareness of typical characteristics, such as the following, makes identification fairly easy: The presence of certain accompanying conditions (e.g., diabetes, HIV or herpes zoster infection, multiple sclerosis) Pain described as shooting, stabbing, lancinating, burning, or searing Pain worse at night Pain following anatomic nerve distribution Pain in a numb or insensate site The presence of allodynia Neuropathic pain responds poorly to standard pain therapies and usually requires specialized medications (e.g., anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants, opioid analgesics) for optimal control. Successful pain control is enhanced with use of a systematic approach consisting of disease modification, local or regional measures, and systemic therapy.

  1. A Comprehensive Examination of Changes in Psychological Flexibility Following Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Chronic Pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, Whitney; Hann, Katie E J; McCracken, Lance M

    Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for chronic pain aims to improve patient functioning by fostering greater psychological flexibility. While promising, ACT treatment process research in the context of chronic pain so far has only focused on a few of the processes of psychological flexibility. Therefore, this study aimed to more comprehensively examine changes in processes of psychological flexibility following an ACT-based treatment for chronic pain, and to examine change in these processes in relation to improvements in patient functioning. Individuals with chronic pain attending an interdisciplinary ACT-based rehabilitation program completed measures of pain, functioning, depression, pain acceptance, cognitive fusion, decentering, and committed action at pre- and post-treatment and during a nine-month follow-up. Significant improvements were observed from pre- to post-treatment and pre-treatment to follow-up on each of the treatment outcome and process variables. Regression analyses indicated that change in psychological flexibility processes cumulatively explained 6-27 % of the variance in changes in functioning and depression over both assessment periods, even after controlling for changes in pain intensity. Further research is needed to maximize the effectiveness of ACT for chronic pain, and to determine whether larger improvements in the processes of psychological flexibility under study will produce better patient outcomes, as predicted by the psychological flexibility model.

  2. Movement does not promote recovery of motor output following acute experimental muscle pain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schabrun, Siobhan M.; Palsson, Thorvaldur Skuli; Thapa, Tribikram

    2018-01-01

    Objective.:  To examine the effect of motor activity on the magnitude and duration of altered corticomotor output following experimental muscle pain. Design. : Experimental, pre-post test. Setting. : University laboratory. Subjects. : Twenty healthy individuals. Methods.:  Participants were rando....... Understanding corticomotor depression in the postpain period and what factors promote recovery has relevance for clinical pain syndromes where ongoing motor dysfunction, in the absence of pain, may predispose to symptom persistence or recurrence....

  3. Is heat pain detection threshold associated with the area of secondary hyperalgesia following brief thermal sensitization?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Morten Sejer; Wetterslev, Jørn; Pipper, Christian Bressen

    2016-01-01

    role in the development of secondary hyperalgesia; however, a possible association of secondary hyperalgesia following brief thermal sensitization and other heat pain models remains unknown. Our aim with this study is to investigate how close the heat pain detection threshold is associated...... with the size of the area of secondary hyperalgesia induced by the clinical heat pain model: Brief thermal sensitization. METHODS AND DESIGN: We aim to include 120 healthy participants. The participants will be tested on two separate study days with the following procedures: i) Brief thermal sensitization, ii......) heat pain detection threshold and iii) pain during thermal stimulation. Additionally, the participants will be tested with the Pain Catastrophizing Scale and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale questionnaires. We conducted statistical simulations based on data from our previous study, to estimate...

  4. Pain and Disability in the Jaw and Neck Region following Whiplash Trauma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Häggman-Henrikson, B; Lampa, E; Marklund, S; Wänman, A

    2016-09-01

    The relationship between whiplash trauma and chronic orofacial pain is unclear, especially with regard to the time elapsed from trauma to development of orofacial pain. The aim was to analyze prevalence of jaw pain and disability, as well as the relationship between pain and disability in the jaw and neck regions in the early nonchronic stage after whiplash trauma. In this case-control study, 70 individuals (40 women, 30 men, mean age 35.5 y) who visited an emergency department with neck pain following a car accident were examined within 3 wk of trauma (group 1) and compared with 70 individuals (42 women, 28 men, mean age 33.8 y), who declined to attend a clinical examination but agreed to fill in questionnaires (group 2). The 2 case groups were compared with a matched control group of 70 individuals (42 women, 28 men, mean age 37.6 y) without a history of neck trauma. All participants completed questionnaires regarding jaw pain and dysfunction, rating pain intensity in jaw and neck regions on the Numerical Rating Scale, the Neck Disability Index, and Jaw Disability Checklist. Compared with controls, individuals with a recent whiplash trauma reported more jaw pain and dysfunction. Furthermore, there was a moderate positive correlation between jaw and neck pain ratings for group 1 (r = 0.61, P whiplash trauma report more jaw pain and disability compared with controls without a history of neck trauma. Furthermore, the correlation between jaw and neck pain intensity implies that intensity of neck pain in the acute stage after whiplash trauma might be a possible risk factor also for development of chronic orofacial pain. © International & American Associations for Dental Research 2016.

  5. Functional abdominal pain syndrome in morbidly obese patients following laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eidy, Mohammad; Pazouki, Abdolreza; Raygan, Fahimeh; Ariyazand, Yazdan; Pishgahroudsari, Mohadeseh; Jesmi, Fatemeh

    2014-03-01

    Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGBP) is one of the most common bariatric surgeries, which is being performed using various techniques like gastrojejunostomy by hand swen, linear or circular stapler. Abdominal pain is a common complaint following laparoscopic gastric bypass procedure (LGBP), which has different aetiologies, such as overeating, adhesion, internal herniation, bile reflux and many more. In this study LGBP was performed in an ante-colic ante-gastric pattern in a double loop manner and the prevalence and distribution of pain in morbidly obese patients undergoing LGBP was assessed. The aim of this study was to analyze the distribution and frequency of post LGBP pain in morbidly obese patients. This study was performed on 190 morbidly obese patients referred to Hazrat Rasoul Hospital in Tehran. After LGBP, pain was measured in the following intervals: 24 hours, one week and one month after the operation. Before the operation onset, 2 mg Keflin and 5000 IU subcutaneous heparin were administered as prophylaxis. LGBP was performed using five ports including: one 11 mm port was placed 15-20 cm far from the xiphoid, one 12-mm port in mid-clavicular line at the level of camera port, one 5-mm port in subcostal area in ante-axillary region in the left, another 5-mm port in the right mid-clavicular area and a 5-mm port in sub-xyphoid. All operations were done by the same team. Staple was used for all anastomoses and hand sewn technique to close the staple insertion site. The mesenteric defect was left open and no effort was made to repair it. The results of this study showed that 99.94 % of the patients had complains of pain in the first 24 hours of post operation, about 60% after one week and 29.5 % still had pain after one month. In addition, left upper quadrant (LUQ) was found to be the most prevalent site for the pain in 53.7% of the patients in the first 24 hours, 59.6% after one week and 16.8% after one month (except for obscure pain) with a significance

  6. Systemic Exercise-Induced Hypoalgesia Following Isometric Exercise Reduces Conditioned Pain Modulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alsouhibani, Ali; Vaegter, Henrik Bjarke; Hoeger Bement, Marie

    2018-04-03

    Physically active individuals show greater conditioned pain modulation (CPM) compared with less active individuals. Understanding the effects of acute exercise on CPM may allow for a more targeted use of exercise in the management of pain. This study investigated the effects of acute isometric exercise on CPM. In addition, the between-session and within-session reliability of CPM was investigated. Experimental, randomized crossover study. Laboratory at Marquette University. Thirty healthy adults (19.3±1.5 years, 15 males). Subjects underwent CPM testing before and after isometric exercise (knee extension, 30% maximum voluntary contraction for three minutes) and quiet rest in two separate experimental sessions. Pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) at the quadriceps and upper trapezius muscles were assessed before, during, and after ice water immersions. PPTs increased during ice water immersion (i.e., CPM), and quadriceps PPT increased after exercise (P CPM decreased similarly following exercise and quiet rest (P > 0.05). CPM within-session reliability was fair to good (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.43-0.70), and the between-session reliability was poor (ICC = 0.20-0.35). Due to the variability in the systemic exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH) response, participants were divided into systemic EIH responders (N = 9) and nonresponders (N = 21). EIH responders experienced attenuated CPM following exercise (P = 0.03), whereas the nonresponders showed no significant change (P > 0.05). Isometric exercise decreased CPM in individuals who reported systemic EIH, suggesting activation of shared mechanisms between CPM and systemic EIH responses. These results may improve the understanding of increased pain after exercise in patients with chronic pain and potentially attenuated CPM.

  7. Quantitative Sensory Testing and Current Perception Threshold Testing in Patients With Chronic Pain Following Lower Extremity Fracture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Griffioen, Mari A; Greenspan, Joel D; Johantgen, Meg; Von Rueden, Kathryn; O'Toole, Robert V; Dorsey, Susan G; Renn, Cynthia L

    2018-01-01

    Chronic pain is a significant problem for patients with lower extremity injuries. While pain hypersensitivity has been identified in many chronic pain conditions, it is not known whether patients with chronic pain following lower extremity fracture report pain hypersensitivity in the injured leg. To quantify and compare peripheral somatosensory function and sensory nerve activation thresholds in persons with chronic pain following lower extremity fractures with a cohort of persons with no history of lower extremity fractures. This was a cross-sectional study where quantitative sensory testing and current perception threshold testing were conducted on the injured and noninjured legs of cases and both legs of controls. A total of 14 cases and 28 controls participated in the study. Mean time since injury at the time of testing for cases was 22.3 (standard deviation = 12.1) months. The warmth detection threshold ( p = .024) and nerve activation thresholds at 2,000 Hz ( p sensory nerve function at the site of injury in patients with chronic pain following lower extremity fractures using quantitative sensory testing and current perception threshold testing.

  8. Differential Diagnoses for Persistent Pain Following Root Canal Treatment: A Study in the National Dental PBRN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nixdorf, Donald R.; Law, Alan S.; John, Mike T.; Sobieh, Radwa M.; Kohli, Richie; Nguyen, Ruby H.N.

    2015-01-01

    Introduction Pain present 6 months following root canal treatment (RCT) may be either of odontogenic or nonodontogenic origin. This is importance because treatments and prognoses are different; therefore the aim of this study was to provide specific diagnoses of patients reporting pain 6 months after receiving initial orthograde RCT. Methods We enrolled patients from the Midwest region of an existing prospective observational study of pain after RCT. Pain at 6 months was defined as ≥1 day of pain and average pain intensity of at least 1/10 over the preceding month. An Endodontist and an Orofacial Pain practitioner independently performed clinical evaluations, which included periapical and cone-beam CT radiographs, to determine diagnoses. Results Thirty-eight out of the 354 eligible patients in the geographic area (11%) met the pain criteria, with 19 (50%) consenting to be clinically evaluated. As the sole reason for pain, 7 patients (37%) were given odontogenic diagnoses (4 involving the RCT tooth, 3 involving an adjacent tooth). Eight patients (42%) were given nonodontogenic pain diagnoses (7 from referred temporomandibular disorder (TMD) pain, 1 from persistent dentoalveolar pain disorder (PDAP)). Two patients (11%) had both odontogenic and nonodontogenic diagnoses, while 2 (11%) no longer fit the pain criteria at the time of the clinical evaluation. Conclusion Patients reporting “tooth” pain 6 months following RCT had a nonodontogenic pain diagnosis accounting for some of this pain, with TMD being the most frequent nonodonotgenic diagnosis. Dentists should have the necessary knowledge to differentiate between these diagnoses to adequately manage their patients. PMID:25732400

  9. Incidence of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome I Following Foot and Ankle Fractures Using the Budapest Criteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bullen, Michael; Lang, Coran; Tran, Phong

    2016-12-01

    OBJECTIVE : Fractures are a well-recognized inciting event in the development of complex regional pain syndrome. This study aimed to prospectively determine the incidence of complex regional pain syndrome following foot and ankle fractures. METHODS : A prospective study was conducted of patients presenting to two metropolitan hospitals with plain radiograph diagnosis of fractures to the foot or ankle. Patients were initially screened by phone 3 months after injury using the validated International Association for the Study of Pain Budapest criteria. Patients who fulfilled the screening criteria were then physically examined by a pain specialist to assess clinical signs as part of the Budapest criteria. RESULTS : A total of 306 consecutive eligible patients were included. One hundred and ten patients reported at least one symptom of complex regional pain syndrome; however, only three fulfilled the minimum requirements to necessitate clinical review. Of these three, only one patient fulfilled the combination of symptom and sign criteria for a positive diagnosis according to the validated Budapest criteria. The incidence of complex regional pain syndrome following foot and ankle fracture in this study was 0.3%. CONCLUSION : Although many patients may experience vasomotor, sensory, and sudomotor disturbance following a fracture to the foot and ankle, the observed incidence of complex regional pain syndrome using a prospectively collected validated criteria is significantly lower than previously published. © 2016 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  10. Management of chronic symphysis pubis pain following child birth with spinal cord stimulator.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Idrees, Ahsan

    2012-01-01

    The case of a 39 year old woman who had diastasis of pubic symphysis following childbirth and later developed severe chronic neuropathic pain and disability is presented. She received extensive surgical and medical treatment for 6 years with no improvement of symptoms. The VNRS (Visual Numerical Rating Scale) pain score was 7\\/10 or more most of the time. This was quite disabling in terms of her quality of life. A spinal cord stimulator was inserted after failure of other modalities of pain management which resulted in dramatic improvement in the quality of life measured with SF-36 questionnaire. Her pain score became 0\\/10 VNRS and she was free from opioids and psychotropic medications within 3 months post insertion. Spinal cord stimulator can be considered for the management of pain due to diastasis of pubic symphysis, not amenable to other therapies.

  11. Assessment and exercise in low back pain. With special reference to the management of pain and disability following first time lumbar disc surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manniche, C

    1995-09-01

    Eight articles including 555 low back pain patients have been published. They included the following topics: 1) A ratio interval rating scale (Low Back Pain Rating Scale (RS)) was introduced. The possibility of registering the actual status in low back pain patients including; Back Pain, Sciatica, Functional Disability and Physical Impairment was studied. Methods of evaluating index-scales developed in the field of psychometry were applied in the validation process of RS. RS was found to be both valid and user friendly. 2) Using Low Back Pain Rating Scale the general outcome following first-time lumbar disc surgery was analysed through a survey. The results showed that more than half of the patients still suffered from considerable Back Pain, Sciatica, and Functional Disabilities. Approximately 25% of the patients risked reduced work capabilities, and many receive pensions. 3) By means of a comprehensive statistical analysis of 18 studied preoperative demographic and physical findings, sex, hypoalgesia, smoking and Finneson-index were found to have prognostic value. 4) Attempts at influencing the results obtained from lumbar disc surgery have been tested in 3 randomized trials, including back training and peroperative glucocorticoid administration. 5) Three randomized trials including patients suffering from chronic low back pain (with or without previous lumbar disc surgery) attempted to convey which elements of a training programme provide patients with the greatest effect and the least risk of side-effects. It was concluded that Low Back Pain Rating Scale is a useable assessment instrument in both clinical trials and as a daily quality control instrument of back patients. There is a need of increased patient scrutiny in patient selection prior to lumbar disc surgery. Postoperative rehabilitation should include intensive back training, which has been shown to be of value in behavioural support and restoration of functional deficits. This has resulted in increased

  12. Persistent pelvic pain following transvaginal mesh surgery: a cause for mesh removal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marcus-Braun, Naama; Bourret, Antoine; von Theobald, Peter

    2012-06-01

    Persistent pelvic pain after vaginal mesh surgery is an uncommon but serious complication that greatly affects women's quality of life. Our aim was to evaluate various procedures for mesh removal performed at a tertiary referral center in cases of persistent pelvic pain, and to evaluate the ensuing complications and outcomes. A retrospective study was conducted at the University Hospital of Caen, France, including all patients treated for removal or section of vaginal mesh due to pelvic pain as a primary cause, between January 2004 and September 2009. Ten patients met the inclusion criteria. Patients were diagnosed between 10 months and 3 years after their primary operation. Eight cases followed suburethral sling procedures and two followed mesh surgery for pelvic organ prolapse. Patients presented with obturator neuralgia (6), pudendal neuralgia (2), dyspareunia (1), and non-specific pain (1). The surgical treatment to release the mesh included: three cases of extra-peritoneal laparoscopy, four cases of complete vaginal mesh removal, one case of partial mesh removal and two cases of section of the suburethral sling. In all patients with obturator neuralgia, symptoms were resolved or improved, whereas in both cases of pudendal neuralgia the symptoms continued. There were no intra-operative complications. Post-operative Retzius hematoma was observed in one patient after laparoscopy. Mesh removal in a tertiary center is a safe procedure, necessary in some cases of persistent pelvic pain. Obturator neuralgia seems to be easier to treat than pudendal neuralgia. Early diagnosis is the key to success in prevention of chronic disease. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Physiological Indices of Stress Prior to and Following Total Knee Arthroplasty Predict the Occurrence of Severe Post-Operative Pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cremeans-Smith, Julie K; Greene, Kenneth; Delahanty, Douglas L

    2016-05-01

    The severe pain and disability associated with osteoarthritis often motivate individuals to undergo arthroplastic surgery. However, a significant number of surgical patients continue to experience pain following surgery. Prior research has implicated both the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) in the sensitization of pain receptors and chronic pain conditions. This study uses a prospective, observational, cohort design to examine whether physiological stress responses before and after surgery could predict post-operative pain severity. Participants included 110 patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. Physiological indices of stress included the measurement of catecholamine and cortisol levels in 15-hour urine samples collected prior to and 1 month following surgery, as well as in-hospital heart rate and blood pressure (before and after surgery), which were abstracted from medical records. Patients completed the pain subscale of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) [Bellamy et al., J Orthop Rheumatol 1: , 95 (1988)] 2.5 weeks prior to surgery and at a 3-month follow-up. Contrary to expectations, lower stress hormone levels at baseline were related to more severe post-operative pain. Data at later time points, however, supported our hypothesis: cardiovascular tone shortly before surgery and urinary levels of epinephrine 1 month following surgery were positively related to pain severity 3 months later. Results suggest that the occurrence of post-operative pain can be predicted on the basis of stress physiology prior to and following arthroplastic surgery. © 2015 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  14. Bone scanning in patients with low back pain following minimal trauma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weidinger, W.; Hatzl-Griesenhofer, M.; Pichler, R.; Huber, H.; Maschek, W.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: Low back pain following minimal trauma may be caused by insufficiency fracture of the sacrum, which is often radiographically occult. Bone scintigraphy is a method of reference for the diagnosis; the results have been analyzed retrospectively. Bone scintigraphy was done on 228 patients treated by the departments of orthopedics at the General Hospital Linz. Predominantly after (minor) trauma, they suffered from lower back pain and their conventional radiographic findings were negative. During a 24 month period, a sacral insufficiency fracture was diagnosed in 68 patients (29,8 %). H-shaped hyperfixation of the tracer - described as typical - was present in only 12 % of the gases. Tracer accumulation was found as follows: located uni/bilateral in the sacral wings (39 % / 9 %), horizontal (31 %) and half H-shaped (9 %). In the majority of the gases bone scan detected farther fractures with main localization in the pubic bones, in the spine and the ribs. The insufficiency fracture of the sacrum as cause of lower back pain is not uncommon, especially in postmenopausal women with risk factors. Bone scintigraphy is not only an adequate procedure for the detection of often radiographically occult sacral fractures, but also an easy method to reveal the often concomitand fractures. (author)

  15. Neuropathic pain prevalence following spinal cord injury: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burke, D; Fullen, B M; Stokes, D; Lennon, O

    2017-01-01

    Following spinal cord injury (SCI), chronic pain is a common secondary complication with neuropathic pain (NP) cited as one of the most distressing and debilitating conditions leading to poor quality of life, depression and sleep disturbances. Neuropathic pain presenting at or below the level of injury is largely refractory to current pharmacological and physical treatments. No consensus on the prevalence of NP post SCI currently exists, hence this systematic review was undertaken. The review comprised three phases: a methodological assessment of databases [PubMed, Embase, Web of Knowledge, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane Library and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro)] identifying potential papers and screening for inclusion criteria by two independent reviewers; data extraction; and finally rating of internal validity and strength of the evidence, using a published valid and reliable scale. Meta-analysis estimated pooled point prevalence rates using a random effects model. In total, 17 studies involving 2529 patients were included in the review. Overall point prevalence rates for NP were established at 53% (38.58-67.47); 19% (13.26-26.39) for at-level NP and 27% (19.89-34.61) for below-level NP, with high heterogeneity noted (I 2  = 84-93%). Prevalence rates for NP following SCI are high. Future studies should include established definitions, classification systems and assessment tools for NP at defined time points post SCI to follow the trajectory of this problem across the lifespan and include indices of sleep, mood and interference to allow for appropriate, optimal and timely NP management for each patient. WHAT DOES THIS REVIEW ADD?: This is the first systematic review and meta-analysis to record pooled point prevalence of neuropathic pain post spinal cord injury at 53%. Additional pooled analysis shows that neuropathic pain is more common below the level of lesion, in patients with tetraplegia, older patients

  16. Time to significant pain reduction following DETP application vs placebo for acute soft tissue injuries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yanchick, J; Magelli, M; Bodie, J; Sjogren, J; Rovati, S

    2010-08-01

    Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) provide fast and effective acute pain relief, but systemic administration has increased risk for some adverse reactions. The diclofenac epolamine 1.3% topical patch (DETP) is a topical NSAID with demonstrated safety and efficacy in treatment of acute pain from minor soft tissue injuries. Significant pain reduction has been observed in clinical trials within several hours following DETP application, suggesting rapid pain relief; however, this has not been extensively studied for topical NSAIDs in general. This retrospective post-hoc analysis examined time to onset of significant pain reduction after DETP application compared to a placebo patch for patients with mild-to-moderate acute ankle sprain, evaluating the primary efficacy endpoint from two nearly identical studies. Data from two double-blind, randomized, parallel-group, placebo-controlled studies (N = 274) of safety and efficacy of the DETP applied once daily for 7 days for acute ankle sprain were evaluated post-hoc using statistical modeling to estimate time to onset of significant pain reduction following DETP application. Pain on active movement on a 100 mm Visual Analog Scale (VAS) recorded in patient diaries; physician- and patient-assessed tolerability; and adverse events. DETP treatment resulted in significant pain reduction within approximately 3 hours compared to placebo. Within-treatment post-hoc analysis based on a statistical model suggested significant pain reduction occurred as early as 1.27 hours for the DETP group. The study may have been limited by the retrospective nature of the analyses. In both studies, the DETP was well tolerated with few adverse events, limited primarily to application site skin reactions. The DETP is an effective treatment for acute minor soft tissue injury, providing pain relief as rapidly as 1.27 hours post-treatment. Statistical modeling may be useful in estimating time to onset of pain relief for comparison of topical

  17. Chronic abdominal pain in long-term spinal cord injury: a follow-up study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Steffen D; Faaborg, Pia Møller; Christensen, Peter

    2017-01-01

    for at least 10 years; 203 of them responded. An almost identical questionnaire including questions on intensity and interference of pain within the past 7 days, as well as descriptors and treatment, was sent to the 178 surviving members in 2015. Of 130 (73%) responders, 125 answered the question on chronic...... abdominal pain. The mean time since injury was 30.5 (9.8) years. Chronic abdominal pain or discomfort was reported by 32.8% (41/125), and 23% (29/125) of responders had been at least moderately bothered by this in the past week. Abdominal pain or discomfort was more common in women and in those with self...... it at both time points with a similar intensity. CONCLUSION: Chronic abdominal pain or discomfort is common and bothersome in long-term SCI. It has a late onset, but the prevalence and severity do not seem to further increase between 20 and 30 years following SCI....

  18. Neck pain and anxiety do not always go together

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Myburgh, Corrie; Roessler, Kirsten K; Larsen, Anders H

    2010-01-01

    ABSTRACT: Chronic pain and psychosocial distress are generally thought to be associated in chronic musculoskeletal disorders such as non-specific neck pain. However, it is unclear whether a raised level of anxiety is necessarily a feature of longstanding, intense pain amongst patient and general...... population sub-groups. In a cohort of 70 self-selected female, non-specific neck pain sufferers, we observed relatively high levels of self-reported pain of 4.46 (measured on the 11 point numerical pain rating scale (NRS-101)) and a longstanding duration of symptoms (156 days/year). However, the mean anxiety...... scores observed (5.49), fell well below the clinically relevant threshold of 21 required by the Beck Anxiety Inventory. The cohort was stratified to further distinguish individuals with higher pain intensity (NRS>6) and longer symptom duration (>90 days). Although a highly statistically significant...

  19. Liposomal bupivacaine decreases pain following retropubic sling placement: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazloomdoost, Donna; Pauls, Rachel N; Hennen, Erin N; Yeung, Jennifer Y; Smith, Benjamin C; Kleeman, Steven D; Crisp, Catrina C

    2017-11-01

    Midurethral slings are commonly used to treat stress urinary incontinence. Pain control, however, may be a concern. Liposomal bupivacaine is a local anesthetic with slow release over 72 hours, demonstrated to lower pain scores and decrease narcotic use postoperatively. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of liposomal bupivacaine on pain scores and narcotic consumption following retropubic midurethral sling placement. This randomized, placebo-controlled trial enrolled women undergoing retropubic midurethral sling procedures with or without concomitant anterior or urethrocele repair. Subjects were allocated to receive liposomal bupivacaine (intervention) or normal saline placebo injected into the trocar paths and vaginal incision at the conclusion of the procedure. At the time of drug administration, surgeons became unblinded, but did not collect outcome data. Participants remained blinded to treatment. Surgical procedures and perioperative care were standardized. The primary outcome was the visual analog scale pain score 4 hours after discharge home. Secondary outcomes included narcotic consumption, time to first bowel movement, and pain scores collected in the mornings and evenings until postoperative day 6. The morning pain item assessed "current level of pain"; the evening items queried "current level of pain," "most intense pain today," "average pain today with activity," and "average pain today with rest." Likert scales were used to measure satisfaction with pain control at 1- and 2-week postoperative intervals. Sample size calculation deemed 52 subjects per arm necessary to detect a mean difference of 10 mm on a 100-mm visual analog scale. To account for 10% drop out, 114 participants were needed. One hundred fourteen women were enrolled. After 5 exclusions, 109 cases were analyzed: 54 women received intervention, and 55 women received placebo. Mean participant age was 52 years, and mean body mass index was 30.4 kg/m 2 . Surgical and

  20. The effects of healing touch on pain, nausea, and anxiety following bariatric surgery: a pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Joel G; Suchicital, Liliana; Lang, Maria; Kukic, Azra; Mangione, Lucrezia; Swengros, Diane; Fabian, Jennifer; Friesen, Mary Ann

    2015-01-01

    Given the growth in the number of bariatric surgeries, it is important for healthcare practitioners to maximize symptom management for these patients, including the option of complementary therapies such as Healing Touch. A quasi-experimental study was conducted to determine the feasibility of a Healing Touch intervention for reducing pain, nausea, and anxiety in patients undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery. Following surgery, a nurse administered the Healing Touch intervention once daily. Study participants reported levels of pain, nausea, and anxiety immediately before and after the Healing Touch intervention using separate numeric rating scales. Significant decreases in pain, nausea, and anxiety were observed immediately following the intervention on post-operative days one and two, and in pain and anxiety on post-operative day three compared with pre-intervention levels. These findings indicate that the Healing Touch intervention is feasible and acceptable to patients undergoing bariatric surgery, and significantly improved pain, nausea, and anxiety in these patients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Words that describe chronic musculoskeletal pain: implications for assessing pain quality across cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Saurab; Pathak, Anupa; Jensen, Mark P

    2016-01-01

    People from different cultures who speak different languages may experience pain differently. This possible variability has important implications for evaluating the validity of pain quality measures that are directly translated into different languages without cultural adaptations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of language and culture on the validity of pain quality measures by comparing the words that individuals with chronic pain from Nepal use to describe their pain with those used by patients from the USA. A total of 101 individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain in Nepal were asked to describe their pain. The rates of the different pain descriptor domains and phrases used by the Nepali sample were then compared to the published rates of descriptors used by patients from the USA. The content validity of commonly used measures for assessing pain quality was then evaluated. While there was some similarity between patients from Nepal and the USA in how they describe pain, there were also important differences, especially in how pain quality was described. For example, many patients from Nepal used metaphors to describe their pain. Also, the patients from Nepal often used a category of pain descriptor - which describes a physical state - not used by patients from the USA. Only the original McGill Pain Questionnaire was found to have content validity for assessing pain quality in patients from Nepal, although other existing pain quality measures could be adapted to be content valid by adding one or two additional descriptors, depending on the measure in question. The findings indicate that direct translations of measures that are developed using samples of patients from one country or culture are not necessarily content valid for use in other countries or cultures; some adaptations may be required in order for such measures to be most useful in new language and culture.

  2. Hip fractures and pain following proton therapy for management of prostate cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valery, Raul; Mendenhall, Nancy P.; Nichols, Romaine C. Jr.; Henderson, Randal; Morris, Christopher G.; Su, Zhong; Li, Zuofeng; Hoppe, Bradford S.; Mendenhall, William M.; Williams, Christopher R.

    2013-01-01

    Background: Proton therapy (PT) for prostate cancer reduces rectal and bladder dose, but increases dose to the femoral necks. We assessed the risk of hip fracture and pain in men treated with PT for prostate cancer. Material and methods: From 2006 to 2008, 382 men were treated for prostate cancer and evaluated at six-month intervals after PT for toxicities at Univ. of Florida Proton Therapy Institute (UFPTI). The WHO Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) generated annual hip-fracture risk for the cohort. The WHO FRAX tool was utilized to generate the expected number of patients with hip fractures and the observed-to-expected ratio; confidence intervals and p-value were generated with the mid-P exact test. Univariate analysis of hip pain as a function of several prognostic factors was accomplished with Fisher's exact test. Results. Median follow-up was four years (range, 0.1-5.5 years). Per FRAX, 3.02 patients were expected to develop a hip fracture without PT. Three PT patients actually developed fractures for a rate of 0.21 fractures per 100 person-years of follow-up. There was an observed-expected ratio of 0.99 (p-value not significant). Forty-eight patients (13%) reported new pain in the hip during follow-up; three required prescription analgesics. Conclusion. PT for prostate cancer did not increase hip-fractures in the first four years after PT compared to expected rates in untreated men

  3. A Systematic Review of Early Prognostic Factors for Persistent Pain Following Acute Orthopedic Trauma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fiona J Clay

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Persistent or chronic pain is prevalent in many developed countries, with estimates ranging from 10% to higher than 50%, and is a major economic burden to individuals and societies. However, the variation in pain outcomes after acute orthopedic trauma and treatment confronts treating physicians with uncertainty in providing prognostic advice regarding long-term recovery. Although several previous reviews have addressed the determinants of chronic pain outcomes secondary to acute trauma, they have primarily focused on specific injury samples and, furthermore, lack consistency with respect to the important prognostic factors, which limits the generalizability of findings. This review, however, aimed specifically to identify the early prognostic factors associated with variation in persistent pain outcomes following acute orthopedic trauma presenting with a spectrum of pathologies.

  4. Pain profiles in a community dwelling population following spinal cord injury: a national survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burke, Dearbhla; Fullen, Brona M; Lennon, Olive

    2017-07-24

    While as many as 60% of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) develop chronic pain, limited data currently exists on the prevalence and profile of pain post-SCI in community dwelling populations. A cross-sectional population survey. Primary care. Community dwelling adults with SCI. Following ethical approval members registered to a national SCI database (n=1,574) were surveyed. The survey included demographic and SCI characteristics items, the International Spinal Cord Injury Pain Basic Data Set (version 1) the Douleur Neuropathique 4 questionnaire (interview) and questions relating to health care utilisation. Data were entered into the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (version 20) Significance was set P < 0.05 for between group comparisons. In total 643 (41%) surveys were returned with 458 (71%) respondents experiencing pain in the previous week. Neuropathic pain (NP) was indicated in 236 (37%) of responses and nociceptive pain in 206 (32%) Common treatments for pain included medications n=347 (76%) massage n=133 (29%) and heat n=115 (25%). Respondents with NP reported higher pain intensities and increased healthcare service utilisation (P= < 0.001) when compared to those with nociceptive pain presentations. A higher proportion of females than males reported pain (P = 0.003) and NP (P = 0.001) and those unemployed presented with greater NP profiles compared with those in education or employment (P = 0.006). Pain, in particular NP post SCI interferes with daily life, increases health service utilisation and remains refractory to current management strategies. Increased availability of multi-disciplinary pain management and further research into management strategies is warranted.

  5. Pain response of healthy workers following a functional capacity evaluation and implications for clinical interpretation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Soer, Remko; Groothoff, Johan W; Geertzen, Jan H B; van der Schans, Cees; Reesink, David D; Reneman, Michiel F

    BACKGROUND AND AIM: Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCEs) are used to quantify physical aspects of work capacity. Safety is a critical issue for clinical use of an FCE. Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP) are known to report a temporary increase in pain following an FCE, but it is not known

  6. Kinin B1 receptors contributes to acute pain following minor surgery in humans

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brahim Jaime S

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Kinins play an important role in regulation of pain and hyperalgesia after tissue injury and inflammation by activating two types of G-protein-coupled receptors, the kinin B1 and B2 receptors. It is generally accepted that the B2 receptor is constitutively expressed, whereas the B1 receptor is induced in response to inflammation. However, little is known about the regulatory effects of kinin receptors on the onset of acute inflammation and inflammatory pain in humans. The present study investigated the changes in gene expression of kinin receptors and the levels of their endogenous ligands at an early time point following tissue injury and their relation to clinical pain, as well as the effect of COX-inhibition on their expression levels. Results Tissue injury resulted in a significant up-regulation in the gene expression of B1 and B2 receptors at 3 hours post-surgery, the onset of acute inflammatory pain. Interestingly, the up-regulation in the gene expression of B1 and B2 receptors was positively correlated to pain intensity only after ketorolac treatment, signifying an interaction between prostaglandins and kinins in the inflammatory pain process. Further, the gene expression of both B1 and B2 receptors were correlated. Following tissue injury, B1 ligands des-Arg9-BK and des-Arg10-KD were significantly lower at the third hour compared to the first 2 hours in both the placebo and the ketorolac treatment groups but did not differ significantly between groups. Tissue injury also resulted in the down-regulation of TRPV1 gene expression at 3 hours post-surgery with no significant effect by ketorolac treatment. Interestingly, the change in gene expression of TRPV1 was correlated to the change in gene expression of B1 receptor but not B2 receptor. Conclusions These results provide evidence at the transcriptional level in a clinical model of tissue injury that up-regulation of kinin receptors are involved in the development of the

  7. DIAM device for low back pain in degenerative disc disease : 24 months follow-up.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buric, Josip; Pulidori, Massimiliano; Sinan, Tariq; Mehraj, Sheikh

    2011-01-01

    To evaluate the usefulness of the DIAM device in patients affected by low back pain due to degenerative disc disease. Recently a number of interspinous devices for dynamic interspinous distraction-stabilization have entered the clinical practice in Europe. All of these devices have a common property of acting on the posterior part of the functional spinal unit by distracting the spinous processes and avoiding extension of the treated segment. Consequently, these systems seem to improve the cross-sectional area of the thecal sac and enlarge the diameter of the intervertebral foramina. What was found as a collateral observation after implantation of these devices was that those patients affected by low back pain, improved significantly in their pain level. Fifty-two consecutive patients were included in the study. There were 29 females and 23 males, aged between 29 and 77 years (mean 49.4 ± s.d. 12.4). The pre-operative symptom duration ranged from 6 to 84 months (mean 31.8 ± s.d. 20.2, median 24 months).The following diagnostic measures were performed in each patient: MRI, dynamic X-rays and provocative discography positive for pain reproduction.The patients were followed for pain by VAS and for functional status by self-reported Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire. The minimum follow-up was 24 months (24-36). The intermediate follow-up at 6, 12 and 18 months was tested for, too. To determine the number of improved patients we have arbitrarily selected a cut-off criteria based on a ≥30% of improvement as calculated on the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire scale comparing the 24 months values to the baseline values. Forty-six patients (88%) were considered as success and 2 (4%) were considered as failure. No long-term complications were observed. This preliminary report indicates that the DIAM device could possibly be useful in the treatment of LBP due to DDD. Further research with RCT is necessary to confirm these preliminary results.

  8. Knee Pain during Strength Training Shortly following Fast-Track Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Cross-Sectional Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bandholm, Thomas; Thorborg, Kristian; Lunn, Troels Haxholdt; Kehlet, Henrik; Jakobsen, Thomas Linding

    2014-01-01

    Background Loading and contraction failure (muscular exhaustion) are strength training variables known to influence neural activation of the exercising muscle in healthy subjects, which may help reduce neural inhibition of the quadriceps muscle following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). It is unknown how these exercise variables influence knee pain after TKA. Objective To investigate the effect of loading and contraction failure on knee pain during strength training, shortly following TKA. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Consecutive sample of patients from the Copenhagen area, Denmark, receiving a TKA, between November 2012 and April 2013. Participants Seventeen patients, no more than 3 weeks after their TKA. Main outcome measures: In a randomized order, the patients performed 1 set of 4 standardized knee extensions, using relative loads of 8, 14, and 20 repetition maximum (RM), and ended with 1 single set to contraction failure (14 RM load). The individual loadings (kilograms) were determined during a familiarization session >72 hours prior. The patients rated their knee pain during each repetition, using a numerical rating scale (0–10). Results Two patients were lost to follow up. Knee pain increased with increasing load (20 RM: 3.1±2.0 points, 14 RM: 3.5±1.8 points, 8 RM: 4.3±2.5 points, P = 0.006), and repetitions to contraction failure (10% failure: 3.2±1.9 points, 100% failure: 5.4±1.6 points, Pknee pain 60 seconds after the final repetition (2.7±2.4 points) was not different from that recorded before strength training (2.7±1.8 points, P = 0.88). Conclusion Both loading and repetitions performed to contraction failure during knee- extension strength-training, increased post-operative knee pain during strength training implemented shortly following TKA. However, only the increase in pain during repetitions to contraction failure exceeded that defined as clinically relevant, and was very short-lived. Trial Registration Clinical

  9. Pressure Pain Threshold as a Predictor of Acute Postoperative Pain Following Total Joint Arthroplasty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haghverdian, Brandon A; Wright, David J; Schwarzkopf, Ran

    2016-10-26

    Acute pain in the postoperative period after total joint arthroplasty (TJA) has a significant effect on early rehabilitation, hospital length of stay, and the development of chronic pain. Consequently, efforts have been made to predict the occurrence of postoperative pain using preoperative and intraoperative factors. In this study, we tested the usefulness of preoperative pressure pain threshold (PPT) values in the prediction of three outcomes for patients who underwent TJA: visual analog scale pain scores, hospital length of stay, and opioid consumption. Using a digital pressure algometer, we measured the preoperative PPT in 41 patients expected to undergo TJA at three different body sites: the first web space of the hand, the operative joint, and the contralateral joint. We correlated each PPT separately with postoperative visual analog scale pain scores, hospital length of stay, and opioid consumption. No significant correlation was found between preoperative PPT and the three postoperative outcomes. This finding held true when patients were subdivided by surgery type (total knee arthroplasty vs. total hip arthroplasty). There was no significant difference in PPT between the three body testing sites. This study failed to prove the usefulness of PPT in the prediction of acute postoperative pain, pain medication consumption, and length of stay. The pressure algometer has previously found a place in the assessment of pain in a variety of clinical settings, but its utility has not yet been demonstrated in patients undergoing TJA.

  10. An Investigation of Safety and Efficacy of Intravenous Paracetamol in Pain Management Following Cardiac Surgery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ehsan Mahdavi

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Optimum pain management immediately after surgeries can lower the possibility of pain syndrome and its following consequences. Opioids are amongst the analgesics used for postoperative pain control; however, their application can bring about several adverse effects. In this study, all the published articles regarding efficacy of Paracetamol   in post-cardiac surgery pain management were systematically reviewed. Materials and Methods: Pubmed and Scopus were searched for relevant articles. The employed search strategy was as follows: (Paracetamol   OR Acetaminophen OR Propacetamol AND (pain OR analgesia AND coronary. All the English-language articles (with no time restriction, investigating the effectiveness of Acetaminophen in comparison with other analgesics or placebo, were included in the study. All the articles examining the efficacy of Paracetamol   in combination with other analgesics were excluded from the search results. Results: On the whole, our electronic search retrieved 192 articles from PubMed and 365 articles from Scopus. After screening the titles, abstracts, and full texts of the search results, only 5 English-language articles met our inclusion criteria. Conclusion: Although Paracetamol   demonstrated considerable efficacy in minimizing application of post-operative opioids, its strength in soothing post-operative pain is not significantly different from opioids. Further, conducting randomized-controlled-trials with large sample size are necessary to accurately reveal the efficacy of Paracetamol   in curtailing application of opioids in post cardiac surgeries.

  11. A Prospective Cohort Study Evaluating the Ability of Anticipated Pain, Perceived Analgesic Needs, and Psychological Traits to Predict Pain and Analgesic Usage following Cesarean Delivery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brendan Carvalho

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. This study aimed to determine if preoperative psychological tests combined with simple pain prediction ratings could predict pain intensity and analgesic usage following cesarean delivery (CD. Methods. 50 healthy women undergoing scheduled CD with spinal anesthesia comprised the prospective study cohort. Preoperative predictors included 4 validated psychological questionnaires (Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI, Fear of Pain (FPQ, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, and Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and 3 simple ratings: expected postoperative pain (0–10, anticipated analgesic threshold (0–10, and perceived analgesic needs (0–10. Postoperative outcome measures included post-CD pain (combined rest and movement and opioid used for the 48-hour study period. Results. Bivariate correlations were significant with expected pain and opioid usage (r=0.349, anticipated analgesic threshold and post-CD pain (r=-0.349, and perceived analgesic needs and post-CD pain (r=0.313. Multiple linear regression analysis found that expected postoperative pain and anticipated analgesic needs contributed to post-CD pain prediction modeling (R2=0.443, p<0.0001; expected postoperative pain, ASI, and FPQ were associated with opioid usage (R2=0.421, p<0.0001. Conclusion. Preoperative psychological tests combined with simple pain prediction ratings accounted for 44% and 42% of pain and analgesic use variance, respectively. Preoperatively determined expected postoperative pain and perceived analgesic needs appear to be useful predictors for post-CD pain and analgesic requirements.

  12. Heat pain detection threshold is associated with the area of secondary hyperalgesia following brief thermal sensitization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Morten Sejer; Wetterslev, Jørn; Pipper, Christian Bressen

    2017-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: The area of secondary hyperalgesia following brief thermal sensitization (BTS) of the skin and heat pain detection thresholds (HPDT) may both have predictive abilities in regards to pain sensitivity and clinical pain states. The association between HPDT and secondary hyperalgesia......, however, remains unsettled, and the dissimilarities in physiologic properties suggest that they may represent 2 distinctively different pain entities. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between HPDT and BTS-induced secondary hyperalgesia. METHODS: A sample of 121 healthy male...... participants was included and tested on 2 separate study days with BTS (45°C, 3 minutes), HPDT, and pain during thermal stimulation (45°C, 1 minute). Areas of secondary hyperalgesia were quantified after monofilament pinprick stimulation. The pain catastrophizing scale (PCS) and hospital anxiety and depression...

  13. Are altered smooth pursuit eye movements related to chronic pain and disability following whiplash injuries? A prospective trial with one-year follow-up

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kongsted, Alice; Jørgensen, Lars Vincents; Leboeuf-Yde, Charlotte

    2008-01-01

    collision were determined. RESULTS: Results of early eye movement tests were not associated with the prognosis. Reduced smooth pursuit performance when tested in static cervical rotation at the one-year follow-up was significantly associated with higher neck pain intensity at that time (regression...... with electrooculography (EOG) an average of 12 days after a whiplash trauma and again after one year. Analyses of EOG recordings were computerized. Associations between test results both from baseline and one-year tests and self-reported neck pain, headache, neck disability and working ability one year after the car...... coefficient 0.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.04-1.5), but the association was too weak for the test to discriminate between recovered participants and those with lasting symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Although reduced smooth pursuit performance at one-year follow-up was associated with persistent neck pain, smooth...

  14. The effect of telephone follow-up after ambulatory surgery on pain management for children at home by parents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saeedeh Almasi

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Since time was short hospitalization after ambulatory surgery after discharge the duty of care of children at home, and parents are responsible, their familiarity with pharmacological and nonpharmacological methods of pain relief is essential. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of telephone follow-up after ambulatory surgery on pain management for children at home by their parents. In these clinical trial 68 children 6 to 12 years admitted for tonsillectomy operation with careful parent choice and block randomly divided into control and test. For experimental group, including training of pharmacological and nonpharmacological methods of pain relief and telephone follow-up was done in the first three days after discharge. Data were collected log home checklist was completed by parents. Data by SPSS version 16 and chi-square tests, t and analysis of variance with repeated measures were analyzed. The mean pain intensity scores, palliative effects of acetaminophen and the use of pain relief medication and non-drug control between the two groups was statistically significant difference (P <0.05. However, between the two groups was statistically significant difference was observed sedative effects. ambulatory surgery and follow-up training before the telephone after discharge would empower parents with children at home pain management.

  15. A preconditioning nerve lesion inhibits mechanical pain hypersensitivity following subsequent neuropathic injury

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wu Ann

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background A preconditioning stimulus can trigger a neuroprotective phenotype in the nervous system - a preconditioning nerve lesion causes a significant increase in axonal regeneration, and cerebral preconditioning protects against subsequent ischemia. We hypothesized that a preconditioning nerve lesion induces gene/protein modifications, neuronal changes, and immune activation that may affect pain sensation following subsequent nerve injury. We examined whether a preconditioning lesion affects neuropathic pain and neuroinflammation after peripheral nerve injury. Results We found that a preconditioning crush injury to a terminal branch of the sciatic nerve seven days before partial ligation of the sciatic nerve (PSNL; a model of neuropathic pain induced a significant attenuation of pain hypersensitivity, particularly mechanical allodynia. A preconditioning lesion of the tibial nerve induced a long-term significant increase in paw-withdrawal threshold to mechanical stimuli and paw-withdrawal latency to thermal stimuli, after PSNL. A preconditioning lesion of the common peroneal induced a smaller but significant short-term increase in paw-withdrawal threshold to mechanical stimuli, after PSNL. There was no difference between preconditioned and unconditioned animals in neuronal damage and macrophage and T-cell infiltration into the dorsal root ganglia (DRGs or in astrocyte and microglia activation in the spinal dorsal and ventral horns. Conclusions These results suggest that prior exposure to a mild nerve lesion protects against adverse effects of subsequent neuropathic injury, and that this conditioning-induced inhibition of pain hypersensitivity is not dependent on neuroinflammation in DRGs and spinal cord. Identifying the underlying mechanisms may have important implications for the understanding of neuropathic pain due to nerve injury.

  16. "I feel so stupid because I can't give a proper answer…" How older adults describe chronic pain: a qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clarke, Amanda; Anthony, Geraldine; Gray, Denise; Jones, Derek; McNamee, Paul; Schofield, Patricia; Smith, Blair H; Martin, Denis

    2012-12-31

    Over 50% of older adults experience chronic pain. Poorly managed pain threatens independent functioning, limits social activities and detrimentally affects emotional wellbeing. Yet, chronic pain is not fully understood from older adults' perspectives; subsequently, pain management in later life is not necessarily based on their priorities or needs. This paper reports a qualitative exploration of older adults' accounts of living with chronic pain, focusing on how they describe pain, with a view to informing approaches to its assessment. Cognitively intact men and women aged over sixty-five who lived in the community opted into the study through responding to advertisements in the media and via contacts with groups and organisations in North-East Scotland. Interviews were transcribed and thematically analysed using a framework approach. Qualitative individual interviews and one group interview were undertaken with 23 older adults. Following analysis, the following main themes emerged: diversity in conceptualising pain using a simple numerical score; personalising the meaning of pain by way of stories, similes and metaphors; and, contextualising pain in relation to its impact on activities. The importance of attending to individuals' stories as a meaningful way of describing pain for older adults is highlighted, suggesting that a narrative approach, as recommended and researched in other areas of medicine, may usefully be applied in pain assessment for older adults. Along with the judicious use of numerical tools, this requires innovative methods to elicit verbal accounts, such as using similes and metaphors to help older adults describe and discuss their experience, and contextualising the effects of pain on activities that are important to them.

  17. Pain Control Following Impacted Third Molar Surgery with Bupivacaine Irrigation of Tooth Socket: A Prospective Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reza Khorshidi Khiavi

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Background and aims. The surgical removal of the lower third molars is a procedure generally followed by side effects such as postoperative pain. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of socket irrigation with an anesthetic solution in relieving pain following impacted third molar surgery. Materials and methods. Thirty-four patients (17 males and 17 females, aged 18-24 years, with bilateral impacted lower third molars were selected. Both third molars were extracted in one surgical session. Tooth sockets in each patient were rinsed randomly either with 4 mL of 0.5% bupivacaine hydrochloride plain (without vasoconstrictor anesthetic solution or 4 mL of normal saline, used as control. The patients were instructed not to use analgesics as long as possible, and if not, they were instructed to use an analgesic, and record the time. Pain severity was assessed using a visual analogue pain scale (VAPS at 1-, 6-, 12-, and 24-hour intervals post-operatively. Data were analyzed using Pearson’s chi-square test and P <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results. Post-operative pain difference between the two groups was statistically significant at 1-, 6-, 12- and 24-hour postoperative intervals (P <0.05. Post-operative pain increased in both groups to a maximum 12 hours after surgery with significant improvements after that. Conclusion. Based on the results, the irrigation of surgery site with bupivacaine after third molar surgery significantly reduces post-operative pain.

  18. Long-Term Follow-Up of a Controlled Trial of Laser Laparoscopy for Pelvic Pain

    OpenAIRE

    Jones, Kevin D.; Haines, Patricia; Sutton, Christopher J. G.

    2001-01-01

    Background and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the long-term efficacy of laparoscopic laser surgery in the treatment of painful pelvic endometriosis. Methods: We conducted a long-term follow-up of 56 patients who had participated in a randomized, double-blind controlled study at a tertiary referral center for the laparoscopic treatment of endometriosis. The patients had pelvic pain, minimal-to-moderate endometriosis, and underwent laser laparoscopy. We asked patients wheth...

  19. Biological Stress Systems, Adverse Life Events, and the Improvement of Chronic Multisite Musculoskeletal Pain Across a 6-Year Follow-Up.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Generaal, Ellen; Vogelzangs, Nicole; Macfarlane, Gary J; Geenen, Rinie; Smit, Johannes H; de Geus, Eco J C N; Dekker, Joost; Penninx, Brenda W J H

    2017-02-01

    Dysfunction of biological stress systems and adverse life events, independently and in interaction, have been hypothesized to predict chronic pain persistence. Conversely, these factors may hamper the improvement of chronic pain. Longitudinal evidence is currently lacking. We examined whether: 1) function of biological stress systems, 2) adverse life events, and 3) their combination predict the improvement of chronic multisite musculoskeletal pain. Subjects of the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA) with chronic multisite musculoskeletal pain at baseline (N = 665) were followed-up 2, 4, and 6 years later. The Chronic Pain Grade Questionnaire was used to determine improvement (not meeting the criteria) of chronic multisite musculoskeletal pain at follow-up. Baseline assessment of biological stress systems included function of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (1-hour cortisol awakening response, evening level, and post dexamethasone level), the immune system (basal and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated inflammatory markers), the autonomic nervous system (heart rate, pre-ejection period, SD of the normal-to-normal interval, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia). The number of adverse life events were assessed at baseline and 2-year follow-up using the List of Threatening Events Questionnaire. We showed that hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, immune system, and autonomic nervous system functioning and adverse life events were not associated with the improvement of chronic multisite musculoskeletal pain, either as a main effect or in interaction. This longitudinal study could not confirm that biological stress system dysfunction and adverse life events affect the course of chronic multisite musculoskeletal pain. Biological stress systems and adverse life events are not associated with the improvement of chronic multisite musculoskeletal pain over 6 years of follow-up. Other determinants should thus be considered in future research to identify in which

  20. [Indomethacin (indocollyre) versus diclofenac (voltarene) for the control of pain following excimer photoablation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cochener, B; Kling, F; Savary-Le Floch, G; Colin, J

    2000-06-01

    To compare effect of two topical non steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAI) drugs: Indomethacin (Indocollyre)0.1 %, Chauvin Inc.) and Diclofenac (Voltaren 0.1%, Cibavision) on postoperative pain and epithelial regrowth following surface excimer photoablation. Eighty-six excimer operated patients, were divided in two similar groups depending on the NSAI instilled postoperatively and for 3 days (4 drops daily). No patient was informed of any other available drug. Pain intensity was quantified between 1 and 10 according to an analog scale (reported from 1 to 10 hours, then 4 times a day during 7 days). Complementary medications and functional symptoms were also notified. Biomicroscopic evaluation using fluorescein test was performed to assess reepithelialization. In term of pain, no significative difference was observed between the two groups concerning intensity, associated medications, or numbers of days of discomfort. Controversially, retreated eyes might induce more pain than initial treatments. No delay in epithelial regrowth was noted and the difference between the two groups in functional complaints was no statistically significant. Pain appears to be not related to ablation depth. DISCUSSION- CONCLUSION: Our results are correlated to literature reported data. Introduction of NSAI constitutes a real advent in the care of excimer postoperative pain. Effect of indomethacin seems comparable to diclofenac effect, but might be of interest because of no anesthetic property that might guarantee of no delay in wound healing response.

  1. A precision medicine approach to a patient with unresolved pain following orthopedic surgery: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gazzaniga, David; Brenton, Ashley; Meshkin, Brian

    2017-02-24

    Precision medicine is a promising technology in patient care that combines genetic analysis with clinical data, such as health, behavioral, functional, environment, and lifestyle information. Here we present the case of a 54-year old woman who, following an accident, had uncontrolled chronic pain and was subsequently labeled a drug seeker. A 54-year-old white woman who was experiencing severe calf pain was referred for treatment. Her pain was insufficiently controlled immediately following knee arthroplasty with multiple opioid medications, as well as non-opioids. Precision medicine testing was ordered for her so that we could assess her pain sensitivity objectively to determine if the pill seeker designation was correct and to determine the best medications for her. Based on the Proove profiles, we determined that she had moderately low pain sensitivity, which means that clinically she may underreport pain and may have decreased medication needs. This result suggested that her continued reporting of unresolved pain was probably due to a condition unresolved by her right knee arthroplasty. In addition, she was found to be at low risk of opioid addiction, based on the Proove Opioid Risk Profile. Taken together, along with the high levels of pain she described, we determined that her pain was not properly controlled and that the designation of pill seeker was incorrect. The next step was to determine which medications and which doses would result in the most favorable outcomes for our patient. To determine this, we used the results of the Proove Opioid Response, Proove Drug Metabolism, and Proove Non-Opioid Profiles to guide her treatment. We reduced her pain medications to a single opioid, Vicodin (acetaminophen and hydrocodone), which also eliminated the adverse side effects she experienced. Precision medicine offers an important health care decision tool which can reduce emotional and physical costs to patients and may reduce the economic health care burden of

  2. [Statins and muscle pain].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yosef, Yoni; Schurr, Daniel; Constantini, Naama

    2014-07-01

    Statins are used for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. The treatment is quite safe but not free of side effects, particularly muscle pain. Fear of pain may prevent patients from carrying out exercise or diminish their motivation to return and engage in it, even though both the statins and the exercise have a proven benefit in both treatment and prevention, and a synergistic effect enhances this benefit. Prevalence of muscular pain ranges from 1-30%. Pain usually appears at the beginning of treatment, but can occur even after months and under any of the existing agents. The creatine phosphokinase (CPK) enzyme level may rise, but not necessarily. Increases to exceptional values (10 times the upper normal level) are relatively rare and rhabdomyolysis is extremely rare. The risk increases with age, co-morbidities and especially when taken concurrently with drugs that are metabolized in a similar pathway. Pain usually passes within a month after discontinuing treatment, but may persist for six months or more. Studies have examined the effect of statin therapy on the ability to perform physical activity, but results are inconsistent. The increased rise of CPK was observed under statin therapy, a tendency that increased with age. However, it was not accompanied by an increased incidence of muscle pain or rhabdomyolysis. Considering the above we recommend encouraging patients to exercise. However, patients should be instructed to report new or worsening muscular pains. Discontinuation, lowering dose or replacement should be considered when pain is suspected to be related with treatment.

  3. Do X-ray-occult fractures play a role in chronic pain following a whiplash injury?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hertzum-Larsen, Rasmus; Petersen, Henrik; Kasch, Helge

    2014-01-01

    symptoms following an MVA was invited to have a cervical SPECT shortly post injury and again 6 months later. Associations between occult fractures and pain levels at baseline, 6 and 12 months of follow-up were analyzed. Eighty-eight patients had baseline SPECT performed at median 15 days (range 3-28) post......Whiplash trauma in motor vehicle accidents (MVA) may involve various painful soft tissue damages, but weeks/months later a minority of victims still suffers from various long-lasting and disabling symptoms, whiplash-associated disorders (WAD). The etiology is currently unknown, but X......-ray-occult fractures may be one cause in some cases. The purpose of this prospective study was to examine the association between occult fractures, as seen on bone single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), with neck-, head- and arm pain. An inception cohort of 107 patients presenting with acute whiplash...

  4. Combination of diagnostic medial calcaneal nerve block followed by pulsed radiofrequency for plantar fascitis pain: A new modality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deepak Thapa

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Plantar fasciitis (PF is the most common cause of chronic heel pain which may be bilateral in 20 to 30% of patients. It is a very painful and disabling condition which can affect the quality of life. The management includes both pharmacological and operative procedures with no single proven effective treatment modality. In the present case series, we managed three patients with PF (one with bilateral PF. Following a diagnostic medial calcaneal nerve (MCN block at its origin, we observed reduction in verbal numerical rating scale (VNRS in all the three patients. Two patients has relapse of PF pain which was managed with MCN block followed with pulsed radio frequency (PRF. All the patients were pain-free at the time of reporting. This case series highlights the possible role of combination of diagnostic MCN block near its origin followed with PRF as a new modality in management of patients with PF.

  5. Combination of diagnostic medial calcaneal nerve block followed by pulsed radiofrequency for plantar fascitis pain: A new modality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thapa, Deepak; Ahuja, Vanita

    2014-01-01

    Plantar fasciitis (PF) is the most common cause of chronic heel pain which may be bilateral in 20 to 30% of patients. It is a very painful and disabling condition which can affect the quality of life. The management includes both pharmacological and operative procedures with no single proven effective treatment modality. In the present case series, we managed three patients with PF (one with bilateral PF). Following a diagnostic medial calcaneal nerve (MCN) block at its origin, we observed reduction in verbal numerical rating scale (VNRS) in all the three patients. Two patients has relapse of PF pain which was managed with MCN block followed with pulsed radio frequency (PRF). All the patients were pain-free at the time of reporting. This case series highlights the possible role of combination of diagnostic MCN block near its origin followed with PRF as a new modality in management of patients with PF. PMID:24963184

  6. Nucleoplasty in the Treatment of Lumbar Diskogenic Back Pain: One Year Follow-Up

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Masala, Salvatore; Massari, Francesco; Fabiano, Sebastiano; Ursone, Antonio; Fiori, Roberto; Pastore, Francesco; Simonetti, Giovanni

    2007-01-01

    Purpose. The spine is an important source of pain and disability, affecting two thirds of adults at some time in their lives. Treatment in these patients is mainly conservative medical management, based on medication, physical therapy, behavioral management, and psychotherapy, surgery being limited to elective cases with neurologic deficits. This study was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of percutaneous nucleoplasty in patients affected by painful diskal protrusions and contained herniations. Methods. From February 2004 to October 2005, 72 patients (48 men, 24 women; mean age 48 years) affected by lumbar disk herniation were treated with nucleoplasty coblation. All patients were evaluated clinically and with radiography and MRI in order to confirm the presence of lumbalgic and/or sciatalgic pain, in the absence of major neurologic deficit and with lack of response after 6 weeks of conservative management. Results. Average preprocedural pain level for all patients was 8.2 (on a visual analog scale of 1 to 10), while the average pain level at 12 months follow-up was 4.1. At the 1 year evaluation, 79% of patients demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in numeric pain scores (p < 0.01): 17% (12 patients) were completely satisfied with complete resolution of symptoms, and 62% (43 patients) obtained a good result. Conclusion. Our data indicate that nucleoplasty coblation is a promising treatment option for patients with symptomatic disk protrusion and herniation who present with lumbalgic and/or sciatalgic pain, have failed conservative therapies, and are not considered candidates for open surgery

  7. Systemic Exercise-Induced Hypoalgesia Following Isometric Exercise Reduces Conditioned Pain Modulation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Alsouhibani, Ali; Vaegter, Henrik Bjarke; Hoeger Bement, Marie

    2018-01-01

    Objective: Physically active individuals show greater conditioned pain modulation (CPM) compared with less active individuals. Understanding the effects of acute exercise on CPM may allow for a more targeted use of exercise in the management of pain. This study investigated the effects of acute...... isometric exercise on CPM. In addition, the between-session and within-session reliability of CPM was investigated. Design: Experimental, randomized crossover study. Setting: Laboratory at Marquette University. Subjects: Thirty healthy adults (19.3±1.5 years, 15 males). Methods: Subjects underwent CPM....... Results: PPTs increased during ice water immersion (i.e., CPM), and quadriceps PPT increased after exercise (P CPM decreased similarly following exercise and quiet rest (P > 0.05). CPM within-session reliability was fair to good (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0...

  8. Pain-catastrophizing and fear-avoidance beliefs as mediators between post-traumatic stress symptoms and pain following whiplash injury - A prospective cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andersen, T E; Karstoft, K-I; Brink, O; Elklit, A

    2016-09-01

    Knowledge about the course of recovery after whiplash injury is important. Most valuable is identification of prognostic factors that may be reversed by intervention. The mutual maintenance model outlines how post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and pain may be mutually maintained by attention bias, fear, negative affect and avoidance behaviours. In a similar vein, the fear-avoidance model describes how pain-catastrophizing (PCS), fear-avoidance beliefs (FA) and depression may result in persistent pain. These mechanisms still need to be investigated longitudinally in a whiplash cohort. A longitudinal cohort design was used to assess patients for pain intensity and psychological distress after whiplash injury. Consecutive patients were all contacted within 3 weeks after their whiplash injury (n = 198). Follow-up questionnaires were sent 3 and 6 months post-injury. Latent Growth Mixture Modelling was used to identify distinct trajectories of recovery from pain. Five distinct trajectories were identified. Six months post-injury, 64.6% could be classified as recovered and 35.4% as non-recovered. The non-recovered (the medium stable, high stable and very high stable trajectories) displayed significantly higher levels of PTSS, PCS, FA and depression at all time points compared to the recovered trajectories. Importantly, PCS and FA mediated the effect of PTSS on pain intensity. The present study adds important knowledge about the development of psychological distress and pain after whiplash injury. The finding, that PCS and FA mediated the effect of PTSS on pain intensity is a novel finding with important implications for prevention and management of whiplash-associated disorders. WHAT DOES THIS STUDY ADD?: The study confirms the mechanisms as outlined in the fear-avoidance model and the mutual maintenance model. The study adds important knowledge of pain-catastrophizing and fear-avoidance beliefs as mediating mechanisms in the effect of post-traumatic stress on pain

  9. Persistent postoperative pain and sensory changes following lymph node excision in melanoma patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Slagelse, Charlotte; Petersen, Karin L; Dahl, Jørgen B

    2014-01-01

    Studies on complications related to chronic nerve injury following sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) and complete lymph node dissection (CLND) for melanoma are sparse. This review summarizes the existing literature on pain and neuropathic complications in melanoma patients undergoing SLNB...

  10. The effects of lavender aromatherapy on pain following needle insertion into a fistula in hemodialysis patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bagheri-Nesami, Masoumeh; Espahbodi, Fatemeh; Nikkhah, Attieh; Shorofi, Seyed Afshin; Charati, Jamshid Yazdani

    2014-02-01

    This study sought to determine the effects of lavender aromatherapy on pain following needle insertion into a fistula in patients undergoing hemodialysis. This is a randomized controlled clinical trial in which 92 patients undergoing hemodialysis with arteriovenous fistulas were randomly divided into two groups. The experimental-group patients inhaled lavender essence with a concentration of 10% for 5 min during 3 hemodialysis sessions, while the control-group patients received aromatherapy free of lavender essence. The mean VAS pain intensity score in the experimental and control groups before the intervention was 3.78 ± 0.24 and 4.16 ± 0.32, respectively (p = 0.35). The mean VAS pain intensity score in the experimental and control groups after three aromatherapy sessions was 2.36 ± 0.25 and 3.43 ± 0.31, respectively (p = 0.009). Lavender aromatherapy may be an effective technique to reduce pain following needle insertion into a fistula in hemodialysis patients. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Multimodal therapeutic assessment of peripheral nerve stimulation in neuropathic pain: five case reports with a 20-year follow-up

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kupers, Ron; Laere, Koen Van; Calenbergh, Frank Van

    2011-01-01

    Neuropathic pain following peripheral nerve lesion is highly resistant to conventional pain treatments but may respond well to direct electrical peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS). In the 1980s, we treated a series of 11 peripheral neuropathic pain patients with PNS. A first outcome assessment......, cool, warmth, cold pain and heat pain thresholds. Laser-evoked potentials showed an enlarged N2-P2 complex during active PNS. Positron Emission Tomography revealed that PNS decreased activation in the pain matrix at rest and during thermal stimulation. PNS led to increased blood flow not only...

  12. Acupuncture for central pain affecting the ribcage following traumatic brain injury and rib fractures--a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donnellan, Clare P

    2006-09-01

    This case report describes the use of acupuncture in the management of chronic central pain in a 51 year old man following severe traumatic brain injury and multiple injuries including rib fractures. The patient reported rapid and significant improvements in pain and mood during a course of acupuncture treatment. Chronic pain following traumatic brain injury is a significant problem. Chronic pain after rib fractures is also commonly reported. Acupuncture is widely used in the management of pain but its use has been reported rarely in the traumatic brain injury literature. This case report suggests that acupuncture may be a useful option to consider in these patients. Outcome was assessed formally using a 0-10 verbal numerical rating scale for pain, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) for psychological status before and after the course of treatment. These scales are widely used in clinical practice as well as in research involving patients with traumatic brain injury, although they have not been validated in this population. The changes in this patient's outcome scores were not consistent with the benefits he reported. Treatment of this patient highlighted the difficulties of using standardised self rating scales for patients with cognitive impairment. The report also discusses the effects of acupuncture on this patient's mood.

  13. Ropivacaine and Bupivacaine prevent increased pain sensitivity without altering neuroimmune activation following repeated social defeat stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sawicki, Caroline M; Kim, January K; Weber, Michael D; Jarrett, Brant L; Godbout, Jonathan P; Sheridan, John F; Humeidan, Michelle

    2018-03-01

    Mounting evidence indicates that stress influences the experience of pain. Exposure to psychosocial stress disrupts bi-directional communication pathways between the central nervous system and peripheral immune system, and can exacerbate the frequency and severity of pain experienced by stressed subjects. Repeated social defeat (RSD) is a murine model of psychosocial stress that recapitulates the immune and behavioral responses to stress observed in humans, including activation of stress-reactive neurocircuitry and increased pro-inflammatory cytokine production. It is unclear, however, how these stress-induced neuroimmune responses contribute to increased pain sensitivity in mice exposed to RSD. Here we used a technique of regional analgesia with local anesthetics in mice to block the development of mechanical allodynia during RSD. We next investigated the degree to which pain blockade altered stress-induced neuroimmune activation and depressive-like behavior. Following development of a mouse model of regional analgesia with discrete sensory blockade over the dorsal-caudal aspect of the spine, C57BL/6 mice were divided into experimental groups and treated with Ropivacaine (0.08%), Liposomal Bupivacaine (0.08%), or Vehicle (0.9% NaCl) prior to exposure to stress. This specific region was selected for analgesia because it is the most frequent location for aggression-associated pain due to biting during RSD. Mechanical allodynia was assessed 12 h after the first, third, and sixth day of RSD after resolution of the sensory blockade. In a separate experiment, social avoidance behavior was determined after the sixth day of RSD. Blood, bone marrow, brain, and spinal cord were collected for immunological analyses after the last day of RSD in both experiments following behavioral assessments. RSD increased mechanical allodynia in an exposure-dependent manner that persisted for at least one week following cessation of the stressor. Mice treated with either Ropivacaine or

  14. Persistent chest pain following oral dipyridamole for thallium 201 myocardial imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kwai, A.H.; Jacobson, A.F.; McIntyre, K.M.; Williams, W.H.; Tow, D.E.

    1990-01-01

    A patient was admitted to the hospital with acute chest pain. After acute myocardial infarction was ruled out, he underwent a stress thallium 201 scintigraphy using oral dipyridamole and developed persistent angina with sedimentation time segement elevation. This complication has not been reported previously. It is recommended that appropriate intervention be available if severe ischemia develops following administration of dipyridamole for diagnostic imaging. (orig.)

  15. [Device for quantitative analysis of perception and pain sensation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arita, Hideko; Kato, Jitsu; Ogawa, Setsuro; Hanaoka, Kazuo

    2014-07-01

    The article describes an analysing device that measures the perception and intensity of pain quantitatively. While it is not necessarily true that psychological aspect is totally irrelevant to pain measurement, this device is remarkable in that it is capable of measuring the intensity of pain felt by the patient more objectively by using electric stimuli. The feature of this device is that it uses a non-pain heteresthesia for measuring the intensity of pain. The device is compact, light-weight, and portable. Unlike VAS that requires only a scale, the device requires a person to carry out the measurement. Nevertheless, as the National Health Insurance (NHI) coverage has been approved, introduction of the device may be facilitated in terms of budget for the purchase and labor. The device is useful to better understand not only the intensity of pain but also the pathological conditions, resulting in more appropriate treatment, by (1) comparing degree of pain or VAS values taken by a multicenter study with those of a patient; (2) using both degree of pain and VAS; and (3) multiple measurements of degree of pain and VAS in one case.

  16. Quadriceps Strength and Anterior Knee Pain following Tibia ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2017-07-17

    Jul 17, 2017 ... prior history of knee pain, but had unilateral tibiofibular fracture, who had internal fixation with ... It may take several months for healing and subsequent .... time after surgery and those with anterior knee pain may never get ...

  17. Neck-Shoulder Pain and Work Status among Former Sewing Machine Operators: A 14-year Follow-up Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jakobsen, Emma Lise Thorlund; Biering, Karin; Kærgaard, Anette; Andersen, Johan Hviid

    2018-03-01

    Purpose A total of 243 Danish female sewing machine operators lost their jobs in 1996 because of outsourcing. The aim was to investigate the employment status during follow-up from 1996 to 2008, and to estimate to what extent former neck-shoulder pain had an impact on later work participation. Methods Assessment of neck-shoulder pain was based on questionnaires completed in 1994. The Danish Register-Based Evaluation of Marginalization (DREAM) register was used to describe employment status during the follow-up period. Register data were explored by sequence analyses and graphics, and the association between neck-shoulder pain and work participation was analyzed by logistic regression analysis. Results In all, 987 working years were lost during follow-up, and a sequence index plot revealed interrupted and heterogeneous courses of incomes. The odds ratio between neck and shoulder pain and a work participation score less than 75% was 1.49 (95% CI 0.84-2.67). Conclusions After outsourcing of the textile industry, the former sewing machine operators had decreased work participation and frequent transitions between different income types. Previous neck-shoulder pain tended to be associated with poor work participation. The results suggest that increased attention should be to given to dismissed workers from other industries that become outsourced, especially unskilled workers with similar work-related health limitations. Additionally, we concluded that time-to-event measures in research involving employment status are insufficient because of the many transitions that take place in working life.

  18. Chronic pain following total hip arthroplasty: a nationwide questionnaire study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nikolajsen, Lone; Brandsborg, Birgitte; Lucht, Ulf

    2006-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Chronic post-operative pain is a well-recognized problem after various types of surgery, but little is known about chronic pain after orthopedic surgery. Severe pre-operative pain is the primary indication for total hip arthroplasty (THA). Therefore, we examined the prevalence...... was 93.6%. Two hundred and ninety-four patients (28.1%) had chronic ipsilateral hip pain at the time of completion of the questionnaire, and pain limited daily activities to a moderate, severe or very severe degree in 12.1%. The chronic pain state was related to the recalled intensity of early post...

  19. The Nordic back pain subpopulation program: course patterns established through weekly follow-ups in patients treated for low back pain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kongsted, Alice; Leboeuf-Yde, Charlotte

    2010-01-01

    Low back pain (LBP) is known to have a fluctuating course. In clinical studies, when deciding on duration of treatment and time for follow-up, it is important to know at what point in time a definite pattern of recovery becomes apparent and at what time a possible recurrence is likely to occur...

  20. Post-operative pain following coblation or monopolar electrocautery tonsillectomy in children: a prospective, single-blinded, randomised comparison.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parker, N P; Walner, D L

    2011-10-01

    To compare post-operative pain following tonsillectomy by either coblation or monopolar electrocautery in children. A parallel-designed, prospective, single-blinded, randomised trial. Ambulatory surgical facility. Eighty otherwise healthy paediatric patients undergoing coblation or electrocautery tonsillectomy by a fellowship-trained paediatric otolaryngologist. (i) The number of post-operative days with severe pain based on subjective qualification by the caretaker, (ii) post-operative days with pain rated ≥ 5 on a scale of 1-10, (iii) post-operative days requiring oral paracetamol/acetaminophen with codeine solution and (iv) post-operative days until resumption of a regular diet were assessed and recorded daily using a post-operative pain survey as a form of daily diary that was returned at the 2-week follow-up visit. Patients were consecutively enrolled into two groups of 40 patients. Average ages were 5.2 years for coblation tonsillectomy and 6.0 years for electrocautery tonsillectomy. The average number of post-operative days with severe pain was 4.2 for coblation and 5.9 for electrocautery (P = 0.006), days rating pain ≥ 5 were 3.6 for coblation and 4.8 for electrocautery (P = 0.037), days of codeine use were 2.5 for coblation and 2.9 for electrocautery (P = 0.324), and days until resumption of a regular diet were 5.2 for coblation and 6.2 for electrocautery (0.329). Coblation tonsillectomy may reduce post-operative pain and the time until resumption of a regular diet compared to electrocautery tonsillectomy. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  1. Randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial comparing two multimodal opioid-minimizing pain management regimens following transsphenoidal surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shepherd, Deborah M; Jahnke, Heidi; White, William L; Little, Andrew S

    2018-02-01

    OBJECTIVE Pain control is an important clinical consideration and quality-of-care metric. No studies have examined postoperative pain control following transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary lesions. The study goals were to 1) report postoperative pain scores following transsphenoidal surgery, 2) determine if multimodal opioid-minimizing pain regimens yielded satisfactory postoperative pain control, and 3) determine if intravenous (IV) ibuprofen improved postoperative pain scores and reduced opioid use compared with placebo. METHODS This study was a single-center, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled intervention trial involving adult patients with planned transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary tumors randomized into 2 groups. Group 1 patients were treated with scheduled IV ibuprofen, scheduled oral acetaminophen, and rescue opioids. Group 2 patients were treated with IV placebo, scheduled oral acetaminophen, and rescue opioids. The primary end point was patient pain scores (visual analog scale [VAS], rated 0-10) for 48 hours after surgery. The secondary end point was opioid use as estimated by oral morphine equivalents (OMEs). RESULTS Of 136 patients screened, 62 were enrolled (28 in Group 1, 34 in Group 2). The study was terminated early because the primary and secondary end points were reached. Baseline characteristics between groups were well matched except for age (Group 1, 59.3 ± 14.4 years; Group 2, 49.8 ± 16.2 years; p = 0.02). Mean VAS pain scores were significantly different, with a 43% reduction in Group 1 (1.7 ± 2.2) compared with Group 2 (3.0 ± 2.8; p transsphenoidal surgery. IV ibuprofen resulted in significantly improved pain scores and significantly decreased opioid use compared with placebo. Postoperative multimodal pain management, including a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory medication, should be considered after surgery to improve patient comfort and to limit opioid use. Clinical trial registration no.: NCT02351700 (clinicaltrials

  2. Pain and convalescence following laparoscopic ventral hernia repair

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Eriksen, Jens Ravn

    Severe pain is usual after laparoscopic ventral hernia repair (LVHR). Mesh fixation with titanium tacks may play a key role in the development of acute and chronic pain and alternative fixation methods should therefore be investigated. This PhD thesis was based on three studies and aimed too: 1) ...

  3. Emergency Department Pain Management Following Implementation of a Geriatric Hip Fracture Program

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    Scott D. Casey

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Over 300,000 patients in the United States sustain low-trauma fragility hip fractures annually. Multidisciplinary geriatric fracture programs (GFP including early, multimodal pain management reduce morbidity and mortality. Our overall goal was to determine the effects of a GFP on the emergency department (ED pain management of geriatric fragility hip fractures. Methods: We performed a retrospective study including patients age ≥65 years with fragility hip fractures two years before and two years after the implementation of the GFP. Outcomes were time to (any first analgesic, use of acetaminophen and fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB in the ED, and amount of opioid medication administered in the first 24 hours. We used permutation tests to evaluate differences in ED pain management following GFP implementation. Results: We studied 131 patients in the pre-GFP period and 177 patients in the post-GFP period. In the post-GFP period, more patients received FICB (6% vs. 60%; difference 54%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 45–63%; p<0.001 and acetaminophen (10% vs. 51%; difference 41%, 95% CI 32–51%; p<0.001 in the ED. Patients in the post-GFP period also had a shorter time to first analgesic (103 vs. 93 minutes; p=0.04 and received fewer morphine equivalents in the first 24 hours (15mg vs. 10mg, p<0.001 than patients in the pre-GFP period. Conclusion: Implementation of a GFP was associated with improved ED pain management for geriatric patients with fragility hip fractures. Future studies should evaluate the effects of these changes in pain management on longer-term outcomes.

  4. Mechanisms underlying ectopic persistent tooth-pulp pain following pulpal inflammation.

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    Shingo Matsuura

    Full Text Available In order to clarify the peripheral mechanisms of ectopic persistent pain in a tooth pulp following pulpal inflammation of an adjacent tooth, masseter muscle activity, phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (pERK and TRPV1 immunohistochemistries and satellite cell activation using glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP immunohistochemistry in the trigeminal ganglion (TG were studied in the rats with molar tooth-pulp inflammation. And, Fluorogold (FG and DiI were also used in a neuronal tracing study to analyze if some TG neurons innervate more than one tooth pulp. Complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA or saline was applied into the upper first molar tooth pulp (M1 in pentobarbital-anesthetized rats, and capsaicin was applied into the upper second molar tooth pulp (M2 on day 3 after the CFA or saline application. Mean EMG activity elicited in the masseter muscle by capsaicin application to M2 was significantly larger in M1 CFA-applied rats compared with M1 vehicle-applied rats. The mean number of pERK-immunoreactive (IR TG cells was significantly larger in M1 CFA-applied rats compared with M1 vehicle-applied rats. Application of the satellite cell inhibitor fluorocitrate (FC into TG caused a significant depression of capsaicin-induced masseter muscle activity and a significant reduction of satellite cell activation. The number of TRPV1-IR TG cells innervating M2 was significantly larger in M1 CFA-applied rats compared with M1 vehicle-applied rats, and that was decreased following FC injection into TG. Furthermore, 6% of TG neurons innervating M1 and/or M2 innervated both M1 and M2. These findings suggest that satellite cell activation following tooth pulp inflammation and innervation of multiple tooth pulps by single TG neurons may be involved in the enhancement of the activity of TG neurons innervating adjacent non-inflamed teeth that also show enhancement of TRPV1 expression in TG neurons, resulting in the ectopic persistent tooth

  5. Are altered smooth pursuit eye movements related to chronic pain and disability following whiplash injuries? A prospective trial with one-year follow-up.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kongsted, Alice; Jørgensen, Lars Vincents; Leboeuf-Yde, Charlotte; Qerama, Erisela; Korsholm, Lars; Bendix, Tom

    2008-05-01

    To evaluate the ability of early smooth pursuit testing to predict chronic whiplash-associated disorders, and to study whether the presence of abnormal smooth pursuit eye movements at one-year follow-up is associated with symptoms at that time. Prospective cohort study with one-year follow-up. The study was carried out at a university research centre and participants were recruited from emergency units and general practitioners. In all, 262 participants were recruited within 10 days from a whiplash injury. Smooth pursuit eye movements were tested with electrooculography (EOG) an average of 12 days after a whiplash trauma and again after one year. Analyses of EOG recordings were computerized. Associations between test results both from baseline and one-year tests and self-reported neck pain, headache, neck disability and working ability one year after the car collision were determined. Results of early eye movement tests were not associated with the prognosis. Reduced smooth pursuit performance when tested in static cervical rotation at the one-year follow-up was significantly associated with higher neck pain intensity at that time (regression coefficient 0.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.04-1.5), but the association was too weak for the test to discriminate between recovered participants and those with lasting symptoms. Although reduced smooth pursuit performance at one-year follow-up was associated with persistent neck pain, smooth pursuit eye movement tests are not useful as predictive or diagnostic tests in whiplash-associated disorders.

  6. Multi-site pain and working conditions as predictors of work ability in a 4-year follow-up among food industry employees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neupane, S; Virtanen, P; Leino-Arjas, P; Miranda, H; Siukola, A; Nygård, C-H

    2013-03-01

    We investigated the separate and joint effects of multi-site musculoskeletal pain and physical and psychosocial exposures at work on future work ability. A survey was conducted among employees of a Finnish food industry company in 2005 (n = 1201) and a follow-up survey in 2009 (n = 734). Information on self-assessed work ability (current work ability on a scale from 0 to 10; 7 = poor work ability), multi-site musculoskeletal pain (pain in at least two anatomical areas of four), leisure-time physical activity, body mass index and physical and psychosocial exposures was obtained by questionnaire. The separate and joint effects of multi-site pain and work exposures on work ability at follow-up, among subjects with good work ability at baseline, were assessed by logistic regression, and p-values for the interaction derived. Compared with subjects with neither multi-site pain nor adverse work exposure, multi-site pain at baseline increased the risk of poor work ability at follow-up, allowing for age, gender, occupational class, body mass index and leisure-time physical activity. The separate effects of the work exposures on work ability were somewhat smaller than those of multi-site pain. Multi-site pain had an interactive effect with work environment and awkward postures, such that no association of multi-site pain with poor work ability was seen when work environment was poor or awkward postures present. The decline in work ability connected with multi-site pain was not increased by exposure to adverse physical or psychosocial factors at work. © 2012 European Federation of International Association for the Study of Pain Chapters.

  7. Maintenance of Pain in Children With Functional Abdominal Pain.

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    Czyzewski, Danita I; Self, Mariella M; Williams, Amy E; Weidler, Erica M; Blatz, Allison M; Shulman, Robert J

    2016-03-01

    A significant proportion of children with functional abdominal pain develop chronic pain. Identifying clinical characteristics predicting pain persistence is important in targeting interventions. We examined whether child anxiety and/or pain-stooling relations were related to maintenance of abdominal pain frequency and compared the predictive value of 3 methods for assessing pain-stooling relations (ie, diary, parent report, child report). Seventy-six children (7-10 years old at baseline) who presented for medical treatment of functional abdominal pain were followed up 18 to 24 months later. Baseline anxiety and abdominal pain-stooling relations based on pain and stooling diaries and child- and parent questionnaires were examined in relationship to the persistence of abdominal pain frequency. Children's baseline anxiety was not related to persistence of pain frequency. Children who, however, displayed irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms at baseline maintained pain frequency at follow-up, whereas in children in whom there was no relationship between pain and stooling, pain frequency decreased. Pain and stool diaries and parent report of pain-stooling relations were predictive of pain persistence but child-report questionnaires were not. The presence of IBS symptoms in school-age children with functional abdominal pain appears to predict persistence of abdominal pain over time, whereas anxiety does not. Prospective pain and stooling diaries and parent report of IBS symptoms were predictors of pain maintenance, but child report of symptoms was not.

  8. “I feel so stupid because I can’t give a proper answer…” How older adults describe chronic pain: a qualitative study

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    Clarke Amanda

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Over 50% of older adults experience chronic pain. Poorly managed pain threatens independent functioning, limits social activities and detrimentally affects emotional wellbeing. Yet, chronic pain is not fully understood from older adults’ perspectives; subsequently, pain management in later life is not necessarily based on their priorities or needs. This paper reports a qualitative exploration of older adults’ accounts of living with chronic pain, focusing on how they describe pain, with a view to informing approaches to its assessment. Methods Cognitively intact men and women aged over sixty-five who lived in the community opted into the study through responding to advertisements in the media and via contacts with groups and organisations in North-East Scotland. Interviews were transcribed and thematically analysed using a framework approach. Results Qualitative individual interviews and one group interview were undertaken with 23 older adults. Following analysis, the following main themes emerged: diversity in conceptualising pain using a simple numerical score; personalising the meaning of pain by way of stories, similes and metaphors; and, contextualising pain in relation to its impact on activities. Conclusions The importance of attending to individuals’ stories as a meaningful way of describing pain for older adults is highlighted, suggesting that a narrative approach, as recommended and researched in other areas of medicine, may usefully be applied in pain assessment for older adults. Along with the judicious use of numerical tools, this requires innovative methods to elicit verbal accounts, such as using similes and metaphors to help older adults describe and discuss their experience, and contextualising the effects of pain on activities that are important to them.

  9. “I feel so stupid because I can’t give a proper answer…” How older adults describe chronic pain: a qualitative study

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-01

    Background Over 50% of older adults experience chronic pain. Poorly managed pain threatens independent functioning, limits social activities and detrimentally affects emotional wellbeing. Yet, chronic pain is not fully understood from older adults’ perspectives; subsequently, pain management in later life is not necessarily based on their priorities or needs. This paper reports a qualitative exploration of older adults’ accounts of living with chronic pain, focusing on how they describe pain, with a view to informing approaches to its assessment. Methods Cognitively intact men and women aged over sixty-five who lived in the community opted into the study through responding to advertisements in the media and via contacts with groups and organisations in North-East Scotland. Interviews were transcribed and thematically analysed using a framework approach. Results Qualitative individual interviews and one group interview were undertaken with 23 older adults. Following analysis, the following main themes emerged: diversity in conceptualising pain using a simple numerical score; personalising the meaning of pain by way of stories, similes and metaphors; and, contextualising pain in relation to its impact on activities. Conclusions The importance of attending to individuals’ stories as a meaningful way of describing pain for older adults is highlighted, suggesting that a narrative approach, as recommended and researched in other areas of medicine, may usefully be applied in pain assessment for older adults. Along with the judicious use of numerical tools, this requires innovative methods to elicit verbal accounts, such as using similes and metaphors to help older adults describe and discuss their experience, and contextualising the effects of pain on activities that are important to them. PMID:23276327

  10. Twelve-month follow-up of cognitive behavioral therapy for children with functional abdominal pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levy, Rona L; Langer, Shelby L; Walker, Lynn S; Romano, Joan M; Christie, Dennis L; Youssef, Nader; DuPen, Melissa M; Ballard, Sheri A; Labus, Jennifer; Welsh, Ericka; Feld, Lauren D; Whitehead, William E

    2013-02-01

    To determine whether a brief intervention for children with functional abdominal pain and their parents' responses to their child's pain resulted in improved coping 12 months later. Prospective, randomized, longitudinal study. Families were recruited during a 4-year period in Seattle, Washington, and Morristown, New Jersey. Two hundred children with persistent functional abdominal pain and their parents. A 3-session social learning and cognitive behavioral therapy intervention or an education and support intervention. Child symptoms and pain-coping responses were monitored using standard instruments, as was parental response to child pain behavior. Data were collected at baseline and after treatment (1 week and 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment). This article reports the 12-month data. Relative to children in the education and support group, children in the social learning and cognitive behavioral therapy group reported greater baseline to 12-month follow-up decreases in gastrointestinal symptom severity (estimated mean difference, -0.36; 95% CI, -0.63 to -0.01) and greater improvements in pain-coping responses (estimated mean difference, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.26 to 1.02). Relative to parents in the education and support group, parents in the social learning and cognitive behavioral therapy group reported greater baseline to 12-month decreases in solicitous responses to their child's symptoms (estimated mean difference, -0.22; 95% CI, -0.42 to -0.03) and greater decreases in maladaptive beliefs regarding their child's pain (estimated mean difference, -0.36; 95% CI, -0.59 to -0.13). Results suggest long-term efficacy of a brief intervention to reduce parental solicitousness and increase coping skills. This strategy may be a viable alternative for children with functional abdominal pain. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00494260.

  11. A comparative study on Benzydamine HCL 0.5% and Acetaminophen Codeine in pain reduction following periodontal surgery

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    Khoshkhoonejad AA.

    2004-07-01

    Full Text Available Statement of Problem: Systemic analgesics are frequently prescribed for pain reduction following periodontal surgery. This type of treatment, however, brings about some disadvantages due to its late effect and inherent side effects. Benzydamine hydrochloride mouth wash is a non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with local anaesthetic properties. Side effects of benzydamine are minor such as tissue numbness, burning and stinging. It brings relief to pain and inflammation rapidly. Purpose: The goal of this study was to compare benzydamine HCL 0.15% and Acetaminophen codeine as analgesics following periodontal surgery. Materials and Methods: This clinical study was performed on 18 patients referred to periodontics Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All patients were affected with chronic mild or moderate periodontitis and required surgery at least at two oral sites with similar lesions. Each patient received benzdamine HCL after first surgery and Acetaminophen codein following second operation. Pain reduction was evaluated by Visual Analog Scale (VAS. Data were analyzed with Wilcoxon-Signed and Mann-Whitney non-parametric tests. Results: Analgesic effect of Acetaminophene codeine was significantly more than that of benzydamine HCL following Reriodontal surgery (P=0.008. No significant difference was found between analgesic effects of Acetaminophene codeine and benzydamine HCL in patients with chronic mild periodontitis (P=0.9, and in cases that osteoplasty (P=0-31 or no osseous surgery (P=0.18 were performed. Conclusion: In cases with mild post-operative pain following periodontal surgery, Benzydamine HCL and be prescribed as an analgesic. However, in other cases this mouth wash should be prescribed along with Acetaminophene codein to reduce systemic drugs consumption.

  12. Pain following foraminal enlargement in mandibular molars with necrosis and apical periodontitis: A randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saini, H R; Sangwan, P; Sangwan, A

    2016-12-01

    This randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of foraminal enlargement during chemomechanical root canal preparation on postoperative pain. Seventy mandibular first molars with asymptomatic pulp necrosis and chronic apical periodontitis were randomized into two groups - foraminal enlargement (FE) and conventional nonforaminal enlargement (NFE). Canals were prepared according to the respective protocols, and the teeth were restored temporarily. Postoperatively, the patients were prescribed ibuprofen 400 mg, to be taken if required. Pain experience and analgesic intake were recorded for 7 days following chemomechanical preparation. The data were analysed using Mann-Whitney U-test and chi-square tests. Pain experience was higher with foraminal enlargement than when using a conventional technique. A significant difference was observed in postoperative pain during the first 4 days and the sixth day (P  0.05). Enlargement of the apical foramen during root canal treatment increased the incidence and intensity of postoperative pain. © 2015 International Endodontic Journal. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. Physical function and pain after surgical or conservative management of multiple rib fractures - a follow-up study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fagevik Olsén, Monika; Slobo, Margareta; Klarin, Lena; Caragounis, Eva-Corina; Pazooki, David; Granhed, Hans

    2016-10-28

    There is scarce knowledge of physical function and pain due to multiple rib fractures following trauma. The purpose of this follow-up was to assess respiratory and physical function, pain, range of movement and kinesiophobia in patients with multiple rib fractures who had undergone stabilizing surgery and compare with conservatively managed patients. A consecutive series of 31 patients with multiple rib fractures who had undergone stabilizing surgery were assessed >1 year after the trauma concerning respiratory and physical function, pain, range of movement in the shoulders and thorax, shoulder function and kinesiophobia. For comparison, 30 patients who were treated conservatively were evaluated with the same outcome measures. The results concerning pain, lung function, shoulder function and level of physical activity were similar in the two groups. The patients who had undergone surgery had a significantly larger range of motion in the thorax (p pain, better thoracic range of motion and physical function which would indicate that surgery is preferable. If operation technique could improve in the future with a less invasive approach, it would presumably decrease post-operative pain and the benefit of surgery would be greater than the morbidity of surgery. Patients undergoing surgery have a similar long-term recovery to those who are treated conservatively except for a better range of motion in the thorax and fewer limitations in physical function. Surgery seems to be beneficial for some patients, the question remains which patients. FoU i Sverige (R&D in Sweden), No 106121.

  14. The Effect of Patellar Denervation by Circumpatellar Electrocautery on Anterior Knee Pain Following Total Knee Replacement – An Experimental Study

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    Balaji Zacharia

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT OBJECTIVES Anterior knee pain is a common problem in patients who have undergone TKR which causes dissatisfaction among them. There are Various methods for prevention of anterior knee pain following TKR .The  objective of this study is to determine the  effect of circumpatellar electrocautery on anterior knee pain following TKR and to compare the results with that of those patients who have undergone TKR without circumpatellar denervation. METHODS This is a cohort study conducted in Dept. of Orthopedics, Govt. Medical College, Kozhikode,kerala, 2014. Total sample size was 90.out of which 2 patients died during the study period. We lost follow up of 7 patients.  Among the remaining 81 patients 42 had undergone TKR with circumpatellar denervation using electocautery and 39 without circumpatellar denervation. They were kept under follow up. Patients were followed up postoperatively at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and at one year. At all postoperative visits, a clinical score was determined using the Knee Society score and the clinical anterior knee pain rating system described by Waters and Bentley RESULTS There is no statistically significant difference in AKP score between both groups.There is a statistically significant difference in the knee society score at 1st month(p value <.001.  But there is no difference on further follow up visits . CONCLUSION There is no statistically significant difference between final outcome of patients who underwent patella denervation using circumpatellar electrocauterisation and those without denervation  with respect to anterior knee pain among patients who have undergone TKR.

  15. Pain Scores Are Not Predictive of Pain Medication Utilization

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    Suzanne Galloway

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. To compare Visual Analogue Scale (VAS scores with overall postoperative pain medication requirements including cumulative dose and patterns of medication utilization and to determine whether VAS scores predict pain medication utilization. Methods. VAS scores and pain medication data were collected from participants in a randomized trial of the utility of phenazopyridine for improved pain control following gynecologic surgery. Results. The mean age of the 219 participants was 54 (range19 to 94. We did not detect any association between VAS and pain medication utilization for patient-controlled anesthesia (PCA or RN administered (intravenous or oral medications. We also did not detect any association between the number of VAS scores recorded and mean pain scores. Conclusion. Postoperative VAS scores do not predict pain medication use in catheterized women inpatients following gynecologic surgery. Increased pain severity, as reflected by higher VAS scores, is not associated with an increase in pain assessment. Our findings suggest that VAS scores are of limited utility for optimal pain control. Alternative or complimentary methods may improve pain management.

  16. Absence of low back pain in patients followed weekly over one year with automated text messages

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Leboeuf-Yde, Charlotte; Jensen, Rikke K; Axén, Iben

    2012-01-01

    In order to define the onset of a new episode of low back pain (LBP), the definition of a "non-episode" must be clear. De Vet et al reviewed the scientific literature but found no evidence-based definitions of episodes or non-episodes of LBP. However, they suggested that pain-based episodes should...... be preceded and followed by a period of at least one month without LBP. As LBP is an episodic disease, it is not clear whether a sufficient number of patients with LBP will be LBP-free for at least one month ("non-episode") to justify the use of this duration in the definition of pain free episode....

  17. Sensory symptom profiles and co-morbidities in painful radiculopathy.

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    Friederike Mahn

    Full Text Available Painful radiculopathies (RAD and classical neuropathic pain syndromes (painful diabetic polyneuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia show differences how the patients express their sensory perceptions. Furthermore, several clinical trials with neuropathic pain medications failed in painful radiculopathy. Epidemiological and clinical data of 2094 patients with painful radiculopathy were collected within a cross sectional survey (painDETECT to describe demographic data and co-morbidities and to detect characteristic sensory abnormalities in patients with RAD and compare them with other neuropathic pain syndromes. Common co-morbidities in neuropathic pain (depression, sleep disturbance, anxiety do not differ considerably between the three conditions. Compared to other neuropathic pain syndromes touch-evoked allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia are relatively uncommon in RAD. One distinct sensory symptom pattern (sensory profile, i.e., severe painful attacks and pressure induced pain in combination with mild spontaneous pain, mild mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia, was found to be characteristic for RAD. Despite similarities in sensory symptoms there are two important differences between RAD and other neuropathic pain disorders: (1 The paucity of mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia might be explained by the fact that the site of the nerve lesion in RAD is often located proximal to the dorsal root ganglion. (2 The distinct sensory profile found in RAD might be explained by compression-induced ectopic discharges from a dorsal root and not necessarily by nerve damage. These differences in pathogenesis might explain why medications effective in DPN and PHN failed to demonstrate efficacy in RAD.

  18. Lumbar Radiofrequency Rhizotomy in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain Increases the Diagnosis of Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction in Subsequent Follow-Up Visits

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-01-01

    Chronic back pain is often a result of coexisting pathologies; secondary causes of pain can become more apparent sources of pain once the primary pathology has been addressed. The objective of our study was to determine if there is an increase in diagnosis of Sacroiliac joint pain following a Lumbar Rhizotomy. A list of patients who underwent Lumbar Radiofrequency during a 6-month period in our clinic was generated. Records from subsequent clinic visits were reviewed to determine if a new diagnosis of SI joint pathology was made. In patients who underwent a recent Lumbar Rhizotomy procedure to treat facetogenic pain, the prevalence of Sacroiliac joint pain increased to 70%. We infer that there is a significant increase in the diagnosis of Sacroiliac joint syndrome following a Lumbar Rhizotomy, potentially due to unmasking of a preexisting condition. In patients presenting with persistent back pain after Lumbar Rhizotomy, the clinician must have a high degree of suspicion for latent Sacroiliac joint pain prior to attributing the pain to block failure. It would be prudent to use >80% relief of pain after a diagnostic medial branch block as a diagnostic criterion for facetogenic pain rather than the currently accepted >50% in order to minimize unmasking of preexisting subclinical pain from the SI joint. PMID:28255260

  19. Lumbar Radiofrequency Rhizotomy in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain Increases the Diagnosis of Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction in Subsequent Follow-Up Visits

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    Varun Kumar Rimmalapudi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Chronic back pain is often a result of coexisting pathologies; secondary causes of pain can become more apparent sources of pain once the primary pathology has been addressed. The objective of our study was to determine if there is an increase in diagnosis of Sacroiliac joint pain following a Lumbar Rhizotomy. A list of patients who underwent Lumbar Radiofrequency during a 6-month period in our clinic was generated. Records from subsequent clinic visits were reviewed to determine if a new diagnosis of SI joint pathology was made. In patients who underwent a recent Lumbar Rhizotomy procedure to treat facetogenic pain, the prevalence of Sacroiliac joint pain increased to 70%. We infer that there is a significant increase in the diagnosis of Sacroiliac joint syndrome following a Lumbar Rhizotomy, potentially due to unmasking of a preexisting condition. In patients presenting with persistent back pain after Lumbar Rhizotomy, the clinician must have a high degree of suspicion for latent Sacroiliac joint pain prior to attributing the pain to block failure. It would be prudent to use >80% relief of pain after a diagnostic medial branch block as a diagnostic criterion for facetogenic pain rather than the currently accepted >50% in order to minimize unmasking of preexisting subclinical pain from the SI joint.

  20. Lumbar Radiofrequency Rhizotomy in Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain Increases the Diagnosis of Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction in Subsequent Follow-Up Visits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rimmalapudi, Varun Kumar; Kumar, Sanjeev

    2017-01-01

    Chronic back pain is often a result of coexisting pathologies; secondary causes of pain can become more apparent sources of pain once the primary pathology has been addressed. The objective of our study was to determine if there is an increase in diagnosis of Sacroiliac joint pain following a Lumbar Rhizotomy. A list of patients who underwent Lumbar Radiofrequency during a 6-month period in our clinic was generated. Records from subsequent clinic visits were reviewed to determine if a new diagnosis of SI joint pathology was made. In patients who underwent a recent Lumbar Rhizotomy procedure to treat facetogenic pain, the prevalence of Sacroiliac joint pain increased to 70%. We infer that there is a significant increase in the diagnosis of Sacroiliac joint syndrome following a Lumbar Rhizotomy, potentially due to unmasking of a preexisting condition. In patients presenting with persistent back pain after Lumbar Rhizotomy, the clinician must have a high degree of suspicion for latent Sacroiliac joint pain prior to attributing the pain to block failure. It would be prudent to use >80% relief of pain after a diagnostic medial branch block as a diagnostic criterion for facetogenic pain rather than the currently accepted >50% in order to minimize unmasking of preexisting subclinical pain from the SI joint.

  1. Low back pain and physical activity--A 6.5 year follow-up among young adults in their transition from school to working life.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lunde, Lars-Kristian; Koch, Markus; Hanvold, Therese N; Wærsted, Morten; Veiersted, Kaj B

    2015-11-12

    The association between leisure time physical activity and low back pain in young adults is unclear and is in the need of prospectively obtained evidence. This study examined the course of low back pain and the association between low back pain and leisure time physical activity in a cohort of young adults in their transition from school to working life. Both low back pain and leisure time physical activity was monitored over a 6.5 year period in 420 subjects starting out as students within hairdressing, electrical installation and media/design. The association between physical activity and low back pain was investigated through the follow-up period by using linear mixed models analysis. Low back pain was significantly influenced by time and overall there was a decreasing trend of low back pain prevalence throughout the follow-up. Analysis showed a weak trend of decreasing low back pain with moderate/high physical activity levels, but this association was not significant. Low back pain decreased during follow-up with baseline as reference. Findings in our study did show non-significant trends of reduced low back pain with increased leisure time physical activity. Still, we could not support the theory of moderate/high levels of physical activity acting protective against low back pain in young adults entering working life. Our results, in combination with previous relevant research, cannot support a clear relationship between physical activity and low back pain for young adults. Thus, recommendations regarding effect of physical activity on reducing low back pain for this group are not clear.

  2. Postoperative pain management following ambulatory anesthesia: challenges and solutions

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    Schug SA

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Stephan A Schug,1,2 Chandani Chandrasena2 1School of Medicine and Pharmacology, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia; 2Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, WA, Australia Abstract: Worldwide, there is an increasing trend toward performing more and more complex surgery in an ambulatory setting, partially driven by economic considerations. Provision of appropriate pain relief is still often inadequate in this setting; poor pain control and adverse effects of opioids provided for pain control are common reasons for readmission, with human and economic consequences. Therefore, improved analgesia after ambulatory surgery is an important goal; appropriate strategies include identification of at-risk patients, provision of multimodal analgesia, and early use of rescue strategies. Multimodal analgesia is based on the combined use of multiple medications or techniques for pain control, which have different mechanisms of action or act on different sites at the pain pathways. Thereby, such an approach improves analgesia, reduces opioid requirements, and reduces adverse effects of opioids. Important components of multimodal analgesia are nonopioids (acetaminophen and anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, and alpha-2-delta modulators (gabapentin, pregabalin, but most importantly the use of local and regional anesthesia techniques. Here, the use of adjuvants is one way to increase the duration of pain relief, but, increasingly, continuous peripheral nerve blocks via catheters are used in ambulatory patients, too. Finally, the planning of discharge medications needs a balancing act between the requirements for provision of good analgesia and the risk of opioids going out into the community. Keywords: ambulatory surgery, short-stay surgery, multimodal analgesia, nonopioids, local anesthetics, regional anesthesia

  3. The Nordic back pain subpopulation program: course patterns established through weekly follow-ups in patients treated for low back pain

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    Leboeuf-Yde Charlotte

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Low back pain (LBP is known to have a fluctuating course. In clinical studies, when deciding on duration of treatment and time for follow-up, it is important to know at what point in time a definite pattern of recovery becomes apparent and at what time a possible recurrence is likely to occur. A detailed description of the pain pattern has been difficult to establish with commonly used methods for follow-up, and we now introduce data collection by means of text messaging on mobile phones. The purpose of this study was to describe the detailed course of LBP during 18 weeks in a population treated in the primary care sector by chiropractors. Methods The study population consisted of 78 patients presenting to a chiropractor with LBP, who for at least 12 weeks responded to the questions sent by text messaging concerning 1 the number of LBP-days the preceding week and 2 the intensity of present LBP. Results A rapid improvement was observed through weeks one to four. After week seven no further improvement happened, and from the 12th week there seemed to be a tendency towards worsening. Conclusions We suggest that follow-ups in studies concerning primary sector LBP care are conducted in week seven after treatment was initiated and at some later point which cannot be established from this study. In clinical practice we recommend that patients' LBP status is systematically followed for the first four weeks since lack of improvement during that period should cause watchfulness.

  4. Long-term follow-up of gut-directed hypnotherapy vs. standard care in children with functional abdominal pain or irritable bowel syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vlieger, Arine M; Rutten, Juliette M T M; Govers, Anita M A P; Frankenhuis, Carla; Benninga, Marc A

    2012-04-01

    We previously showed that gut-directed hypnotherapy (HT) is highly effective in the treatment of children with functional abdominal pain (FAP) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Aim of this follow-up study was to investigate the long-term effects of HT vs. standard medical treatment plus supportive therapy (SMT). All 52 participants of our previous randomized controlled trial (RCT) were invited to complete a standardized abdominal pain diary, on which pain frequency and pain intensity were scored. Furthermore, the Children's Somatization Inventory (CSI) and a general quality of life (QOL) questionnaire were filled out. Clinical remission was defined as > 80% improvement in pain scores compared with baseline. All 27 HT patients and 22 out of 25 SMT patients participated in this study. Two patients of the SMT group were lost to follow-up and one refused to participate. After a mean duration of 4.8 years follow-up (3.4-6.7), HT was still highly superior to conventional therapy with 68 vs. 20% of the patients in remission after treatment (P = 0.005). Pain intensity and pain frequency scores at follow-up were 2.8 and 2.3, respectively, in the HT group compared with 7.3 and 7.1 in the SMT group (P < 0.01). Also, somatization scores were lower in the HT group (15.2 vs. 22.8; P = 0.04). No differences were found in QOL, doctors' visits, and missed days of school or work between the two groups. The beneficial effects of gut-directed HT are long lasting in children with FAP or IBS with two thirds still in remission almost 5 years after treatment, making it a highly valuable therapeutic option.

  5. Recurrent and Transient Spinal Pain Among Commercial Helicopter Pilots.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andersen, Knut; Baardsen, Roald; Dalen, Ingvild; Larsen, Jan Petter

    2015-11-01

    The aim of this study was to provide information on the occurrence of spinal pain, i.e., low back and neck pain, among commercial helicopter pilots, along with possible associations between pain and anthropometric and demographic factors and flying exposure. Data were collected through a subjective and retrospective survey among all the 313 (294 men, 19 women) full-time pilots employed by two helicopter companies. A questionnaire was used to assess the extent of spinal complaints in a transient and recurrent pain pattern along with information on physical activities, occupational flying experience, and airframes. The survey had 207 responders (194 men, 13 women). The pilots had extensive flying experience. Spinal pain was reported by 67%. Flying-related transient pain was reported among 50%, whereas recurrent spinal pain, not necessarily associated with flying, was reported by 52%. Women experienced more pain, but sample size prevented further conclusions. Male pilots reporting any spinal pain flew significantly more hours last year (median 500 h, IQR 400-650) versus men with no pain (median 445 h, IQR 300-550). Male pilots with transient or recurrent spinal pain did not differ from nonaffected male colleagues in the measured parameters. Spinal pain is a frequent problem among male and female commercial helicopter pilots. For men, no significant associations were revealed for transient or recurrent spinal pain with age, flying experience in years, total hours, annual flying time, type of aircraft, or anthropometric factors except for any spinal pain related to hours flown in the last year.

  6. A multiple-dose, double-blind comparison of intramuscularly and orally administered ketorolac tromethamine and Ketogan in patients with pain following orthopaedic surgery

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gebuhr, Peter Henrik; Soelberg, M; Strauss, W

    1994-01-01

    In this multiple-dose, double-blind study 100 patients with moderate, severe or very severe pain following orthopaedic surgery were randomly assigned to receive ketorolac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with potent analgesic properties (10 mg), or the standard regimen of Ketogan (a combin......-mg doses of oral ketorolac are as effective as Ketogan for the treatment of pain following orthopaedic surgery. Ketorolac appears to be better tolerated than Ketogan since significantly fewer patients reported adverse events (P = 0.004) when taking ketorolac.......In this multiple-dose, double-blind study 100 patients with moderate, severe or very severe pain following orthopaedic surgery were randomly assigned to receive ketorolac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with potent analgesic properties (10 mg), or the standard regimen of Ketogan (a...... combination product containing the narcotic analgesic, ketobemidone, plus a spasmolytic agent) by intramuscular injection every 1-6 h as needed for pain. When patients were able to tolerate an oral diet and were expected to respond to oral analgesic medication, based on overall pain sensitivity, they were...

  7. The effects of the calcium-magnesium-bicarbonate content in thermal mineral water on chronic low back pain: a randomized, controlled follow-up study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gáti, Tamás; Tefner, Ildikó Katalin; Kovács, Lajos; Hodosi, Katalin; Bender, Tamás

    2018-05-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of balneotherapy on chronic low back pain. This is a minimized, follow-up study evaluated according to the analysis of intention to treat. The subjects included in the study were 105 patients suffering from chronic low back pain. The control group ( n = 53) received the traditional musculoskeletal pain killer treatment, while the target group ( n = 52) attended thermal mineral water treatment for 3 weeks for 15 occasions on top of the usual musculoskeletal pain killer treatment. The following parameters were measured before, right after, and 9 weeks after the 3-week therapy: the level of low back pain in rest and the level during activity are tested using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS); specific questionnaire on the back pain (Oswestry); and a questionnaire on quality of life (EuroQual-5D). All of the investigated parameters improved significantly ( p low back pain.

  8. The effects of the calcium-magnesium-bicarbonate content in thermal mineral water on chronic low back pain: a randomized, controlled follow-up study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tamás, Gáti; Katalin, Tefner Ildikó; Lajos, Kovács; Katalin, Hodosi; Tamás, Bender

    2018-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of balneotherapy on chronic low back pain. This is a minimized, follow-up study evaluated according to the analysis of intention to treat. The subjects included in the study were 105 patients suffering from chronic low back pain. The control group (n = 53) received the traditional musculoskeletal pain killer treatment, while the target group (n = 52) attended thermal mineral water treatment for 3 weeks for 15 occasions on top of the usual musculoskeletal pain killer treatment. The following parameters were measured before, right after, and 9 weeks after the 3-week therapy: the level of low back pain in rest and the level during activity are tested using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS); specific questionnaire on the back pain (Oswestry); and a questionnaire on quality of life (EuroQual-5D). All of the investigated parameters improved significantly (p chronic low back pain.

  9. Neuropathic Pain Following Spinal Cord Injury: Mechanism, Assessment and Treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gul Mete Civelek

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Spinal cord injury (SCI is a devastating disease which may cause physical, psychological and social dysfunction. Neuropathic pain (NP after SCI is common, can be seen in varying degrees and is one of the most difficultly treated problems developing after SCI. With the addition of the NP to loss of function after SCI, sleep patterns, moods and daily activities of patients are adversely affected. In order to treat pain effectively, classification of pain after SCI must be done carefully and correctly. According to classification of International Pain Study Group, pain after SCI is divided into two main groups as nociceptive and neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain is defined as %u201Cpain occuring as a direct result of a disease or lesion directly affecting somato-sensorial system%u201D. NP after SCI can be classified according to anatomical region (above the level of lesion, at the level of lesion, below the level of lesion. Treatment of NP after SCI is often challenging and receiving response to treatment may take long time. Therefore, treatment of NP after SCI should be multifactorial. Treatment options include pharmochologic treatment, application of transcutanous electrical nerve stimulation, psychiatric treatment approaches, and surgical approaches in selected cases. In pharmachologic treatment, first line agents are tricyclic antidepresants, pregabalin and gabapentin. In this review, mechanisms and assessment and treatment of NP after SCI is discussed with the guide of current literature.

  10. Risk factors for development of non-specific musculoskeletal pain in preteens and early adolescents: a prospective 1-year follow-up study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Auvinen Anssi

    2007-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Musculoskeletal pain symptoms are common in children and adolescents. These symptoms have a negative impact on children's physical and emotional well-being, but their underlying aetiology and risk factors are still poorly understood. Most of the previous cohort studies were conducted among mid and/or late adolescents and were mainly focused on a specific pain location (e.g. low back pain or neck pain. The purpose of this study is to estimate occurrence of new-onset pain symptoms, in all musculoskeletal locations, in preteens and early adolescents and investigate risk factors for development of these symptoms. Methods 1756 schoolchildren (mean age 10.8 were recruited from schools in southern Finland. Information was extracted as to whether they experienced musculoskeletal pain and a total of 1192 children were identified as free of musculoskeletal pain symptoms. Information was collected on factors which could potentially predict the development of musculoskeletal pain: headache, abdominal pain, sadness/feeling down, day-time tiredness, difficulty in falling asleep, waking up during nights, level of physical activity and hypermobility. These children were followed-up 1-year later and those with new episodes of non-traumatic and traumatic musculoskeletal pain symptoms were identified. Results A total of 1113 schoolchildren (93% of baseline pain-free children were found at one-year follow-up. New episodes of musculoskeletal pain were reported by 21.5% of these children. Of them 19.4% reported non-traumatic pain and 4.0% reported traumatic pain. The neck was the most commonly reported site with non-traumatic pain, while the lower limb was the most common site for traumatic pain. The independent risk factors for non-traumatic musculoskeletal pain were headache (OR = 1.68, [95% CI 1.16–2.44] and day-time tiredness (OR = 1.53, [95% CI 1.03–2.26]. The risk factors for traumatic musculoskeletal pain were vigorous exercise (OR = 3

  11. Pain following double-bundle anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: Correlation with morphological graft findings and dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, Y.-C.; Mhuircheartaigh, J.N.; Cheung, Y.-C.; Juan, Y.-H.; Chiu, C.-H.; Yeh, W.-L.; Wu, J.S.

    2014-01-01

    Aim: To determine the relationship between knee pain following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) graft placement with morphological graft findings and dynamic contrast enhancement as assessed at MRI. Material and methods: Following institutional review board approval, 37 consecutive patients with double-bundle ACL reconstruction were enrolled. Thirteen patients had pain and 24 were asymptomatic. Imaging was performed using a 1.5 T MRI machine an average of 7.6 months after surgery. Graft-related (increase signal intensity, abnormal orientation, discontinuity, cystic degeneration, anterior translation of lateral tibia, arthrofibrosis), and non-graft related causes of knee pain (meniscal tear, cartilage injury, loose bodies, and synovitis) were evaluated. During dynamic contrast enhancement analysis, peak enhancement (ePeak) was calculated by placing a region of interest at the osteoligamentous interface of each bundle. Student's t-test was used for continuous variables analysis and chi-square or Fisher's exact test was used for categorical variables analysis. Results: There was no difference between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients regarding morphological graft-related or non-graft-related causes of knee pain. For dynamic contrast enhancement analysis, symptomatic patients had significantly lower ePeak values than asymptomatic patients in the anteromedial (p = 0.008) and posterolateral (p = 0.001) bundles or when using the higher ePeak value in either bundle (p = 0.003). Conclusion: Morphological ACL graft findings as assessed at MRI could not be used to distinguish between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. However, lower ePeak values had a significant association with knee pain. This may indicate poor neovascularization of the graft, potentially leading to graft failure. - Highlights: • Morphologic graft findings of MRI are poorly associated with knee pain. • Lower contrast enhancement values are significantly associated with knee pain

  12. Two-year follow-up of low-level laser therapy for elderly with painful adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ip D

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available David Ip, Nga-Yue Fu Asia Medical Pain Centre, Mong Kok, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China Introduction: This paper reports on the medium-term mean 2-year prospective follow-up of a patient cohort of 35 unselected elderly patients with mean age of 65 years who visited our tertiary referral pain center for painful adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder managed with low-level laser therapy (LLLT. Materials and methods: All patients in this prospective cohort study had documentation of the diagnosis by contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging before study entry and all had failed to respond to a combination of conventional physical therapy and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications for not fewer than 4 weeks. LLLT, at a wavelength of 810 nm emitted from a GaAIAs semiconductor laser device with 5.4 J per point and a power density of 20 mW/cm2, was employed to irradiate six predetermined anatomic points and two acupuncture points. The treatment regimen consisted of three sessions of treatment per week for 8 consecutive weeks. Each treatment session lasted 180 seconds. Serial clinical assessment was undertaken using the Constant–Murley shoulder score. Results: A total of 50 painful shoulder joints were treated, as a number of elderly presented with bilateral symptoms. All but four painful shoulders showed significant improvement in Constant–Murley shoulder score at the end of 8-weeks’ LLLT treatment and, surprisingly, the improvement was found maintained at follow-up assessments at 1 year and 2 years. Conclusion: We conclude that LLLT is a viable option in the conservative treatment of shoulder pain arising from adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder in the elderly, with a positive clinical result of more than 90% and with clinical efficacy both in the short-term and the medium-term. Keywords: Constant–Murley shoulder score, LLLT, shoulder pain, acupuncture point

  13. A 9-year follow-up of a self-management group intervention for persistent neck pain in primary health care: a randomized controlled trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gustavsson C

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Catharina Gustavsson,1,2 Lena von Koch1,3,4 1Center for Clinical Research Dalarna, Department of Public Health and Caring Science, Uppsala University, Uppsala, 2School of Education, Health and Social Studies, Dalarna University, Falun, 3Department of Neurobiology, Care Science and Society, Karolinska Institutet, 4Department of Neurology, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden Background and objective: In previous short-term and 2-year follow-ups, a pain and stress self-management group intervention (PASS had better effect on pain-related disability, self-efficacy, catastrophizing, and perceived pain control than individually administered physiotherapy (IAPT for patients with persistent tension-type neck pain. Studies that have evaluated long-term effects of self-management approaches toward persistent neck pain are sparse. The objective of this study was to compare pain-related disability, self-efficacy for activities of daily living (ADL, catastrophizing, pain, pain control, use of analgesics, and health care utilization in people with persistent tension-type neck pain 9 years after they received the PASS or IAPT. Materials and methods: Of 156 people (PASS, n = 77; IAPT, n = 79 originally included in a randomized controlled trial, 129 people (PASS, n = 63; IAPT, n = 66 were eligible and were approached for the 9-year follow-up. They were sent a self-assessment questionnaire, comprising the Neck Disability Index, the Self-Efficacy Scale, the Coping Strategies Questionnaire, and questions regarding pain, analgesics, and health care utilization. Mixed linear models for repeated measures analysis or generalized estimating equations were used to evaluate the differences between groups and within groups over time (baseline, previous follow-ups, and 9-year follow-up and the interaction effect of “time by group”. Results: Ninety-four participants (73% responded (PASS, n = 48; IAPT, n = 46. At 9 years, PASS participants reported less

  14. Bilateral complex regional pain syndrome following spinal cord injury and bilateral calcaneus fracture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmet Boyacı

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS is a disease affectingone or more extremities, characterized by spontaneouspain, allodynia, hyperpathia and hyperalgesia.CRPS is separated into Type 1 and Type 2. CRPS whichdevelops after a nociceptive event is labeled as Type 1and when it develops following peripheral nerve damage,Type 2. Although the pathogenesis is not fully understood,peripheral and central sensitivity are held responsible.Bilateral lower extremity involvement is extremely rare.However, it should be borne in mind that it can develop intraumatic injuries which occur in more than one area anddiagnosis and commencement of a rehabilitation programshould be made in the early period. The case is presentedhere of bilateral Type 1 CRPS developing after incompletespinal cord injury and bilateral calcaneus fracture. JClin Exp Invest 2013; 4 (3: 360-363Key words: complex regional pain syndrome, calcaneusfracture, spinal cord injury

  15. Barriers to Physical Activity in Low Back Pain Patients following Rehabilitation: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrea Schaller

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Promoting health-enhancing physical activity following rehabilitation is a well-known challenge. This study analysed the barriers to leisure time activity among low back pain patients. Methods. A subset of 192 low back pain patients who participated in a randomized controlled trial promoting physical activity was analysed. Physical activity, barriers, and sociodemographic and indication-related variables were assessed by a questionnaire. Differences in barriers between active and inactive participants were tested by Pearson’s chi squared test. A logistic regression model was fitted to identify influencing factors on physical activity at six months following rehabilitation. Results. Inactive and active participants differed significantly in nine of the 19 barriers assessed. The adjusted regression model showed associations of level of education (OR = 5.366 [1.563; 18.425]; p value = 0.008 and fear of pain (OR = 0.612 [0.421; 0.889]; p value = 0.010 with physical activity. The barriers included in the model failed to show any statistically significant association after adjustment for sociodemographic factors. Conclusions. Low back pain patients especially with a low level of education and fear of pain seem to need tailored support in overcoming barriers to physical activity. This study is registered at German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00004878.

  16. Does patellofemoral congruence following total knee arthroplasty correlate with pain or function? Intraoperative arthroscopic assessment of 30 cases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Senioris, Antoine; Saffarini, Mo; Rahali, Said; Malekpour, Louis; Dujardin, Franck; Courage, Olivier

    2016-08-01

    Anterior knee pain (AKP) is observed in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) both with and without patellar resurfacing, and neither patellar denervation nor secondary resurfacing are effective for treating the symptoms. The exact causes for pain remain unclear, though abnormal patellofemoral forces due to patellar malalignment or inadequate implant design can play an important role. The purpose of this study was to arthroscopically evaluate patellofemoral congruence after wound closure following TKA without patellar resurfacing and correlate it to patellar morphology and postoperative pain and function. The authors prospectively studied 30 patients that received uncemented mobile-bearing TKA. Patellofemoral congruence was assessed arthroscopically after wound closure by estimating the contact area between the native patella and the prosthetic trochlea (> two-thirds, > one-third, congruence was correlated with patellar morphology (Pcongruence and patient characteristics. While patellar morphology and patellofemoral congruence are strongly related, they are not associated with clinical outcomes or patient demographics. Considering that numerous incongruent patellofemoral joints were pain-free, and conversely, many perfectly congruent patellofemoral joints had anterior pain, the authors suppose that pain is probably caused by mechanisms other than patellofemoral pressures.

  17. Evaluating the Effects of local Injections of Bupivacaine and Triamcinolone Acetate on Shoulder Joint Pain and Restricted Range of Motion Following Cerebrovascular Accidents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Asadollah Saadat Niaki M.D.

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Background: Shoulder pain is a common complication of cerebrovascular accidents. This study was conducted to assess the effects of local injections of bupivacaine and triamcinolone acetate on shoulder joint pain and on restricted range of motion following brain events. Methods: This single-blind clinical trial study included 35 patients with chronic shoulder pain (the controls and 35 patients with chronic shoulder pain due to brain events (the case group. The study was done at Imam Hossein Hospital & Gandhi Day Clinic during the year 2008-2010. The patients in the two groups received bupivacaine and triamcinolone acetate for subacromial bursa injection and suprascapular nerve block by following the protocol described by Dangoisse et al. The patients were followed up for 12 weeks and they were evaluated for pain and range of motion 1, 6, and 12 weeks after the injections.Results: The mean age of the patients was 60.9±9.07 years. Statistically significant improvements in pain score (P=0.001 and shoulder joint range of motion (P=0.001 were observed in patients with chronic shoulder pain versus patients with brain events 12 weeks after suprascapulare nerve block and subacromial bours injections by bupivacaine and triamcinolone acetate.Conclusion: Suprascapular nerve block and subacromial bursa injections of bupivacaine and triamcinolone acetate is a safe and efficacious treatment for the treatment of chronic shoulder pain and restricted range of motion but it is not efficacious or of significant value for the treatment of shoulder pain in patients with brain events.

  18. The combined effects of cold therapy and music therapy on pain following chest tube removal among patients with cardiac bypass surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yarahmadi, Sajad; Mohammadi, Nooredin; Ardalan, Arash; Najafizadeh, Hassan; Gholami, Mohammad

    2018-05-01

    Chest tube removal is an extremely painful procedure and patients may not respond well to palliative therapies. This study aimed to examine the effect of cold and music therapy individually, as well as a combination of these interventions on reducing pain following chest tube removal. A factorial randomized-controlled clinical trial was performed on 180 patients who underwent cardiac surgery. Patients were randomized into four groups of 45. Group A used ice packs for 20 minutes prior to chest tube removal. Group B was assigned to listen to music for a total length of 30 minutes which started 15 minutes prior to chest tube removal. Group C received a combination of both interventions; and Group D received no interventions. Pain intensity was measured in each group every 15 minutes for a total of 3 readings. Analysis of variance, Tukey and Bonferroni post hoc tests, as well as repeated measures ANOVA were employed for data analysis. Cold therapy and combined method intervention effectively reduced the pain caused by chest tube removal (P < 0.001). Additionally, there were no statistically significant difference in pain intensity scores between groups at 15 minutes following chest tube removal (P = 0.07). Cold and music therapy can be used by nursing staff in clinical practice as a combined approach to provide effective pain control following chest tube removal. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Two years follow-up study of the pain-relieving effect of gold bead implantation in dogs with hip-joint arthritis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Søli Nils

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Seventy-eight dogs with pain from hip dysplasia participated in a six-month placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical trial of gold bead implantation. In the present, non-blinded study, 73 of these dogs were followed for an additional 18 months to evaluate the long-term pain-relieving effect of gold bead implantation. The recently-published results of the six month period revealed that 30 of the 36 dogs (83% in the gold implantation group showed significant improvement (p = 0.02, included improved mobility and reduction in the signs of pain, compared to the placebo group (60% improvement. In the long-term two-year follow-up study, 66 of the 73 dogs had gold implantation and seven dogs continued as a control group. The 32 dogs in the original placebo group had gold beads implanted and were followed for a further 18 months. A certified veterinary acupuncturist used the same procedure to insert the gold beads as in the blinded study, and the owners completed the same type of detailed questionnaires. As in the blinded study, one investigator was responsible for all the assessments of each dog. The present study revealed that the pain-relieving effect of gold bead implantation observed in the blinded study continued throughout the two-year follow-up period.

  20. The efficacy of a lidocaine-infused pain pump for postoperative analgesia following elective augmentation mammaplasty or abdominoplasty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chavez-Abraham, Victor; Barr, Jason S; Zwiebel, Paul C

    2011-08-01

    Postoperative pain management following aesthetic plastic surgery traditionally has been achieved by systemic administration of several narcotic pain medications. Because this method can lead to undesirable side effects such as sedation, nausea, vomiting, and respiratory depression, a more efficacious method of postoperative analgesia with fewer side effects needs to be implemented in outpatient cosmetic surgery. From March of 2003 until December of 2008, 690 patients underwent augmentation mammaplasty and 215 patients underwent abdominoplasty. All of these patients were equipped with an elastomeric continuous infusion pump postoperatively and were prescribed oral narcotics. Prior to 2003, patients were prescribed only oral narcotics postoperatively. A retrospective chart review of patients before and after implementation of the pain pump was undertaken to review the perceived pain patients experienced postoperatively with and without the pump. The self-administration of oral narcotics was also assessed. Patients equipped with the pain pump experienced a statistically significant decrease in perceived pain compared to those without the pump (augmentation mammaplasty: 2.27 vs. 3.68, p use of the oral narcotic Vicodin™ at 72 h postoperatively (5 mg hydrocodone/500 mg acetaminophen, Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL) (augmentation mammaplasty: 26.5 mg/2650 mg vs. 49 mg/4900 mg, p reduce both the amount of pain patients experience and the quantity of narcotics used postoperatively.

  1. Impact of Workplace Exposure and Stress on Neck Pain and Disabilities in Women-A Longitudinal Follow-up After a Rehabilitation Intervention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Svedmark, Åsa; Björklund, Martin; Häger, Charlotte K; Sommar, Johan Nilsson; Wahlström, Jens

    2018-05-28

    The aim was to evaluate if pain, disability, and work productivity are influenced by physical and psychosocial work exposures as well as by stress, up to 1 year after a randomized controlled trial treatment intervention, and to determine whether any such association differed between treatment and control groups. Ninety-seven working women suffering non-specific neck pain (n = 67 treatment group, n = 30 control group) were followed from end of treatment intervention and at 9- and 15-month follow-ups, respectively. Physical and psychosocial exposures, as well as perceived stress, were assessed after the treatment intervention. Pain, neck disability, and work productivity were assessed at baseline, after intervention 3 months later and at 9- and 15-month follow-ups. Longitudinal assessment was conducted using the exposure level at 3 months as predictor of pain, disability, and work productivity at 3, 9, and 15 months, respectively. Mixed models were used to estimate longitudinal associations, accounting for within-individual correlation of repeated outcome measures by incorporation of a random intercept. Age and duration of neck pain were adjusted for in all models. To evaluate group differences, interactions between exposures and treatment groups were estimated. High perceived stress was associated with more neck pain, more neck disability, and decreased work productivity in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. High 'control of decision' was associated with less neck pain, less neck disability, and higher work productivity in cross-sectional analyses but only to less disability and higher productivity in longitudinal analyses. Shoulder/arm load was the only physical exposure variable that was significantly associated with work productivity in the univariate analyses. Only small differences were observed between treatment and control groups. High perceived stress and low 'control of decision' were associated with more neck pain, increased neck disability

  2. Production of consistent pain by intermittent infusion of sterile 5% hypertonic saline, followed by decrease of pain with cryotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Long, Blaine C; Knight, Kenneth L; Hopkins, Ty; Parcell, Allen C; Feland, J Brent

    2012-08-01

    It is suggested that postinjury pain is difficult to examine; thus, investigators have developed experimental pain models. To minimize pain, cryotherapy (cryo) is applied, but reports on its effectiveness are limited. To investigate a pain model for the anterior knee and examine cryo in reducing the pain. Controlled laboratory study. Therapeutic modality laboratory. 30 physically active healthy male subjects who were free from any lower extremity orthopedic, neurological, cardiovascular, or endocrine pathologies. Perceived pain was measured every minute. Surface temperature was also assessed in the center of the patella and the popliteal fossa. There was a significant interaction between group and time (F68,864 = 3.0, P = .0001). At the first minute, there was no difference in pain between the 3 groups (saline/cryo = 4.80 ± 4.87 mm, saline/sham = 2.80 ± 3.55 mm, no saline/cryo = 4.00 ± 3.33 mm). During the first 5 min, pain increased from 4.80 ± 4.87 to 45.90 ± 21.17 mm in the saline/cryo group and from 2.80 ± 3.55 to 31.10 ± 20.25 mm in the saline/sham group. Pain did not change within the no-saline/cryo group, 4.00 ± 3.33 to 1.70 ± 1.70 mm. Pain for the saline/sham group remained constant for 17 min. Cryo decreased pain for 16 min in the saline/cryo group. There was no difference in preapplication surface temperature between or within each group. No change in temperature occurred within the saline/sham. Cooling and rewarming were similar in both cryo groups. Ambient temperature fluctuated less than 1°C during data collection. Intermittent infusion of sterile 5% hypertonic saline may be a useful experimental pain model in establishing a constant level of pain in a controlled laboratory setting. Cryotherapy decreased the induced anterior knee pain for 16 min.

  3. Prayer and pain: the mediating role of positive re-appraisal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dezutter, Jessie; Wachholtz, Amy; Corveleyn, Jozef

    2011-12-01

    The present study explored in a sample of Flemish pain patients the role of prayer as a possible individual factor in pain management. The focus on prayer as a personal religious factor fits with the current religious landscape in Western-Europe where personal religious factors are more important than organizational dimensions of religion. Our study is framed in the transactional theory of stress and coping by testing first, whether prayer was related with pain severity and pain tolerance and second, whether cognitive positive re-appraisal was a mediating mechanism in the association between prayer and pain. We expected that prayer would be related to pain tolerance in reducing the impact of the pain on patient's daily life, but not necessarily to pain severity. A cross-sectional questionnaire design was adopted in order to measure demographics, prayer, pain outcomes (i.e., pain severity and pain tolerance), and cognitive positive re-appraisal. Two hundred and two chronic pain (CP) patients, all members of a Flemish national patients association, completed the questionnaires. Correlational analyses showed that prayer was significantly related with pain tolerance, but not with pain severity. However, ancillary analyses revealed a moderational effect of religious affiliation in the relationship between prayer and pain severity as well as pain tolerance. Furthermore, mediation analysis revealed that cognitive positive re-appraisal was indeed an underlying mechanism in the relationship between prayer and pain tolerance. This study affirms the importance to distinguish between pain severity and pain tolerance, and indicates that prayer can play a role in pain management, especially for religious pain patients. Further, the findings can be framed within the transactional theory of stress and coping as the results indicate that positive re-appraisal might be an important underlying mechanism in the association between prayer and pain.

  4. Incidence of post-operative pain following single visit endodontics in vital and non-vital teeth: An in vivo study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhagwat, Sumita; Mehta, Deepil

    2013-01-01

    This clinical study was conducted to compare the post-operative pain following single visit endodontics in vital and non-vital teeth, with and without periapical radiolucency. A total of 60 adult patients requiring root canal therapy in anterior and premolar teeth were selected for this study. Single sitting root canal treatment was carried out and the subjects were recalled after 2 weeks and instructed to fill out a series of self-report questionnaires for responses about pain in the interim after 1 day, 2 day, 3 day, 1 week and 2 weeks. In vital teeth (Group I) 60% of the treated cases had pain, of which 36% had mild pain (non-significant) and 24% had moderate pain (significant). In non-vital teeth without periapical radiolucency (Group II) 64% of cases had pain, of which 48% had mild pain (non-significant) and 16% had moderate pain (significant). In non-vital teeth with periapical radiolucency (Group III) 32% of the cases had pain of which 24% had mild pain (non-significant) and 8% had moderate pain (significant). None of the teeth in any of the groups had severe pain. There was no statistical difference between incidence of pain in vital and non-vital teeth without periapical radiolucency. Non-vital teeth with periapical radiolucency exhibited relatively less pain as compared with non-vital teeth without periapical radiolucency, but the pain continued in a significant percent of teeth even after 2 weeks. Pain incidence dropped significantly within a period of 1 day to 2 weeks in vital teeth and non-vital teeth without periapical radiolucency. There was a tendency for less incidence of significant pain after a single visit root canal treatment in these groups. Results obtained were comparable with those obtained by several investigators. PMID:24124293

  5. Successful spinal cord stimulation for neuropathic below-level spinal cord injury pain following complete paraplegia: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reck, Tim A; Landmann, Gunther

    2017-01-01

    Neuropathic pain is common in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and often difficult to treat. We report a case where epidural spinal cord stimulation (SCS) below the level of injury has been successfully applied in a patient with a complete spinal cord lesion. A 53-year-old female presented with neuropathic below-level SCI pain of both lower legs and feet due to complete SCI below T5. Time and pain duration since injury was 2 years. Pain intensity was reported on numeric rating scale with an average of 7/10 (0 meaning no pain, 10 meaning the worst imaginable pain), but also with about 8-10 pain attacks during the day with an intensity of 9/10, which lasted between some minutes and half an hour. SCS was applied below the level of injury at-level T11-L1. After a successful 2 weeks testing period the pulse generator has been implanted permanently with a burst-stimulation pattern. The average pain was reduced to a bearable intensity of 4/10, in addition attacks could be reduced both in frequency and in intensity. This effects lasted for at least three months of follow-up. Even in case of complete SCI, SCS might be effective. Mechanisms of pain relief remain unclear. A modulation of suggested residual spinothalamic tract function may play a role. Further investigation has to be carried out to support this theory.

  6. Exploration of clinical changes following a novel mobilisation technique for treatment of chronic low back pain: A single cohort design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanson, Gail C; Jones, Bruce; Bacon, Catherine J; Moran, Robert W

    2016-07-01

    To explore clinical changes following a novel manual mobilisation technique, 24 participants who experienced 'moderate' to 'severe' chronic low back pain were recruited from new patients attending a suburban osteopathy clinic. The intervention was a previously undescribed side-lying mobilisation technique targeting the lumbosacral spine (median of 6 treatment sessions). After 8 weeks reductions were shown in Oswestry Disability Index of 15 points (95% CI: 9.3, 22.7; p pain intensity, disability and function improved in most participants following treatment. Further investigation is indicated using more robust research designs to compare this approach with other treatment approaches and usual care for the treatment of chronic low back pain. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Inguinal pain syndrome. The influence of intraoperative local administration of 0.5% bupivacaine on postoperative pain control following Lichtenstein hernioplasty. A prospective case-control study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cybułka, Bartosz

    2017-04-30

    or recurrent hernia, a similar intervention was applied in 41.67% (n=10) of patients. During the hospital stay, pain was assessed four times a day using the NRS numeric scale. All patients received preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis, and, during observation, analgesics and low-molecular-weight heparin were used. In the studied group, risk factor were identified, which affect the pain level associated with surgical treatment of an inguinal hernia. Mean pain level score according to the NRS scale (0-10) for an inguinal hernia was 4.17 on day 0 (standard deviation 2.22; minimum 0; maximum 10). On day 1 - 2.86 (standard deviation 1.86; minimum 0; maximum 8). On day 2 - 0.84 (standard deviation 1.21; minimum 0; maximum 5). The values of those parameters for a scrotal and recurrent hernia were as follows: on day 0 - 3.67 (standard deviation 1.76; minimum 0; maximum 7). On day 1 - 3.79 (standard deviation 1.67; minimum 0; maximum 7). On day 2 - 2.25 (standard deviation 1.54; minimum 0; maximum 4). Intraoperative application of 20 mL 0.5% bupivacaine did not reduce the postoperative pain on the postoperative day 0, 1, 2. Among independent risk factors exacerbating pain, the following variables were identified: local complications of the operated site including edema, ecchymosis and hematoma of the inguinal region. More frequent dressing changes were directly correlated with an increased pain sensation. Postoperative urethral catheterization due to urinary retention was associated with an increased pain immediately after surgery. In the case of intraoperative diagnosis of concurrent direct and indirect hernia (so-called pantaloon hernia), less intense pain was observed on postoperative day 0. Other parameters such as age, sex, duration of operation, duration of hospitalization and wound drainage did not influence the pain sensation. Local injection of an analgesic into the operated site was not associated with the reduction of pain assessed on postoperative day 0, 1 and 2

  8. Post-Flight Back Pain Following International Space Station Missions: Evaluation of Spaceflight Risk Factors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laughlin, M. S.; Murray, J. D.; Wear, M. L.; Van Baalen, M.

    2016-01-01

    contribution to post-flight cases. Prior history of back pain included back pain recorded in the medical record within 3 years prior to launch. Landing vehicle was included in the model to discern if more astronauts experienced back pain or injury following a Shuttle or Soyuz landing. Onboard exercise countermeasures were noted for those astronauts who had a mission following 2009 deployment of the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (aRED) (EXP 19 to 41). T-test and chi-squared tests were performed to evaluate the association between each individual risk factor and post-flight case. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the combined contribution of all the risk factors on post-flight cases. Separate models were calculated for cases reported by R + 45 and R + 1y. RESULTS During the study time period, there were 13 post-flight cases reported by R + 45 and an additional 5 reported by R + 1y. Most of these cases have been reported since EXP 19 with 10 cases by R + 45 and 4 by R + 1y. Individual risk factors of age, sex, landing vehicle, and prior military service were not significantly associated with post-flight cases identified at R + 45 or R + 1y (p greater than 0.05). Having back pain or injury within 3 years prior to launch significantly increased the likelihood of becoming a case by R + 1y (p = 0.041), but not at R+45 (p=0.204). Additionally, astronauts who experienced onboard exercise countermeasures that included aRED had a significantly increased risk of becoming a case at R + 45 (p = 0.024) and R + 1y (p=0.003). Multiple logistic regression evaluating all the risk factors for cases identified no significant risk factors at either the R + 45 or R + 1y time period (p greater than 0.05). Overall model fit was poor for both the R + 45 (R(exp 2) = 0.132) and R + 1y (R(exp 2) = 0.186) cases showing that there are risk factors not represented in our model. CONCLUSIONS Regardless of cause, post-flight cases are reported more often since aRED was deployed in 2009. This may

  9. Neck pain and anxiety do not always go together

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Larsen Anders H

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Chronic pain and psychosocial distress are generally thought to be associated in chronic musculoskeletal disorders such as non-specific neck pain. However, it is unclear whether a raised level of anxiety is necessarily a feature of longstanding, intense pain amongst patient and general population sub-groups. In a cohort of 70 self-selected female, non-specific neck pain sufferers, we observed relatively high levels of self-reported pain of 4.46 (measured on the 11 point numerical pain rating scale (NRS-101 and a longstanding duration of symptoms (156 days/year. However, the mean anxiety scores observed (5.49, fell well below the clinically relevant threshold of 21 required by the Beck Anxiety Inventory. The cohort was stratified to further distinguish individuals with higher pain intensity (NRS>6 and longer symptom duration (>90 days. Although a highly statistically significant difference (p = 0.000 was subsequently observed with respect to pain intensity, in the resulting sub-groups, none such a difference was noted with respect to anxiety levels. Our results indicate that chronic, intense pain and anxiety do not always appear to be related. Explanations for these findings may include that anxiety is not triggered in socially functional individuals, that individual coping strategies have come into play or in some instances that a psychological disorder like alexithymia could be a confounder. More studies are needed to clarify the specific role of anxiety in chronic non-specific musculoskeletal pain before general evidence-driven clinical extrapolations can be made.

  10. Are Pain-Related Fears Mediators for Reducing Disability and Pain in Patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type 1? An Explorative Analysis on Pain Exposure Physical Therapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barnhoorn, Karlijn J.; Staal, J. Bart; van Dongen, Robert T. M.; Frölke, Jan Paul M.; Klomp, Frank P.; van de Meent, Henk; Samwel, Han; Nijhuis-van der Sanden, Maria W. G.

    2015-01-01

    Objective To investigate whether pain-related fears are mediators for reducing disability and pain in patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome type 1 when treating with Pain Exposure Physical Therapy. Design An explorative secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial. Participants Fifty-six patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome type 1. Interventions The experimental group received Pain Exposure Physical Therapy in a maximum of five treatment sessions; the control group received conventional treatment following the Dutch multidisciplinary guideline. Outcome measures Levels of disability, pain, and pain-related fears (fear-avoidance beliefs, pain catastrophizing, and kinesiophobia) were measured at baseline and after 3, 6, and 9 months follow-up. Results The experimental group had a significantly larger decrease in disability of 7.77 points (95% CI 1.09 to 14.45) and in pain of 1.83 points (95% CI 0.44 to 3.23) over nine months than the control group. The potential mediators pain-related fears decreased significantly in both groups, but there were no significant differences between groups, which indicated that there was no mediation. Conclusion The reduction of pain-related fears was comparable in both groups. We found no indication that pain-related fears mediate the larger reduction of disability and pain in patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome type 1 treated with Pain Exposure Physical Therapy compared to conventional treatment. Trial registration International Clinical Trials Registry NCT00817128 PMID:25919011

  11. A comparative study of pain following endodontic treatment under general anesthesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Feizi Ghader

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available   Background and Aims: Postoperativee endodontic pain is an outstanding problem for dental patients. Therefore, a successful management of endodontic pain has become as one of the main dental objectives. The aim of the present study was to compare the postoperative endodontic pain in patients under general anesthesia versus local anesthesia.   Materials and Methods: For conducting this clinical trial study, 50 patients having mandibular molars candidate for root canal therapy were selected. Twenty-five patients treated under general anesthesia because of their fear, anxiety or gag reflex. Other 25 patients treated under local anesthesia. All teeth were prepared using engine-driven rotary system in a crown-down technique and filled using lateral condensation technique. Heft- parker visual analog scale was used to measure the degree of pain at 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours after the treatment. Mann-Whitney, Chi-square, and T-tests were used to compare the intensity of postoperative pain between the groups.   Results: The mean intensity of postoperative pain in local and general anesthesia groups at 6, 12 and 24 hours had statistically significant difference (P<0.05.   Conclusion: Postoperative pain in patients who treated under general anesthesia was significantly less than the patients who treated under local anesthesia.

  12. The effect of balneotherapy on chronic shoulder pain. A randomized, controlled, single-blind follow-up trial. A pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tefner, Ildikó Katalin; Kovács, Csaba; Gaál, Ramóna; Koroknai, András; Horváth, Remény; Badruddin, Rakib Mohammed; Borbély, Ildikó; Nagy, Katalin; Bender, Tamás

    2015-06-01

    The effects of balneotherapy on chronic shoulder pain were studied. In this single-blind, randomized, follow-up study involving 46 patients with chronic shoulder pain, one group of patients received physiotherapy--exercise and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation--and the other group received balneotherapy in addition to physiotherapy for 4 weeks on 15 occasions. The following parameters were recorded before treatment (at week 0) and after treatment (at weeks 4, 7, and 13): Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI), the Short Form (36) Health Survey (SF-36) and EuroQuol-5D (EQ-5D) quality of life questionnaires, pain at rest and on movement on the visual analog scale (VAS), and active and passive range of motion. The SPADI pain, function, and total scores and the VAS scores at rest and on movement significantly improved in both groups after treatments. A greater improvement was observed in the balneotherapy group compared to the control group; regarding some parameters (VAS score on movement and SPADI function score at visit 2; VAS score at rest at visits 3 and 4), the difference between the groups was significant. The improvement of SF-36 and EQ-5D quality of life scores and the active range of motion was more pronounced in the balneotherapy group, the difference between the groups was not significant, except for EQ-5D at visit 2. Improvement of passive range of motion was not significant. Balneotherapy may have a beneficial effect on the clinical parameters and quality of life of patients with chronic shoulder pain. The number of patients should be increased.

  13. Effectiveness of preemptive analgesia on postoperative pain following third molar surgery: Review of literatures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Akira Yamaguchi

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available We investigated the efficacy of preemptive analgesia for mandibular third molar surgery by, reviewing of randomized controlled trials. In many of the studies, the preemptive use of NSAIDs before, tooth extraction demonstrated that the postoperative pain was better controlled beyond the expected, effect time, compared without such preemptive use. On the other hand, some studies reported that, compared to the administration before removal of the tooth, postoperative administration was, associated with better suppression of postoperative pain. This suggests that in postoperative pain after, removal of mandibular third molars, peripheral sensitization caused by reactive inflammation, following the tooth extraction and secondary central sensitization are more important factors than, direct central sensitization caused by surgical tissue damage. Accordingly, when a mandibular third, molar is removed, central sensitization due to tissue damage should be suppressed by, preadministration of analgesics. In order then to suppress postoperative peripheral sensitization, the, readministration of analgesics is considered more effective. Furthermore, although acid NSAIDs are, effective analgesics, the associated adverse events are of concern. Accordingly, acetaminophen (1000 mg, which, is devoid of anti-inflammatory effects but is a weak cyclooxygenase inhibitor, can be used for, preemptive analgesia administration.

  14. The ACTTION–APS–AAPM Pain Taxonomy (AAAPT) Multidimensional Approach to Classifying Acute Pain Conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kent, Michael L.; Tighe, Patrick J.; Belfer, Inna; Brennan, Timothy J.; Bruehl, Stephen; Brummett, Chad M.; Buckenmaier, Chester C.; Buvanendran, Asokumar; Cohen, Robert I.; Desjardins, Paul; Edwards, David; Fillingim, Roger; Gewandter, Jennifer; Gordon, Debra B.; Hurley, Robert W.; Kehlet, Henrik; Loeser, John D.; Mackey, Sean; McLean, Samuel A.; Polomano, Rosemary; Rahman, Siamak; Raja, Srinivasa; Rowbotham, Michael; Suresh, Santhanam; Schachtel, Bernard; Schreiber, Kristin; Schumacher, Mark; Stacey, Brett; Stanos, Steven; Todd, Knox; Turk, Dennis C.; Weisman, Steven J.; Wu, Christopher; Carr, Daniel B.; Dworkin, Robert H.; Terman, Gregory

    2017-01-01

    Objective. With the increasing societal awareness of the prevalence and impact of acute pain, there is a need to develop an acute pain classification system that both reflects contemporary mechanistic insights and helps guide future research and treatment. Existing classifications of acute pain conditions are limiting, with a predominant focus on the sensory experience (e.g., pain intensity) and pharmacologic consumption. Consequently, there is a need to more broadly characterize and classify the multidimensional experience of acute pain. Setting. Consensus report following expert panel involving the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks (ACTTION), American Pain Society (APS), and American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM). Methods. As a complement to a taxonomy recently developed for chronic pain, the ACTTION public-private partnership with the US Food and Drug Administration, the APS, and the AAPM convened a consensus meeting of experts to develop an acute pain taxonomy using prevailing evidence. Key issues pertaining to the distinct nature of acute pain are presented followed by the agreed-upon taxonomy. The ACTTION-APS-AAPM Acute Pain Taxonomy will include the following dimensions: 1) core criteria, 2) common features, 3) modulating factors, 4) impact/functional consequences, and 5) putative pathophysiologic pain mechanisms. Future efforts will consist of working groups utilizing this taxonomy to develop diagnostic criteria for a comprehensive set of acute pain conditions. Perspective. The ACTTION-APS-AAPM Acute Pain Taxonomy (AAAPT) is a multidimensional acute pain classification system designed to classify acute pain along the following dimensions: 1) core criteria, 2) common features, 3) modulating factors, 4) impact/functional consequences, and 5) putative pathophysiologic pain mechanisms. Conclusions. Significant numbers of patients still suffer from significant acute pain

  15. The ACTTION-APS-AAPM Pain Taxonomy (AAAPT) Multidimensional Approach to Classifying Acute Pain Conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kent, Michael L; Tighe, Patrick J; Belfer, Inna; Brennan, Timothy J; Bruehl, Stephen; Brummett, Chad M; Buckenmaier, Chester C; Buvanendran, Asokumar; Cohen, Robert I; Desjardins, Paul; Edwards, David; Fillingim, Roger; Gewandter, Jennifer; Gordon, Debra B; Hurley, Robert W; Kehlet, Henrik; Loeser, John D; Mackey, Sean; McLean, Samuel A; Polomano, Rosemary; Rahman, Siamak; Raja, Srinivasa; Rowbotham, Michael; Suresh, Santhanam; Schachtel, Bernard; Schreiber, Kristin; Schumacher, Mark; Stacey, Brett; Stanos, Steven; Todd, Knox; Turk, Dennis C; Weisman, Steven J; Wu, Christopher; Carr, Daniel B; Dworkin, Robert H; Terman, Gregory

    2017-05-01

    With the increasing societal awareness of the prevalence and impact of acute pain, there is a need to develop an acute pain classification system that both reflects contemporary mechanistic insights and helps guide future research and treatment. Existing classifications of acute pain conditions are limiting, with a predominant focus on the sensory experience (eg, pain intensity) and pharmacologic consumption. Consequently, there is a need to more broadly characterize and classify the multidimensional experience of acute pain. Consensus report following expert panel involving the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks (ACTTION), American Pain Society (APS), and American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM). As a complement to a taxonomy recently developed for chronic pain, the ACTTION public-private partnership with the US Food and Drug Administration, the APS, and the AAPM convened a consensus meeting of experts to develop an acute pain taxonomy using prevailing evidence. Key issues pertaining to the distinct nature of acute pain are presented followed by the agreed-upon taxonomy. The ACTTION-APS-AAPM Acute Pain Taxonomy will include the following dimensions: 1) core criteria, 2) common features, 3) modulating factors, 4) impact/functional consequences, and 5) putative pathophysiologic pain mechanisms. Future efforts will consist of working groups utilizing this taxonomy to develop diagnostic criteria for a comprehensive set of acute pain conditions. The ACTTION-APS-AAPM Acute Pain Taxonomy (AAAPT) is a multidimensional acute pain classification system designed to classify acute pain along the following dimensions: 1) core criteria, 2) common features, 3) modulating factors, 4) impact/functional consequences, and 5) putative pathophysiologic pain mechanisms. Significant numbers of patients still suffer from significant acute pain, despite the advent of modern multimodal analgesic strategies

  16. Unlearning chronic pain: A randomized controlled trial to investigate changes in intrinsic brain connectivity following Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marina Shpaner

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Chronic pain is a complex physiological and psychological phenomenon. Implicit learning mechanisms contribute to the development of chronic pain and to persistent changes in the central nervous system. We hypothesized that these central abnormalities can be remedied with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT. Specifically, since regions of the anterior Default Mode Network (DMN are centrally involved in emotional regulation via connections with limbic regions, such as the amygdala, remediation of maladaptive behavioral and cognitive patterns as a result of CBT for chronic pain would manifest itself as a change in the intrinsic functional connectivity (iFC between these prefrontal and limbic regions. Resting-state functional neuroimaging was performed in patients with chronic pain before and after 11-week CBT (n = 19, as well as a matched (ages 19–59, both sexes active control group of patients who received educational materials (n = 19. Participants were randomized prior to the intervention. To investigate the differential impact of treatment on intrinsic functional connectivity (iFC, we compared pre–post differences in iFC between groups. In addition, we performed exploratory whole brain analyses of changes in fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (fALFF. The course of CBT led to significant improvements in clinical measures of pain and self-efficacy for coping with chronic pain. Significant group differences in pre–post changes in both iFC and fALFF were correlated with clinical outcomes. Compared to control patients, iFC between the anterior DMN and the amygdala/periaqueductal gray decreased following CBT, whereas iFC between the basal ganglia network and the right secondary somatosensory cortex increased following CBT. CBT patients also had increased post-therapy fALFF in the bilateral posterior cingulate and the cerebellum. By delineating neuroplasticity associated with CBT-related improvements, these results add to

  17. The use of complementary and alternative therapies for chronic pain following spinal cord injury: a pilot survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nayak, S; Matheis, R J; Agostinelli, S; Shifleft, S C

    2001-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the patterns and reasons for the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as a treatment for chronic pain among individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI). Telephone surveys were conducted in a sample of 77 people with SCI and chronic pain. Of those surveyed, 40.3% had used at least one CAM technique to manage chronic pain. The most common reason was dissatisfaction with conventional medicine. Acupuncture was the most frequently used modality, followed by massage, chiropractic manipulation, and herbal medicine. Acupuncture was rated lowest for satisfaction with pain relief, and massage was rated highest. Individuals not using conventional pain medication or who desired greater control over their health care practices tended to use more CAM techniques than others. Income, insurance coverage, and duration of pain were related to use of CAM. In general, CAM methods were effective for some and totally ineffective for others, indicating selective utility in this population. Despite this small opportunistic sample, the prevalence of CAM among individuals with SCI appears similar to that in the general population. A placebo-controlled trial is needed to evaluate the efficacy of various therapies in the SCI population. The fact that the most effective therapy, massage, was not frequently used suggests the need for more awareness of and research into this technique.

  18. Possibility of pain reduction by dietary intervention in patients with advanced cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kapała, Aleksandra; Lange, Ewa

    2013-01-01

    Pain in advanced cancer can have many causes, and they are not necessarily associated with the presence of cancer. Invalid daily food rations in terms of energy, nutritional value, and cooking techniques used can significantly impair quality of life, increase patients' pain and other somatic symptoms and aggravate malnutrition and cachexia. Basic dietary factors affecting the quality of life and severity of somatic symptoms are the nutritional value of the diet, the frequency of meals and their consistency, the presence of fiber, fat, sugars, lactose, gluten and nutraceuticals. Extremely important is the role of a team of specialists, that offers professional nutritional advice to the patients and their carers.

  19. The effects of blocking N/OFQ receptors on orofacial pain following experimental tooth movement in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shan, Di; He, Yuwei; Long, Hu; Zhou, Yang; Liu, He; Xu, Rui; Huang, Renhuan; Lai, Wenli

    2016-11-01

    The aim of this study was to determine the effects of nociceptin/orphanin FQ peptide receptor (N/OFQ receptor) antagonist on orofacial pain induced by experimental tooth movement in rats. A total of 36 male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 200-300 g were divided into six groups: a control group, force group, force+saline intraperitoneal group, force+saline periodontal group, force+UFP-101 ([Nphe¹,Arg¹⁴,Lys¹⁵]N/OFQ-NH ₂ antagonist for N/OFQ receptor) intraperitoneal group, and force+UFP-1 01 periodontal group. Closed coil springs were ligated between the upper incisors and first molar to exert an orthodontic force (40 g) between the teeth. Injectable administration dosages were 30 μl saline or 30 μl saline containing 0.03 mg/kg UFP-1 01. Following the injections, orofacial pain levels were assessed through directed face grooming (mouth wiping). Statistical analyses were performed in SPSS 17.0 (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) and p values less than 0.05 were considered as statistically significant. Orofacial pain levels were significantly higher in the force group than in the control group. Orofacial pain levels differed significantly between the force)group, force+saline periodontal group and force+UFP-101 periodontal group, but were similar between the control group, force+UFP-101 intraperitoneal group and force+saline intraperitoneal group. Moreover, orofacial pain levels did not differ between the force group, force+saline intraperitoneal group and force+UFP-1 01 intraperitoneal group. Periodontal, but not intraperitoneal, administration of UFP-101 could alleviate orofacial pain induced by experimental tooth movement in rats, suggesting that periodontal N/OFQ receptors participate in orofacial pain induced by experimental tooth movement.

  20. Follow-up of pain processing recovery after ketamine in hyperalgesic fibromyalgia patients using brain perfusion ECD-SPECT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guedj, Eric; Cammilleri, Serge; Colavolpe, Cecile; Laforte, Catherine de; Mundler, Olivier; Niboyet, Jean

    2007-01-01

    The aim of this study was to determine whether the follow-up of pain processing recovery in hyperalgesic fibromyalgia (FM) could be objectively evaluated with brain perfusion ethyl cysteinate dimer single photon computerized tomography (ECD-SPECT) after administration of ketamine. We enrolled 17 hyperalgesic FM women patients (48.5 ± 11 years, range 25-63). After treatment with subcutaneous ketamine, 11 patients were considered as ''good responders'', with a decrease in pain intensity, evaluated by visual analog scale (VAS), greater than 50%. On the other hand, six patients were considered as ''poor responders''. A voxel-based analysis of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was conducted (p voxel cluster = 0.016c). In agreement with the clinical response, the change in midbrain rCBF after ketamine was highly correlated with the reduction of VAS pain score (r = 0.7182; p = 0.0041). This prospective study suggests that blockade of facilitatory descending modulation of pain with ketamine can be evaluated in the periaqueductal grey with brain perfusion SPECT. (orig.)

  1. Pain trajectory and exercise-induced pain flares during 8 weeks of neuromuscular exercise in individuals with knee and hip pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sandal, L F; Roos, E M; Bøgesvang, S J; Thorlund, J B

    2016-04-01

    Patients considering or engaged in exercise as treatment may expect or experience transient increases in joint pain, causing fear of exercise and influencing compliance. This study investigated the pain trajectory during an 8-week neuromuscular exercise (NEMEX) program together with acute exercise-induced pain flares in persons with knee or hip pain. Individuals above 35 years self-reporting persistent knee or hip pain for the past 3 months were offered 8 weeks of supervised NEMEX, performed in groups twice weekly. The program consisted of 11 exercises focusing on joint stability and neuromuscular control. Participants self-reported joint pain on a 0-10 numerical rating scale (NRS) at baseline and 8-weeks follow-up. NRS pain ratings were also collected before and immediately after every attended exercise session. Joint pain was reduced from baseline (NRS 3.6; 95% CI 3.2-4.1) to 8-weeks follow-up (2.6; 95% CI 2.1-3.1), (P neuromuscular exercise. Copyright © 2015 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Longitudinal interactions of pain and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in U.S. Military service members following blast exposure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stratton, Kelcey J; Clark, Shaunna L; Hawn, Sage E; Amstadter, Ananda B; Cifu, David X; Walker, William C

    2014-10-01

    Military personnel returning from conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan often endorse pain and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, either separately or concurrently. Associations between pain and PTSD symptoms may be further complicated by blast exposure from explosive munitions. Although many studies have reported on the prevalence and disability associated with polytraumatic injuries following combat, less is known about symptom maintenance over time. Accordingly, this study examined longitudinal interactive models of co-occurring pain and PTSD symptoms in a sample of 209 military personnel (mean age = 27.4 years, standard deviation = 7.6) who experienced combat-related blast exposure. Autoregressive cross-lagged analysis examined longitudinal associations between self-reported pain and PTSD symptoms over a 1-year period. The best-fitting covariate model indicated that pain and PTSD were significantly associated with one another across all assessment periods, χ² (3) = 3.66, P = .30, Tucker-Lewis index = .98, comparative fit index = 1.00, root mean squared error of approximation = .03. PTSD symptoms had a particularly strong influence on subsequent pain symptoms. The relationship between pain and PTSD symptoms is related to older age, race, and traumatic brain injury characteristics. Results further the understanding of complex injuries among military personnel and highlight the need for comprehensive assessment and rehabilitation efforts addressing the interdependence of pain and co-occurring mental health conditions. This longitudinal study demonstrates that pain and PTSD symptoms strongly influence one another and interact across time. These findings have the potential to inform the integrative assessment and treatment of military personnel with polytrauma injuries and who are at risk for persistent deployment-related disorders. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  3. Pain after earthquake

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Angeletti Chiara

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Introduction On 6 April 2009, at 03:32 local time, an Mw 6.3 earthquake hit the Abruzzi region of central Italy causing widespread damage in the City of L Aquila and its nearby villages. The earthquake caused 308 casualties and over 1,500 injuries, displaced more than 25,000 people and induced significant damage to more than 10,000 buildings in the L'Aquila region. Objectives This observational retrospective study evaluated the prevalence and drug treatment of pain in the five weeks following the L'Aquila earthquake (April 6, 2009. Methods 958 triage documents were analysed for patients pain severity, pain type, and treatment efficacy. Results A third of pain patients reported pain with a prevalence of 34.6%. More than half of pain patients reported severe pain (58.8%. Analgesic agents were limited to available drugs: anti-inflammatory agents, paracetamol, and weak opioids. Reduction in verbal numerical pain scores within the first 24 hours after treatment was achieved with the medications at hand. Pain prevalence and characterization exhibited a biphasic pattern with acute pain syndromes owing to trauma occurring in the first 15 days after the earthquake; traumatic pain then decreased and re-surged at around week five, owing to rebuilding efforts. In the second through fourth week, reports of pain occurred mainly owing to relapses of chronic conditions. Conclusions This study indicates that pain is prevalent during natural disasters, may exhibit a discernible pattern over the weeks following the event, and current drug treatments in this region may be adequate for emergency situations.

  4. [Prophylactic plexus catheter treatment in operations following complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neubrech, Florian; Pronk, Roderick Franciscus; Bigdeli, Amir Khosrow; Tapking, Christian; Kneser, Ulrich; Harhaus, Leila

    2017-08-01

    Background  This paper investigates and discusses the effect of perioperative plexus catheter treatment in former CRPS patients. Patients and Methods A retrospective matched-pair analysis was conducted on 10 CRPS patients with comparable injuries, who underwent surgery in the disease-free interval. In 10 cases, the procedure was performed with perioperative plexus catheter treatment (intervention group), whereas 10 patients did not receive perioperative plexus catheter treatment (control group). Results  In the intervention group, after a follow-up time of 105 (20-184) days after the last surgical procedure, pain intensity on the visual analogue scale (VAS; 0 to 10) was 6.4 (4-8), fingertip-to-palm distance averaged 3.2 (0-7.6) cm, active range of wrist motion was 47.5 (0-95), and grip strength was 9.2 (2.1-16.6) kg. In the control group, after a follow-up time of 129 (19-410) days since the last surgical procedure, pain intensity on the visual analogue scale was 6 (3-10), fingertip-to-palm distance averaged 2.7 (0-4.5) cm, active range of wrist-motion was 64 (0-125), and grip strength was 12.4 (0.8-23.8) kg. There was no significant difference between the groups. There was no recurrence of CRPS disease in either group after surgery. Conclusion  There is no evidence so far for perioperative plexus catheter treatment to prevent recurrence in former CRPS patients. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  5. Complex Regional Pain Syndrome following an Episode of Herpes Zoster: A Case Report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marrero, Christopher E; Mclean, Neuyen; Varnado, Keyana

    2017-01-01

    Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is characterized by searing pain, hyperalgesia, edema, allodynia, and skin changes. CRPS may be difficult to diagnose and to treat given poorly understood mechanisms as well as its presentation of symptoms that may mimic common conditions such as joint stiffness in this condition as well as rheumatoid arthritis. A 71-year-old female presented to our clinic post shingles of the right upper extremity. We diagnosed her with CRPS based on the Budapest diagnostic criteria and the clinical findings of pain and decreased the range of motion along with edema, hypersensitivity, discoloration and allodynia of the right thumb and index finger. She was treated with vitamin C as well as gabapentin and physical therapy. The patient was unable to go consistently to physical therapy due to insurance limitations, and we found no clinical benefit of vitamin C in reducing her symptoms. She was lost to follow-up during her treatment but re-emerged at 21 months. At that time she reported, she was largely unchanged in regards to her right-hand symptoms but did believe the gabapentin was helpful and still continued to take 300 mg daily. This case report highlights the usefulness of the Budapest diagnostic criteria to make the diagnosis of CRPS when associated with shingles, which can cause long-term pain and mimic some findings. Prompt diagnosis is important, as recovery typically extends beyond 6 months; our patient still reported continued symptoms at 21 months post initial presentation. Our primary treatment plan was physical therapy, which she discontinued due to insurance limitations. We recommend that patients, physicians, and third-party payers work together to extend access to physical therapy. More investigation is warranted regarding symptomatic treatment, as we found limited clinical benefit of gabapentin and vitamin C.

  6. Effectiveness of mirror therapy, motor imagery, and virtual feedback on phantom limb pain following amputation: A systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herrador Colmenero, Laura; Perez Marmol, Jose Manuel; Martí-García, Celia; Querol Zaldivar, María de Los Ángeles; Tapia Haro, Rosa María; Castro Sánchez, Adelaida María; Aguilar-Ferrándiz, María Encarnación

    2017-11-01

    Phantom limb pain is reported in 50%-85% of people with amputation. Clinical interventions in treating central pain, such as mirror therapy, motor imagery, or virtual visual feedback, could redound in benefits to amputee patients with phantom limb pain. To provide an overview of the effectiveness of different techniques for treating phantom limb pain in amputee patients. Systematic review. A computerized literature search up to April 2017 was performed using the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, MEDLINE, ProQuest, PEDro, EBSCOhost, and Cochrane Plus. Methodological quality and internal validity score of each study were assessed using PEDro scale. For data synthesis, qualitative methods from the Cochrane Back Review Group were applied. In all, 12 studies met our inclusion criteria, where 9 were rated as low methodological quality and 3 rated moderate quality. All studies showed a significant reduction in pain, but there was heterogeneity among subjects and methodologies and any high-quality clinical trial (PEDro score ≤8; internal validity score ≤5) was not found. Mirror therapy, motor imaginary, and virtual visual feedback reduce phantom limb pain; however, there is limited scientific evidence supporting their effectiveness. Future studies should include designs with more solid research methods, exploring short- and long-term benefits of these therapies. Clinical relevance This systematic review investigates the effectiveness of mirror therapy, motor imagery, and virtual visual feedback on phantom limb pain, summarizing the currently published trials and evaluating the research quality. Although these interventions have positive benefits in phantom limb pain, there is still a lack of evidence for supporting their effectiveness.

  7. EFFECTIVENESS OF PNF STRETCHING VERSUS STATIC STRETCHING ON PAIN AND HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY FOLLOWING MOIST HEAT IN INDIVIDUALS WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meena .V

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Background: Osteoarthritis (OA is a degenerative joint disease and one of the major public health problem that causesfunctional impairment and reduced quality of life. To compare the effectiveness of PNF Hold relax stretching versus Static stretching on pain and flexibility of hamstring following moist heat in individuals with knee osteoarthritis. Hamstring tightness is the major problem in knee osteoarthritis individuals. Therefore the need of study is comparing the effectiveness of PNF Hold relax stretching versus static stretching on pain and flexibility of hamstrings following moist heat in knee osteoarthritis participants. Determining the effects of PNF Hold relax stretching versus Static stretching along with moist heat on pain and hamstring flexibility by VAS and Active knee extension range of motion in knee osteoarthritis individuals. Methods: 30 subjects with symptoms of knee osteoarthritis were randomly distributed into 2 groups 15 in each group. PNF Hold relax stretching along with moist heat is compared to Static stretching along with moist heat. Pain was measured by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS and hamstring flexibility by Active knee Extension Range of Motion (AKEROM by universal goniometer. Measurements are taken pre and post intervention. Results: The results indicated PNF Hold relax stretching along with moist heat showed a statistically significant improvement in pain (p<0.05 and improvement in hamstring flexibility (p<0.05 when compared to Static stretching along with moist heat. Conclusion: Subjects with PNF Hold relax stretching along with moist heat showed significant improvement in pain reduction and improving hamstring flexibility than Static stretching along with moist heat.

  8. Multiple Nonspecific Sites of Joint Pain Outside the Knees Develop in Persons With Knee Pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Felson, David T; Niu, Jingbo; Quinn, Emily K; Neogi, Tuhina; Lewis, Cara L; Lewis, Cora E; Frey Law, Laura; McCulloch, Chuck; Nevitt, Michael; LaValley, Michael

    2017-02-01

    Many persons with knee pain have joint pain outside the knee, but despite the impact and high frequency of this pain, its distribution and causes have not been studied. We undertook this study to test the hypothesis of those studying gait abnormalities who have suggested that knee pain causes pain in adjacent joints but that pain adaptation strategies are highly individualized. We studied persons ages 50-79 years with or at high risk of knee osteoarthritis who were recruited from 2 community-based cohorts, the Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study and the Osteoarthritis Initiative, and we followed them up for 5-7 years. We excluded those with knee pain at baseline and compared those who had developed knee pain at the first follow-up examination (the index visit) with those who had not. We examined pain on most days at joint regions outside the knee in examinations after the index visit. Logistic regression analyses examined the risk of joint-specific pain adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, and symptoms of depression, and we performed sensitivity analyses excluding those with widespread pain. In the combined cohorts, 693 persons had knee pain at the index visit and 2,793 did not. A total of 79.6% of those with bilateral knee pain and 63.8% of those with unilateral knee pain had pain during follow-up in a joint region outside the knee, compared with 49.9% of those without knee pain. There was an increased risk of pain at most extremity joint sites, without a predilection for specific sites. Results were unchanged when those with widespread pain were excluded. Persons with chronic knee pain are at increased risk of pain in multiple joints in no specific pattern. © 2016, American College of Rheumatology.

  9. The Impact of Upper Abdominal Pain During Pregnancy Following a Gastric Bypass

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Liselotte; Lauenborg, Jeannet; Svare, Jens

    2017-01-01

    Objective: The aim of the present study was to describe the risk of internal herniation (IH) and the obstetric outcome in pregnant women with Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and episodes of upper abdominal pain.  Methods: The cohort included 133 women with RYGB: 94 with 113 pregnancies, from......).  Results: Upper abdominal pain complicated 42/113 (37.2 %) pregnancies in the local cohort and 11 women (9.7 %) had IH. In the birth cohort, upper abdominal pain complicated 64/139 (46.0 %) pregnancies; surgery was performed in 30/64 (46.9 %), and IH diagnosed in 21/64 (32.8 %). The median gestational age...... at onset of pain was 25 + 3 weeks. Women reporting abdominal pain had a higher risk of preterm birth (n = 14/64 vs. 1/75, p women without abdominal pain...

  10. Pain, emotion, headache.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bussone, Gennaro; Grazzi, Licia; Panerai, Alberto E

    2012-10-01

    Pain has been considered as part of a defensive strategy whose specific role is to signal an immediate active danger to the organism. This definition fits well for acute pain. It does not work well, however, for chronic pain that is maintained even in absence of an ongoing, active threat. Currently, acute and chronic pain are considered to be separate conditions. What follows is a review of the different theories about pain and its history. Different hypotheses regarding pain mechanisms are illustrated. New data emerging from scientific research on chronic pain (migraine in particular) involving innovative imaging techniques are reported and discussed. © 2012 American Headache Society.

  11. The ACTTION-APS-AAPM Pain Taxonomy (AAAPT) Multidimensional Approach to Classifying Acute Pain Conditions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kent, Michael L; Tighe, Patrick J; Belfer, Inna

    2017-01-01

    the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks (ACTTION), American Pain Society (APS), and American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM). METHODS: As a complement to a taxonomy recently developed for chronic pain, the ACTTION public-private partnership...... with the US Food and Drug Administration, the APS, and the AAPM convened a consensus meeting of experts to develop an acute pain taxonomy using prevailing evidence. Key issues pertaining to the distinct nature of acute pain are presented followed by the agreed-upon taxonomy. The ACTTION-APS-AAPM Acute Pain...... Taxonomy will include the following dimensions: 1) core criteria, 2) common features, 3) modulating factors, 4) impact/functional consequences, and 5) putative pathophysiologic pain mechanisms. Future efforts will consist of working groups utilizing this taxonomy to develop diagnostic criteria...

  12. Lasting Effects of Workplace Strength Training for Neck/Shoulder/Arm Pain among Laboratory Technicians: Natural Experiment with 3-Year Follow-Up

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter Mortensen

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives. This study investigated long-term effects and implementation processes of workplace strength training for musculoskeletal disorders. Methods. 333 and 140 laboratory technicians from private and public sector companies, respectively, replied to a 3-year follow-up questionnaire subsequent to a 1-year randomized controlled trial (RCT with high-intensity strength training for prevention and treatment of neck, shoulder, and arm pain. Being a natural experiment, the two participating companies implemented and modified the initial training program in different ways during the subsequent 2 years after the RCT. Results. At 3-year follow-up the pain reduction in neck, shoulder, elbow, and wrist achieved during the first year was largely maintained at both companies. However, the private sector company was rated significantly better than the public sector company in (1 training adherence, (2 training culture, that is, relatively more employees trained at the workplace and with colleagues, (3 self-reported health changes, and (4 prevention of neck and wrist pain development among initially pain-free employees. Conclusions. This natural experiment shows that strength training can be implemented successfully at different companies during working hours on a long-term basis with lasting effects on pain in neck, shoulder, and arm.

  13. Lasting Effects of Workplace Strength Training for Neck/Shoulder/Arm Pain among Laboratory Technicians: Natural Experiment with 3-Year Follow-Up

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larsen, Anders I.; Zebis, Mette K.; Pedersen, Mogens T.; Sjøgaard, Gisela; Andersen, Lars L.

    2014-01-01

    Objectives. This study investigated long-term effects and implementation processes of workplace strength training for musculoskeletal disorders. Methods. 333 and 140 laboratory technicians from private and public sector companies, respectively, replied to a 3-year follow-up questionnaire subsequent to a 1-year randomized controlled trial (RCT) with high-intensity strength training for prevention and treatment of neck, shoulder, and arm pain. Being a natural experiment, the two participating companies implemented and modified the initial training program in different ways during the subsequent 2 years after the RCT. Results. At 3-year follow-up the pain reduction in neck, shoulder, elbow, and wrist achieved during the first year was largely maintained at both companies. However, the private sector company was rated significantly better than the public sector company in (1) training adherence, (2) training culture, that is, relatively more employees trained at the workplace and with colleagues, (3) self-reported health changes, and (4) prevention of neck and wrist pain development among initially pain-free employees. Conclusions. This natural experiment shows that strength training can be implemented successfully at different companies during working hours on a long-term basis with lasting effects on pain in neck, shoulder, and arm. PMID:24734247

  14. Pain catastrophizing as a risk factor for chronic pain after total knee arthroplasty: a systematic review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Burns LC

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Lindsay C Burns,1–3 Sarah E Ritvo,1 Meaghan K Ferguson,1 Hance Clarke,3–5 Ze’ev Seltzer,3,5 Joel Katz1,3–5 1Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada; 2Arthritis Research Centre of Canada, Vancouver, BC, Canada; 3Department of Anesthesia and Pain Management, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada; 4Department of Anesthesia, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; 5Centre for the Study of Pain, Faculties of Dentistry and Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada Background: Total knee arthroplasty (TKA is a common and costly surgical procedure. Despite high success rates, many TKA patients develop chronic pain in the months and years following surgery, constituting a public health burden. Pain catastrophizing is a construct that reflects anxious preoccupation with pain, inability to inhibit pain-related fears, amplification of the significance of pain vis-à-vis health implications, and a sense of helplessness regarding pain. Recent research suggests that it may be an important risk factor for untoward TKA outcomes. To clarify this impact, we systematically reviewed the literature to date on pain catastrophizing as a prospective predictor of chronic pain following TKA. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO databases to identify articles related to pain catastrophizing, TKA, risk models, and chronic pain. We reviewed titles and abstracts to identify original research articles that met our specified inclusion criteria. Included articles were then rated for methodological quality. including methodological quality. Due to heterogeneity in follow-up, analyses, and outcomes reported across studies, a quantitative meta-analysis could not be performed. Results: We identified six prospective longitudinal studies with small-to-mid-sized samples that met the inclusion criteria. Despite considerable variability in reported pain outcomes, pain catastrophizing was identified as a significant

  15. Facial Pain Followed by Unilateral Facial Nerve Palsy: A Case Report with Literature Review

    OpenAIRE

    GV, Sowmya; BS, Manjunatha; Goel, Saurabh; Singh, Mohit Pal; Astekar, Madhusudan

    2014-01-01

    Peripheral facial nerve palsy is the commonest cranial nerve motor neuropathy. The causes range from cerebrovascular accident to iatrogenic damage, but there are few reports of facial nerve paralysis attributable to odontogenic infections. In majority of the cases, recovery of facial muscle function begins within first three weeks after onset. This article reports a unique case of 32-year-old male patient who developed facial pain followed by unilateral facial nerve paralysis due to odontogen...

  16. Effects of perceived and exerted pain control on neural activity during pain relief in experimental heat hyperalgesia: a fMRI study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohr, C; Leyendecker, S; Petersen, D; Helmchen, C

    2012-04-01

    Perceived control over pain can attenuate pain perception by mechanisms of endogenous pain control and emotional reappraisal irrespective of whether this control is exerted or only perceived. Self-initiated termination of pain elicits different expectations of subsequent pain relief as compared to perceived pain control. It is unknown whether and how this perceived vs. exerted control on pain differs and affects subsequent pain relief. Using fMRI, we studied two factors of pain control on pain relief: the (i) sense of control (perceived control but no execution) and (ii) the execution of control (exerted control). To account for the impact of factual execution of pain control on pain relief we applied bearable short and hardly bearable long contact-heat stimuli which were applied either controllable or not. Using controllability as factor, there was dissociable neural activity during pain relief: following the perceived control condition neural activity was found in the orbitofrontal and mediofrontal cortex and, following the exerted control condition, in the anterolateral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex. We conclude that (i) pain controllability has an impact on pain relief and (ii) the prefrontal cortex shows dissociable neural activity during pain relief following exerted vs. perceived pain control. This might reflect the higher grade of uncertainty during pain relief following perceived pain control mediated by the orbitofrontal and medial prefrontal cortex and processes of working memory and updating expectations during pain relief following exerted control mediated by the lateral prefrontal cortex. © 2011 European Federation of International Association for the Study of Pain Chapters.

  17. Interleukin-1β overproduction is a common cause for neuropathic pain, memory deficit, and depression following peripheral nerve injury in rodents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gui, Wen-Shan; Wei, Xiao; Mai, Chun-Lin; Murugan, Madhuvika; Wu, Long-Jun; Xin, Wen-Jun; Zhou, Li-Jun; Liu, Xian-Guo

    2016-01-01

    Chronic pain is often accompanied by short-term memory deficit and depression. Currently, it is believed that short-term memory deficit and depression are consequences of chronic pain. Here, we test the hypothesis that the symptoms might be caused by overproduction of interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) in the injured nerve independent of neuropathic pain following spared nerve injury in rats and mice. Mechanical allodynia, a behavioral sign of neuropathic pain, was not correlated with short-term memory deficit and depressive behavior in spared nerve injury rats. Spared nerve injury upregulated IL-1β in the injured sciatic nerve, plasma, and the regions in central nervous system closely associated with pain, memory and emotion, including spinal dorsal horn, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, and amygdala. Importantly, the spared nerve injury-induced memory deficits, depressive, and pain behaviors were substantially prevented by peri-sciatic administration of IL-1β neutralizing antibody in rats or deletion of IL-1 receptor type 1 in mice. Furthermore, the behavioral abnormalities induced by spared nerve injury were mimicked in naïve rats by repetitive intravenous injection of re combinant rat IL-1β (rrIL-1β) at a pathological concentration as determined from spared nerve injury rats. In addition, microglia were activated by both spared nerve injury and intravenous injection of rrIL-1β and the effect of spared nerve injury was substantially reversed by peri-sciatic administration of anti-IL-1β. Neuropathic pain was not necessary for the development of cognitive and emotional disorders, while the overproduction of IL-1β in the injured sciatic nerve following peripheral nerve injury may be a common mechanism underlying the generation of neuropathic pain, memory deficit, and depression. © The Author(s) 2016.

  18. Risk of gastrointestinal cancer in patients with unexplained chest/epigastric pain and normal upper endoscopy: a Danish 10-year follow-up study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Munk, Estrid Muff; Drewes, Asbjørn Mohr; Gorst-Rasmussen, Anders

    2007-01-01

    Unexplained chest/epigastric pain is a common symptom in the general population. However, it has not previously been studied whether such pain could be a marker of subsequent gastrointestinal cancer. We aimed to estimate the risk of gastrointestinal cancers in a Danish 10-year follow-up study amo...

  19. Pain and convalescence following laparoscopic ventral hernia repair

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Eriksen, Jens Ravn

    2011-01-01

    Severe pain is usual after laparoscopic ventral hernia repair (LVHR). Mesh fixation with titanium tacks may play a key role in the development of acute and chronic pain and alternative fixation methods should therefore be investigated. This PhD thesis was based on three studies and aimed too: 1...... abdominal wall. A mechanical peel test was performed for each tissue sample. The secondary outcome parameters were grade and strength of adhesions to the mesh, shrinkage and displacement/folding of the mesh and histological parameters. All nine pigs survived without complications until sacrifice. No meshes...... satisfaction. This issue must have first priority in future ventral hernia repair research. It is now documented, that the simple application of fibrin glue instead of titanium tacks for mesh fixation in LVHR of defects

  20. Pain and convalescence following laparoscopic ventral hernia repair

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Eriksen, Jens Ravn

    Severe pain is usual after laparoscopic ventral hernia repair (LVHR). Mesh fixation with titanium tacks may play a key role in the development of acute and chronic pain and alternative fixation methods should therefore be investigated. This PhD thesis was based on three studies and aimed too: 1...... abdominal wall. A mechanical peel test was performed for each tissue sample. The secondary outcome parameters were grade and strength of adhesions to the mesh, shrinkage and displacement/folding of the mesh and histological parameters. All nine pigs survived without complications until sacrifice. No meshes...... satisfaction. This issue must have first priority in future ventral hernia repair research. It is now documented, that the simple application of fibrin glue instead of titanium tacks for mesh fixation in LVHR of defects

  1. Clinical efficacy of hydrocodone-acetaminophen and tramadol for control of postoperative pain in dogs following tibial plateau leveling osteotomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benitez, Marian E; Roush, James K; McMurphy, Rose; KuKanich, Butch; Legallet, Claire

    2015-09-01

    To evaluate clinical efficacy of hydrocodone-acetaminophen and tramadol for treatment of postoperative pain in dogs undergoing tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO). ANIMALS 50 client-owned dogs. Standardized anesthetic and surgical protocols were followed. Each patient was randomly assigned to receive either tramadol hydrochloride (5 to 7 mg/kg, PO, q 8 h; tramadol group) or hydrocodone bitartrate-acetaminophen (0.5 to 0.6 mg of hydrocodone/kg, PO, q 8 h; hydrocodone group) for analgesia after surgery. The modified Glasgow composite measure pain scale was used to assess signs of postoperative pain at predetermined intervals by an investigator who was blinded to treatment group. Scoring commenced with the second dose of the assigned study analgesic. Pain scores and rates of treatment failure (ie, dogs requiring rescue analgesia according to a predetermined protocol) were compared statistically between groups. 12 of 42 (29%; 5/19 in the hydrocodone-acetaminophen group and 7/23 in the tramadol group) dogs required rescue analgesic treatment on the basis of pain scores. Median pain score for the hydrocodone group was significantly lower than that of the tramadol group 2 hours after the second dose of study analgesic. The 2 groups had similar pain scores at all other time points. Overall, differences in pain scores between dogs that received hydrocodone-acetaminophen or tramadol were minor. The percentage of dogs with treatment failure in both groups was considered unacceptable.

  2. Phantom pain after eye amputation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Marie L R; Prause, Jan U; Toft, Peter B

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: To characterize the quality of phantom pain, its intensity and frequency following eye amputation. Possible triggers and relievers of phantom pain are investigated. Methods: The hospital database was searched using surgery codes for patients who received ocular evisceration, enucleation...... was conducted by a trained interviewer. Results: Of the 173 patients in the study, 39 experienced phantom pain. The median age of patients who had experienced phantom pain was 45 years (range: 19–88). Follow-up time from eye amputation to participation in the investigation was 4 years (range: 2–46). Phantom...... scale, ranging from 0 to 100, was 36 (range: 1–89). One-third of the patients experienced phantom pain every day. Chilliness, windy weather and psychological stress/fatigue were the most commonly reported triggers for pain. Conclusions: Phantom pain after eye amputation is relatively common. The pain...

  3. The ACTTION-American Pain Society Pain Taxonomy (AAPT): an evidence-based and multidimensional approach to classifying chronic pain conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fillingim, Roger B; Bruehl, Stephen; Dworkin, Robert H; Dworkin, Samuel F; Loeser, John D; Turk, Dennis C; Widerstrom-Noga, Eva; Arnold, Lesley; Bennett, Robert; Edwards, Robert R; Freeman, Roy; Gewandter, Jennifer; Hertz, Sharon; Hochberg, Marc; Krane, Elliot; Mantyh, Patrick W; Markman, John; Neogi, Tuhina; Ohrbach, Richard; Paice, Judith A; Porreca, Frank; Rappaport, Bob A; Smith, Shannon M; Smith, Thomas J; Sullivan, Mark D; Verne, G Nicholas; Wasan, Ajay D; Wesselmann, Ursula

    2014-03-01

    Current approaches to classification of chronic pain conditions suffer from the absence of a systematically implemented and evidence-based taxonomy. Moreover, existing diagnostic approaches typically fail to incorporate available knowledge regarding the biopsychosocial mechanisms contributing to pain conditions. To address these gaps, the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations Innovations Opportunities and Networks (ACTTION) public-private partnership with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the American Pain Society (APS) have joined together to develop an evidence-based chronic pain classification system called the ACTTION-APS Pain Taxonomy. This paper describes the outcome of an ACTTION-APS consensus meeting, at which experts agreed on a structure for this new taxonomy of chronic pain conditions. Several major issues around which discussion revolved are presented and summarized, and the structure of the taxonomy is presented. ACTTION-APS Pain Taxonomy will include the following dimensions: 1) core diagnostic criteria; 2) common features; 3) common medical comorbidities; 4) neurobiological, psychosocial, and functional consequences; and 5) putative neurobiological and psychosocial mechanisms, risk factors, and protective factors. In coming months, expert working groups will apply this taxonomy to clusters of chronic pain conditions, thereby developing a set of diagnostic criteria that have been consistently and systematically implemented across nearly all common chronic pain conditions. It is anticipated that the availability of this evidence-based and mechanistic approach to pain classification will be of substantial benefit to chronic pain research and treatment. The ACTTION-APS Pain Taxonomy is an evidence-based chronic pain classification system designed to classify chronic pain along the following dimensions: 1) core diagnostic criteria; 2) common features; 3) common medical comorbidities; 4) neurobiological, psychosocial

  4. Does suprascapular nerve block reduce shoulder pain following stroke: a double-blind randomised controlled trial with masked outcome assessment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Crotty Maria

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Shoulder pain is a common complication of a stroke which can impede participation in rehabilitation programs and has been associated with poorer outcomes. The evidence base for current medical and therapeutic management options of hemiplegic shoulder pain is limited. This study will evaluate the use of suprascapular nerve block injection as part of an interdisciplinary approach to the treatment of shoulder pain following stroke. The technique has previously been proven safe and effective in the treatment of shoulder pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis and degenerative shoulder conditions but its usefulness in a stroke population is unclear. Methods/Design A double blind randomised placebo controlled trial will assess the effect of a suprascapular nerve block compared with placebo in a population of 66 stroke patients. The trial will measure effect of injection on the primary outcome of pain, and secondary outcomes of function and quality of life. Measurements will take place at baseline, and 1, 4 and 12 weeks post intervention. Both groups will continue to receive routine physiotherapy and standard ward care. Discussion The results of this study could reduce pain symptoms in persons with mechanical shoulder pain post stroke and provide improvement in upper limb function. Trial Registration This trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR - ACTRN12609000621213.

  5. A comprehensive protocol to diagnose and treat pain of muscular origin may successfully and reliably decrease or eliminate pain in a chronic pain population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marcus, Norman J; Gracely, Edward J; Keefe, Kelly O

    2010-01-01

    A comprehensive protocol is presented to identify muscular causes of regional pain syndromes utilizing an electrical stimulus in lieu of palpation, and combining elements of Prolotherapy with trigger point injections. One hundred seventy-six consecutive patients were evaluated for the presence of muscle pain by utilizing an electrical stimulus produced by the Muscle Pain Detection Device. The diagnosis of "Muscle Pain Amenable to Injection" (MPAI), rather than trigger points, was made if pain was produced for the duration of the stimulation. If MPAI was found, muscle tendon injections (MTI) were offered to patients along with post-MTI physical therapy, providing neuromuscular electrical stimulation followed by a validated exercise program [1]. A control group, evaluated 1 month prior to their actual consultation/evaluation when muscle pain was identified but not yet treated, was used for comparison. Forty-five patients who met criteria completed treatment. Patients' scores on the Brief Pain Inventory decreased an average of 62%; median 70% (P < 0.001) for pain severity and 68%; median 85% (P < 0.001) for pain interference one month following treatment. These changes were significantly greater (P < 0.001) than those observed in the untreated controls. A protocol incorporating an easily reproducible electrical stimulus to diagnose a muscle causing pain in a region of the body followed by an injection technique that involves the entirety of the muscle, and post injection restoration of muscle function, can successfully eliminate or significantly reduce regional pain present for years.

  6. The stress response to surgery: release mechanisms and the modifying effect of pain relief

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kehlet, H

    1989-01-01

    This short review updates information on the release mechanisms of the systemic response to surgical injury and the modifying effect of pain relief. Initiation of the response is primarily due to afferent nerve impulses combined with release of humoral substances (such as prostaglandins, kinins...... in releasing the classical endocrine catabolic response, while humoral factors are important for the hyperthermic response, changes in coagulation and fibrinolysis immunofunction, and capillary permeability. The modifying effect of pain relief on the surgical stress response is dependent upon the technique...... on the stress response. In summary, pain alleviation itself may not necessarily lead to an important modification of the stress response, and a combined approach with inhibition of the neural and humoral release mechanisms is necessary for a pronounced inhibition or prevention of the response to surgical injury....

  7. Tramadol/paracetamol combination tablet for postoperative pain following ambulatory hand surgery: a double-blind, double-dummy, randomized, parallel-group trial

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rawal, Narinder; Macquaire, Valery; Catalá, Elena; Berti, Marco; Costa, Rui; Wietlisbach, Markus

    2011-01-01

    This randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, multicenter trial compared efficacy and safety of tramadol HCL 37.5 mg/paracetamol 325 mg combination tablet with tramadol HCL 50 mg capsule in the treatment of postoperative pain following ambulatory hand surgery with iv regional anesthesia. Patients received trial medication at admission, immediately after surgery, and every 6 hours after discharge until midnight of the first postoperative day. Analgesic efficacy was assessed by patients (n = 128 in each group, full analysis set) and recorded in a diary on the evening of surgery day and of the first postoperative day. They also documented the occurrence of adverse events. By the end of the first postoperative day, the proportion of treatment responders based on treatment satisfaction (primary efficacy variable) was comparable between the groups (78.1% combination, 71.9% tramadol; P = 0.24) and mean pain intensity (rated on a numerical scale from 0 = no pain to 10 = worst imaginable pain) had been reduced to 1.7 ± 2.0 for both groups. Under both treatments, twice as many patients experienced no pain (score = 0) on the first postoperative day compared to the day of surgery (35.9% vs 16.4% for tramadol/paracetamol and 36.7% vs 18% for tramadol treatment). Rescue medication leading to withdrawal (diclofenac 50 mg) was required by 17.2% patients with tramadol/paracetamol and 13.3% with tramadol. Adverse events (mainly nausea, dizziness, somnolence, vomiting, and increased sweating) occurred less frequently in patients under combination treatment (P = 0.004). Tramadol/paracetamol combination tablets provided comparable analgesic efficacy with a better safety profile to tramadol capsules in patients experiencing postoperative pain following ambulatory hand surgery. PMID:21559356

  8. The influence of children's pain memories on subsequent pain experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noel, Melanie; Chambers, Christine T; McGrath, Patrick J; Klein, Raymond M; Stewart, Sherry H

    2012-08-01

    Healthy children are often required to repeatedly undergo painful medical procedures (eg, immunizations). Although memory is often implicated in children's reactions to future pain, there is a dearth of research directly examining the relationship between the 2. The current study investigated the influence of children's memories for a novel pain stimulus on their subsequent pain experience. One hundred ten healthy children (60 boys) between the ages of 8 and 12 years completed a laboratory pain task and provided pain ratings. Two weeks later, children provided pain ratings based on their memories as well as their expectancies about future pain. One month following the initial laboratory visit, children again completed the pain task and provided pain ratings. Results showed that children's memory of pain intensity was a better predictor of subsequent pain reporting than their actual initial reporting of pain intensity, and mediated the relationship between initial and subsequent pain reporting. Children who had negatively estimated pain memories developed expectations of greater pain prior to a subsequent pain experience and showed greater increases in pain ratings over time than children who had accurate or positively estimated pain memories. These findings highlight the influence of pain memories on healthy children's expectations of future pain and subsequent pain experiences and extend predictive models of subsequent pain reporting. Copyright © 2012 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Group-based multimodal exercises integrated with cognitive-behavioural therapy improve disability, pain and quality of life of subjects with chronic neck pain: a randomized controlled trial with one-year follow-up.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monticone, Marco; Ambrosini, Emilia; Rocca, Barbara; Cazzaniga, Daniele; Liquori, Valentina; Pedrocchi, Alessandra; Vernon, Howard

    2017-06-01

    To evaluate the effect of a group-based multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme on disability, pain and quality of life in subjects with chronic neck pain. Randomized controlled trial. Specialized rehabilitation centre. A total of 170 patients (mean age of 53 years (13); 121 females). The multidisciplinary group underwent a multidisciplinary rehabilitation programme combining multimodal exercises with psychologist-lead cognitive-behavioural therapy sessions. The general exercise group underwent general physiotherapy. Both groups followed group-based programmes once a week for ten weeks. Additionally, the multidisciplinary group met with the psychologist once a week for a 60-minute session. The Neck Disability Index (primary outcome), the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale, a pain numerical rating scale and the Short-Form Health Survey. The participants were evaluated before, after training and after 12 months. A linear mixed model for repeated measures was used for each outcome measure. Significant effects ( p-value rehabilitation programme including cognitive-behavioural therapy was superior to group-based general physiotherapy in improving disability, pain and quality of life of subjects with chronic neck pain. The effects lasted for at least one year.

  10. Development of and recovery from long-term pain. A 6-year follow-up study of a cross-section of the adult Danish population

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Eriksen, Jørgen; Ekholm, Ola; Sjøgren, Per

    2004-01-01

    A 6-year follow-up study of a cross-section of the adult Danish population, based on data from the Danish Health and Morbidity Surveys in 1994 and 2000 is presented. The pain populations were identified through the pain intensity verbal rating scale (VRS) included in the Short Form 36. The 2000...... survey also included a question on duration of pain (>6 months). Using this as the 'gold standard', a validation study was performed, which identified the highest accuracy (85%) at the VRS cut-off level: no pain, very mild, or mild pain (control group) versus moderate, severe, or very severe pain (pain.......2-2.0], short education (OR 1.5, CI 1.0-2.2), poor self-rated health (OR 3.3, CI 2.4-4.7), and having at least one long-standing disease (OR 2.6, CI 2.0-3.4). Significant predictors for pain recovery were male gender, younger age, cohabitation status, good self-rated health, good mental health, having no long...

  11. Pain and quality of life following palliative radiotherapy of bone metastases; Der Einfluss palliativer Strahlentherapie auf Schmerz und Lebensqualitaet bei Patienten mit Knochenmetastasen

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    Sauer, N.; Wild, B.; Henningsen, P.; Jakobsen, T. [Klinik fuer Psychosomatische und Allgemeine Klinische Medizin, Univ. Heidelberg (Germany); Leising, D. [Inst. fuer Psychologie, Univ. Wuerzburg (Germany); Treiber, M. [Radiologische Universitaetsklinik, Heidelberg (Germany)

    2006-09-15

    Pain and quality of life following palliative radiotherapy of bone metastases Background and purpose: palliative irradiation is used to provide pain relief and to increase quality of life. Most studies exclude patients with advanced cancer disease and, therefore, a positive selection results. This prospective clinical study investigates the effect of palliative radiotherapy on pain and quality of life of patients with painful bone metastases. Patients and methods: 263 patients with bone metastases due to advanced cancer were observed with respect to pain and quality of life during a 2-month course of radiotherapy. Missing data were substituted by the LOCF method (last observation carried forward) to prevent a biased reduction of data. Results: radiotherapy resulted in pain relief. In the complete group, pain medication was not increased. Quality of life was not affected positively. Side effects of radiotherapy increased remarkably. Conclusion: Radiotherapy leads to pain relief. However, risks and benefits must be considered critically due to side effects. (orig.)

  12. Pain chronification: what should a non-pain medicine specialist know?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morlion, Bart; Coluzzi, Flaminia; Aldington, Dominic; Kocot-Kepska, Magdalena; Pergolizzi, Joseph; Mangas, Ana Cristina; Ahlbeck, Karsten; Kalso, Eija

    2018-04-12

    Pain is one of the most common reasons for an individual to consult their primary care physician, with most chronic pain being treated in the primary care setting. However, many primary care physicians/non-pain medicine specialists lack enough awareness, education and skills to manage pain patients appropriately, and there is currently no clear, common consensus/formal definition of "pain chronification". This article, based on an international Change Pain Chronic Advisory Board meeting which was held in Wiesbaden, Germany, in October 2016, provides primary care physicians/non-pain medicine specialists with a narrative overview of pain chronification, including underlying physiological and psychosocial processes, predictive factors for pain chronification, a brief summary of preventive strategies, and the role of primary care physicians and non-pain medicine specialists in the holistic management of pain chronification. Based on currently available evidence, we propose the following consensus-based definition of pain chronification which provides a common framework to raise awareness among non-pain medicine specialists: "Pain chronification describes the process of transient pain progressing into persistent pain; pain processing changes as a result of an imbalance between pain amplification and pain inhibition; genetic, environmental and biopsychosocial factors determine the risk, the degree, and time-course of chronification." Early intervention plays an important role in preventing pain chronification and, as key influencers in the management of patients with acute pain, it is critical that primary care physicians are equipped with the necessary awareness, education and skills to manage pain patients appropriately.

  13. Adjunct High Frequency Transcutaneous Electric Stimulation (TENS) for Postoperative Pain Management during Weaning from Epidural Analgesia Following Colon Surgery: Results from a Controlled Pilot Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bjerså, Kristofer; Jildenstaal, Pether; Jakobsson, Jan; Egardt, Madelene; Fagevik Olsén, Monika

    2015-12-01

    The potential benefit of nonpharmacological adjunctive therapy is not well-studied following major abdominal surgery. The aim of the present study was to investigate transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) as a complementary nonpharmacological analgesia intervention during weaning from epidural analgesia (EDA) after open lower abdominal surgery. Patients were randomized to TENS and sham TENS during weaning from EDA. The effects on pain at rest, following short walk, and after deep breath were assessed by visual analog scale (VAS) grading. Number of patients assessed was lower than calculated because of change in clinical routine. Pain scores overall were low. A trend of lower pain scores was observed in the active TENS group of patients; a statistical significance between the groups was found for the pain lying prone in bed (p TENS use in postoperative pain management during weaning from EDA after open colon surgery. Further studies are warranted in order to verify the potential beneficial effects from TENS during weaning from EDA after open, lower abdominal surgery. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Musculoskeletal pain among women of menopausal age in Puebla, Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sievert, Lynnette Leidy; Goode-Null, Susan K

    2005-06-01

    Worldwide, complaints of musculoskeletal pain are more frequent than complaints of hot flashes amongst women of menopausal age. The purpose of this study was to examine musculoskeletal pain among women of menopausal age in the city of Puebla, Mexico. An opportunity sample was recruited from public parks and markets, with representation from all social classes (n=755). Mean age was 50.1 years, and the majority were employed as saleswomen in small businesses. Symptom frequencies were collected by open-ended interviews and with a structured symptom list that queried symptom experience during the two weeks prior to interview. In response to open-ended questions, "dolores de huesos" (bone pain) was volunteered by 47% of respondents as a symptom associated with menopause, second only to hot flashes (53%). From the structured symptom list, 55.8% and 55.6% reported back pain and joint stiffness during the two weeks prior to interview. Women with back pain and joint stiffness were less likely to report being active during their leisure time (p<.01). The results of backwards stepwise logistic regressions indicate that women with back pain were more likely to be older, with less education, a higher BMI, and ate less meat. Women with joint pain were more likely to be post-menopausal, with less education, more children, a higher BMI, and were likely to drink milk and coffee more than once/week but less than once/day. While menopause is not necessarily a risk factor for musculoskeletal pain, it is important to recognize the pervasiveness of this complaint among women of menopausal age.

  15. Amount of health care and self-care following a randomized clinical trial comparing flexion-distraction with exercise program for chronic low back pain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Keenum Michael

    2006-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Previous clinical trials have assessed the percentage of participants who utilized further health care after a period of conservative care for low back pain, however no chiropractic clinical trial has determined the total amount of care during this time and any differences based on assigned treatment group. The objective of this clinical trial follow-up was to assess if there was a difference in the total number of office visits for low back pain over one year after a four week clinical trial of either a form of physical therapy (Exercise Program or a form of chiropractic care (Flexion Distraction for chronic low back pain. Methods In this randomized clinical trial follow up study, 195 participants were followed for one year after a four-week period of either a form of chiropractic care (FD or a form of physical therapy (EP. Weekly structured telephone interview questions regarded visitation of various health care practitioners and the practice of self-care for low back pain. Results Participants in the physical therapy group demonstrated on average significantly more visits to any health care provider and to a general practitioner during the year after trial care (p Conclusion During a one-year follow-up, participants previously randomized to physical therapy attended significantly more health care visits than those participants who received chiropractic care.

  16. Downregulation of selective microRNAs in trigeminal ganglion neurons following inflammatory muscle pain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei Dong

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Active regulation of gene expression in the nervous system plays an important role in the development and/or maintenance of inflammatory pain. MicroRNA (miRNA negatively regulates gene expression via posttranscriptional or transcriptional inhibition of specific genes. To explore the possible involvement of miRNA in gene regulation during inflammatory pain, we injected complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA unilaterally into the rat masseter muscle and quantified changes in neuron-specific mature miRNAs in the trigeminal ganglion (TG. Real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction revealed significant, but differential, downregulation of mature miR-10a, -29a, -98, -99a, -124a, -134, and -183 in the ipsilateral mandibular division (V3 of the TG within 4 hr after CFA. In contrast, levels of tested miRNAs did not change significantly in the contralateral V3 or the ipsilateral ophthalmic and maxillary divisions of the TG from inflamed rats, nor in the ipsilateral V3 of saline-injected animals. The downregulated miRNAs recovered differentially to a level equal to or higher than that in naive animals. Full recovery time varied with miRNA species but was at least 4 days. Expression and downregulation of some miRNAs were further confirmed by in situ hybridization of TG neurons that innervate the inflamed muscle. Although neurons of all sizes expressed these miRNAs, their signals varied between neurons. Our results indicate that miRNA species specific to neurons are quickly regulated following inflammatory muscle pain.

  17. Long-term follow-up in sacroiliac joint pain patients treated with radiofrequency ablative therapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Flávio Ramalho Romero

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Sacroiliac joint (SIJ pain is responsible for up to 40% of all cases of lumbar back pain. Objective Report the long-term efficacy of radiofrequency denervation for sacroiliac joint pain at six, twelve and eighteen months.Method Third-two adults’ patients with sacroiliac join pain diagnosis were included for a prospective study. Primary outcome measure was pain intensity on the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS. Secondary outcome measure was Patient Global Impression of Change Scale (PGIC.Results Short-term pain relief was observed, with the mean NRS pain score decreasing from 7.7 ± 1.8 at baseline to 2.8 ± 1.2 at one month and to 3.1 ± 1.9 at six months post-procedure (p < 0.001. Long-term pain relief was sustained at twelve and eighteen months post-procedure, with NRS pain remaining at 3.4 ± 2.1 and 4.0 ± 2.7, respectively.Conclusion Radiofrequency denervation of the SIJ can significantly reduce pain in selected patients with sacroiliac syndrome.

  18. Is a Widening Gender Wage Gap Necessarily Caused by a Glass Ceiling?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    I.P. van Staveren (Irene)

    2012-01-01

    textabstractContrary to what is generally assumed, the gender wage gap and the glass ceiling may not necessarily be positively related. An exploratory analysis of aggregate public service personnel data for Uganda shows that the gender wage gap is small at the middle level of management, whereas it

  19. Changes in Sleep Problems and Psychological Flexibility Following Interdisciplinary Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Chronic Pain: An Observational Cohort Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aisling Daly

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Aims: Cognitive and behavioral treatments (CBT for sleep problems and chronic pain have shown good results, although these results could improve. More recent developments based on the psychological flexibility model, the model underlying Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT may offer a useful addition to traditional CBT. The aim of this study was to examine whether an ACT-based treatment for chronic pain is associated with improved sleep. Secondly, we examined the associations between changes on measures of psychological flexibility and sleep-related outcomes.Methods: The study used an observational cohort methodology. Participants were 252 patients (73.8% female attending a four-week, interdisciplinary, pain management program in London, United Kingdom. Participants completed standard self-report measures of pain and functioning, sleep outcomes, and processes of psychological flexibility. Pre- to post-treatment, and pre-treatment to follow-up measures were examined for statistically significant differences using paired samples t-tests. Secondarily, hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine change in process measures in relation to change in treatment outcome.Results: Participants showed statistically significant improvements (all p<.001 at post-treatment on measures of insomnia severity (d=.45, sleep interference (d=61, and sleep efficiency (d=.32. Significant improvements in insomnia severity and sleep interference were also observed at nine-month follow up. Small to medium effect sizes were observed across the sleep outcomes. Statistically significant changes were also observed on measures of psychological flexibility, and these improvements were significantly associated with improvements on sleep-related outcomes, independently contributing up to 19% of unique variance. Conclusion: This study supports the potential usefulness of ACT-based treatments for chronic pain for addressing co-occurring sleep difficulties

  20. Soft occlusal splint therapy in the management of myofascial pain dysfunction syndrome: A follow-up study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Naikmasur Venkatesh

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Background and Objectives: Myofascial Pain Dysfunction Syndrome (MPDS has been recognized as the most common, nontooth-related chronic orofacial pain condition that confronts dentists. A variety of therapies has been described in literature for its management. The present study is a prospective study carried out to evaluate the efficacy of occlusal splint therapy and compare it with pharmacotherapy (using analgesics and muscle relaxants in the management of Myofascial Pain Dysfunction Syndrome. Materials and Methods: Forty patients in the age range of 17-55 years were included in the study and randomly assigned to one of two equally sized groups, A and B. Group A patients received a combination of muscle relaxants and analgesics while Group B patients received soft occlusal splint therapy. All the patients were evaluated for GPI, VAS, maximum comfortable mouth opening, TMJ clicking and tenderness during rest and movement as well as for the number of tender muscles at the time of diagnosis, after the 1 st week of initiation of therapy and every month for three months of follow-up. Results: There was a progressive decrease in GPI scores, number of tender muscles, TMJ clicking and tenderness with various jaw movements and significant improvement in mouth opening in patients on occlusal splint therapy during the follow-up period as compared to the pharmacotherapy group. Conclusion: Occlusal splint therapy has better long-term results in reducing the symptoms of MPDS. It has better patient compliance, fewer side effects, and is more cost-effective than pharmacotherapy; hence, it can be chosen for the treatment of patients with MPDS.

  1. A multiple-dose, double-blind comparison of intramuscularly and orally administered ketorolac tromethamine and Ketogan in patients with pain following orthopaedic surgery

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gebuhr, Peter Henrik; Soelberg, M; Strauss, W

    1994-01-01

    combination product containing the narcotic analgesic, ketobemidone, plus a spasmolytic agent) by intramuscular injection every 1-6 h as needed for pain. When patients were able to tolerate an oral diet and were expected to respond to oral analgesic medication, based on overall pain sensitivity, they were...... and at the end of each day. Both treatments were effective immediately after the first dose and during the subsequent multiple-dose phase. There were no statistically significant differences between ketorolac and Ketogan. The results show that 10-mg doses of ketorolac in intramuscular injections followed by 10......In this multiple-dose, double-blind study 100 patients with moderate, severe or very severe pain following orthopaedic surgery were randomly assigned to receive ketorolac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug with potent analgesic properties (10 mg), or the standard regimen of Ketogan (a...

  2. Two-year follow-up results of fluoroscopic cervical epidural injections in chronic axial or discogenic neck pain: a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manchikanti, Laxmaiah; Cash, Kimberly A; Pampati, Vidyasagar; Malla, Yogesh

    2014-01-01

    A randomized, double-blind, active-controlled trial. To assess the effectiveness of cervical interlaminar epidural injections of local anesthetic with or without steroids for the management of axial or discogenic pain in patients without disc herniation, radiculitis, or facet joint pain. Cervical discogenic pain without disc herniation is a common cause of suffering and disability in the adult population. Once conservative management has failed and facet joint pain has been excluded, cervical epidural injections may be considered as a management tool. Despite a paucity of evidence, cervical epidural injections are one of the most commonly performed nonsurgical interventions in the management of chronic axial or disc-related neck pain. One hundred and twenty patients without disc herniation or radiculitis and negative for facet joint pain as determined by means of controlled diagnostic medial branch blocks were randomly assigned to one of the 2 treatment groups. Group I patients received cervical interlaminar epidural injections of local anesthetic (lidocaine 0.5%, 5 mL), whereas Group II patients received 0.5% lidocaine, 4 mL, mixed with 1 mL or 6 mg of nonparticulate betamethasone. The primary outcome measure was ≥ 50% improvement in pain and function. Outcome assessments included numeric rating scale (NRS), Neck Disability Index (NDI), opioid intake, employment, and changes in weight. Significant pain relief and functional improvement (≥ 50%) was present at the end of 2 years in 73% of patients receiving local anesthetic only and 70% receiving local anesthetic with steroids. In the successful group of patients, however, defined as consistent relief with 2 initial injections of at least 3 weeks, significant improvement was illustrated in 78% in the local anesthetic group and 75% in the local anesthetic with steroid group at the end of 2 years. The results reported at the one-year follow-up were sustained at the 2-year follow-up. Cervical interlaminar epidural

  3. The temporal development of fatty infiltrates in the neck muscles following whiplash injury: an association with pain and posttraumatic stress.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James Elliott

    Full Text Available Radiological findings associated with poor recovery following whiplash injury remain elusive. Muscle fatty infiltrates (MFI in the cervical extensors on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI in patients with chronic pain have been observed. Their association with specific aspects of pain and psychological factors have yet to be explored longitudinally.44 subjects with whiplash injury were enrolled at 4 weeks post-injury and classified at 6 months using scores on the Neck Disability Index as recovered, mild and moderate/severe. A measure for MFI and patient self-report of pain, loss of cervical range of movement and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD were collected at 4 weeks, 3 months and 6 months post-injury. The effects of time and group and the interaction of time by group on MFI were determined. We assessed the mediating effect of posttraumatic stress and cervical range of movement on the longitudinal relationship between initial pain intensity and MFI. There was no difference in MFI across all groups at enrollment. MFI values increased in the moderate/severe group and were significantly higher in comparison to the recovered and mild groups at 3 and 6 months. No differences in MFI values were found between the mild and recovered groups. Initial severity of PTSD symptoms mediated the relationship between pain intensity and MFI at 6 months. Initial ROM loss did not.MFI in the cervical extensors occur soon following whiplash injury and suggest the possibility for the occurrence of a more severe injury with subsequent PTSD in patients with persistent symptoms.

  4. Predictive models of pain following root canal treatment: a prospective clinical study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arias, A; de la Macorra, J C; Hidalgo, J J; Azabal, M

    2013-08-01

    To determine the probability of the incidence, intensity, duration and triggering of post-endodontic pain, considering factors related to the patient (age, gender, medical evaluation) and to the affected tooth (group, location, number of canals, pulp vitality, preoperative pain, periapical radiolucencies, previous emergency access, presence of occlusal contacts with antagonist). A total of 500 one-visit root canal treatments (RCTs) were performed on patients referred to an endodontist. Shaping of root canals was performed manually with Gates-Glidden drills and K-Flexofiles, and apical patency was maintained with a size 10 file. A 5% NaOCl solution was used for irrigation, and canals were filled with lateral compaction and AH-Plus sealer. Independent factors were recorded during the treatment, and characteristics of post-endodontic pain (incidence, intensity, type and duration) were later surveyed through questionnaires. Of the 500 questionnaires, 374 were properly returned and split in two groups for two different statistical purposes: 316 cases were used to adjust the logistic regression models to predict each characteristic of post-endodontic pain using predictive factors, and the remaining 58 cases were used to test the validity of each model. The predictive models showed that the incidence of post-endodontic pain was significantly lower when the treated tooth was not a molar (P = 0.003), demonstrated periapical radiolucencies (P = 0.003), had no history of previous pain (P = 0.006) or emergency endodontic treatment (P = 0.045) and had no occlusal contact (P endodontic pain were generated and validated taking account of the interrelation of multiple concomitant clinical factors. A predictive model for triggering post-endodontic pain could not be established. © 2013 International Endodontic Journal. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. The impact of music on postoperative pain and anxiety following cesarean section.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reza, Nikandish; Ali, Sahmedini Mohammad; Saeed, Khademi; Abul-Qasim, Avand; Reza, Tabatabaee Hamid

    2007-10-01

    The relief of post-cesarean delivery pain is important. Good pain relief improves mobility and reduces the risk of thromboembolic disease, which may have been increased during pregnancy. Pain may impair the mother's ability to optimally care for her infant in the immediate postpartum period and may adversely affect early interactions between mother and infant. It is necessary, therefore that pain relief be safe and effective and results in no adverse neonatal effects during breast-feeding. Music may be considered as a potential method of post cesarean pain therapy due to its noninvasiveness and lack of side effects. In this study we evaluated the effect of intraoperative music under general anesthesia for reducing the postoperative morphine requirements after cesarean section. In a double blind placebo-controlled trial, 100 women (ASA I) scheduled for elective cesarean section under general anesthesia, were randomly allocated into two groups of fifty. After standardization of anesthesia, patients in the music group were exposed to a compact disk of Spanish guitar after induction of anesthesia up to the time of wound dressing. In the control group patients were exposed to white music. Post operative pain and anxiety were evaluated by visual analog scale (VAS) up to six hours after discharge from PACU. Morphine was given intravenously for reducing pain to VAS 0.05). In addition, morphine requirements were not different between two groups at different time intervals up to six hours postoperatively (P>0.05). There were not statistically significant difference between two groups regarding postoperative anxiety score and vomiting frequency (P>0.05). As per conditions of this study, intraoperative Spanish music was not effective in reducing postoperative pain after cesarean section. In addition postoperative morphine requirement, anxiety, and vomiting were not affected by the music during general anesthesia.

  6. Utility of 18F sodium fluoride PET/CT imaging in the evaluation of postoperative pain following surgical spine fusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pouldar, D; Bakshian, S; Matthews, R; Rao, V; Manzano, M; Dardashti, S

    2017-08-01

    A retrospective case review of patients who underwent 18F sodium fluoride PET/CT imaging of the spine with postoperative pain following vertebral fusion. To determine the benefit of 18F sodium fluoride PET/CT imaging in the diagnosis of persistent pain in the postoperative spine. The diagnosis of pain generators in the postoperative spine has proven to be a diagnostic challenge. The conventional radiologic evaluation of persistent pain after spine surgery with the use of plain radiographs, MRI, and CT can often fall short of diagnosis in the complex patient. 18F sodium fluoride PET/CT imaging is an alternative tool to accurately identify a patient's source of pain in the difficult patient. This retrospective study looked at 25 adult patients who had undergone 18F sodium fluoride PET/CT imaging. All patients had persistent or recurrent back pain over the course of a 15-month period after having undergone spinal fusion surgery. All patients had inconclusive dedicated MRI. The clinical accuracy of PET/CT in identifying the pain generator and contribution to altering the decision making process was compared to the use of CT scan alone. Of the 25 patients studied, 17 patients had increased uptake on the 18F sodium fluoride PET/CT fusion images. There was a high-level correlation of radiotracer uptake to the patients' pain generator. Overall 88% of the studies were considered beneficial with either PET/CT altering the clinical diagnosis and treatment plan of the patient or confirming unnecessary surgery. 18F sodium fluoride PET/CT proves to be a useful tool in the diagnosis of complex spine pathology of the postoperative patients. In varied cases, a high correlation of metabolic activity to the source of the patient's pain was observed.

  7. Spinal Manipulative Therapy Specific Changes In Pain Sensitivity In Individuals With Low Back Pain (NCT01168999)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bialosky, Joel E; George, Steven Z; Horn, Maggie E; Price, Donald D; Staud, Roland; Robinson, Michael E

    2013-01-01

    Spinal Manipulative Therapy (SMT) is effective for some individuals experiencing low back pain (LBP); however, the mechanisms are not established regarding the role of placebo. SMT is associated with changes in pain sensitivity suggesting related altered central nervous system response or processing of afferent nociceptive input. Placebo is also associated with changes in pain sensitivity and the efficacy of SMT for changes in pain sensitivity beyond placebo has not been adequately considered. We randomly assigned 110 participants with LBP to receive SMT, placebo SMT, placebo SMT with the instructional set, “The manual therapy technique you will receive has been shown to significantly reduce low back pain in some people”, or no intervention. Participants receiving the SMT and placebo SMT received their assigned intervention 6 times over two weeks. Pain sensitivity was assessed prior to and immediately following the assigned intervention during the first session. Clinical outcomes were assessed at baseline and following two weeks of participation in the study. Immediate attenuation of suprathreshold heat response was greatest following SMT (p= 0.05, partial η2= 0.07). Group dependent differences were not observed for changes in pain intensity and disability at two week. Participant satisfaction was greatest following the enhanced placebo SMT. PMID:24361109

  8. Tramadol/paracetamol combination tablet for postoperative pain following ambulatory hand surgery: a double-blind, double-dummy, randomized, parallel-group trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rawal N

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Narinder Rawal1, Valery Macquaire2, Elena Catalá3, Marco Berti4, Rui Costa5, Markus Wietlisbach61Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Örebro University Hospital, Örebro, Sweden; 2Clinique du Parc Leopold, Brussels, Belgium; 3Pain Clinic, Department Anesthesiology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain; 4Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Parma Hospital, Parma, Italy; 5Garcia de Orta Hospital, Almada, Portugal; 6Department of Anesthesiology, Sursee Hospital, Sursee, SwitzerlandAbstract: This randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, multicenter trial compared efficacy and safety of tramadol HCL 37.5 mg/paracetamol 325 mg combination tablet with tramadol HCL 50 mg capsule in the treatment of postoperative pain following ambulatory hand surgery with iv regional anesthesia. Patients received trial medication at admission, immediately after surgery, and every 6 hours after discharge until midnight of the first postoperative day. Analgesic efficacy was assessed by patients (n = 128 in each group, full analysis set and recorded in a diary on the evening of surgery day and of the first postoperative day. They also documented the occurrence of adverse events. By the end of the first postoperative day, the proportion of treatment responders based on treatment satisfaction (primary efficacy variable was comparable between the groups (78.1% combination, 71.9% tramadol; P = 0.24 and mean pain intensity (rated on a numerical scale from 0 = no pain to 10 = worst imaginable pain had been reduced to 1.7 ± 2.0 for both groups. Under both treatments, twice as many patients experienced no pain (score = 0 on the first postoperative day compared to the day of surgery (35.9% vs 16.4% for tramadol/paracetamol and 36.7% vs 18% for tramadol treatment. Rescue medication leading to withdrawal (diclofenac 50 mg was required by 17.2% patients with tramadol/paracetamol and 13.3% with tramadol. Adverse events (mainly nausea, dizziness

  9. GLT1 overexpression reverses established neuropathic pain-related behavior and attenuates chronic dorsal horn neuron activation following cervical spinal cord injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Falnikar, Aditi; Hala, Tamara J; Poulsen, David J; Lepore, Angelo C

    2016-03-01

    Development of neuropathic pain occurs in a major portion of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) patients, resulting in debilitating and often long-term physical and psychological burdens. Following SCI, chronic dysregulation of extracellular glutamate homeostasis has been shown to play a key role in persistent central hyperexcitability of superficial dorsal horn neurons that mediate pain neurotransmission, leading to various forms of neuropathic pain. Astrocytes express the major CNS glutamate transporter, GLT1, which is responsible for the vast majority of functional glutamate uptake, particularly in the spinal cord. In our unilateral cervical contusion model of mouse SCI that is associated with ipsilateral forepaw heat hypersensitivity (a form of chronic at-level neuropathic pain-related behavior), we previously reported significant and long-lasting reductions in GLT1 expression and functional GLT1-mediated glutamate uptake in cervical spinal cord dorsal horn. To therapeutically address GLT1 dysfunction following cervical contusion SCI, we injected an adeno-associated virus type 8 (AAV8)-Gfa2 vector into the superficial dorsal horn to increase GLT1 expression selectively in astrocytes. Compared to both contusion-only animals and injured mice that received AAV8-eGFP control injection, AAV8-GLT1 delivery increased GLT1 protein expression in astrocytes of the injured cervical spinal cord dorsal horn, resulting in a significant and persistent reversal of already-established heat hypersensitivity. Furthermore, AAV8-GLT1 injection significantly reduced expression of the transcription factor and marker of persistently increased neuronal activation, ΔFosB, in superficial dorsal horn neurons. These results demonstrate that focal restoration of GLT1 expression in the superficial dorsal horn is a promising target for treating chronic neuropathic pain following SCI. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. Effectiveness of Green Tea Mouthwash in Postoperative Pain Control Following Surgical Removal of Impacted Third Molars: Double Blind Randomized Clinical Trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Majid Eshghpour

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Background:Pain following surgical removal of impacted molars has remained an important concern among practitioners. Various protocols have been proposed to reduce postoperative pain. However, each one has special side effects and limitations. As green tea possesses anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, the aim of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of green tea mouthwash in controlling postoperative pain.Materials and methods:In a study with split-mouth and double blind design, 44 patients in need of bilateral removal of impacted third molars underwent randomized surgical extraction; following one surgery patients rinsed with a green tea mouthwash from the first to seventh postoperative day and after other extraction rinsed with placebo mouthwash in the same duration. Both patients and surgeon were blinded to the type of mouthwash. The predictor variable was type of mouthwash and primary outcome variable was postoperative pain measured by visual analogue scale (VAS during first week after surgery. In addition, number of analgesics patients used after surgery recorded. To measure the effect of green tea mouthwash, repeated measures test with confidence interval of 95% was performed.Results:Total of 43 patients with mean age of 24 years underwent total of 86 surgeries. VAS value had no statistically difference prior rinsing among groups (P-value > 0.05. However, the mean value of VAS following rinsing with green tea was statistically lower than placebo in postoperative days of 3–7 (P-value < 0.05. In addition, while rinsing with green tea, patients took significantly lower number of analgesics after surgery (P-value < 0.05. No side effects reported.Conclusion:Green tea mouthwash could be an appropriate and safe choice to control postoperative pain after third molar surgery.

  11. Refractory pain following hip arthroscopy: evaluation and management

    Science.gov (United States)

    de SA, Darren L; Burnham, Jeremy M; Mauro, Craig S

    2018-01-01

    ABSTRACT With increased knowledge and understanding of hip pathology, hip arthroscopy is rapidly becoming a popular treatment option for young patients with hip pain. Despite improved clinical and radiographic outcomes with arthroscopic treatment, some patients may have ongoing pain and less than satisfactory outcomes. While the reasons leading to failed hip arthroscopy are multifactorial, patient selection, surgical technique and rehabilitation all play a role. Patients with failed hip arthroscopy should undergo a thorough history and physical examination, as well as indicated imaging. A treatment plan should then be developed based on pertinent findings from the workup and in conjunction with the patient. Depending on the etiology of failed hip arthroscopy, management may be nonsurgical or surgical, which may include revision arthroscopic or open surgery, periacetabular osteotomy or joint arthroplasty. Revision surgery may be appropriate in settings including, but not limited to, incompletely treated femoroacetabular impingement, postoperative adhesions, heterotopic ossification, instability, hip dysplasia or advanced degeneration. PMID:29423245

  12. Safety and efficacy of loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic ointment 0.5% for the treatment of inflammation and pain following cataract surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Comstock, Timothy L; Paterno, Michael R; Singh, Angele; Erb, Tara; Davis, Elizabeth

    2011-01-01

    To compare the safety and efficacy of loteprednol etabonate ophthalmic ointment 0.5% (LE ointment), a new topical ointment formulation, with vehicle for the treatment of inflammation and pain following cataract surgery. Two randomized, multicenter, double-masked, parallel-group, vehicle-controlled studies were conducted. Patients aged ≥18 years with a combined postoperative anterior chamber cells and flare (ACI) ≥ Grade 3 following uncomplicated cataract surgery participated in seven study visits. Patients self-administered either topical LE ointment or vehicle four times daily for 14 days. Efficacy outcomes included the proportion of patients with complete resolution of ACI and the proportion of patients with no (Grade 0) pain at postoperative day 8. Safety outcomes included the incidence of adverse events, ocular symptoms, changes in intraocular pressure and visual acuity, and biomicroscopy and funduscopy findings. Data from the two studies were combined. The integrated intent-to-treat population consisted of 805 patients (mean [standard deviation] age 69.0 [9.2] years; 58.0% female and 89.7% white). Significantly more LE ointment-treated patients than vehicle-treated patients had complete resolution of ACI (27.7% versus 12.5%) and no pain (75.5% versus 43.1%) at day 8 (P < 0.0001 for both). Fewer LE ointment-treated patients required rescue medication (27.7% versus 63.8%), and fewer had an ocular adverse event (47.2% versus 78.0%, P < 0.0001) while on study treatment. The most common ocular adverse events with LE ointment were anterior chamber inflammation, photophobia, corneal edema, conjunctival hyperemia, eye pain, and iritis. Mean intraocular pressure decreased in both treatment groups. Four patients had increased intraocular pressure ≥10 mmHg (three LE ointment and one vehicle) prior to rescue medication. Visual acuity and dilated funduscopy results were similar between the treatment groups, with the exception of visual acuity at visits 5 and 6, which

  13. Quality of life in major depressive disorder: the role of pain and pain catastrophizing cognition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, Ka-Fai; Tso, Kwok-Chu; Yeung, Wing-Fai; Li, Wei-Hui

    2012-05-01

    Pain symptoms are frequent complaints in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Although it is known that pain intensity and pain-related cognition predict quality of life (QOL) in patients with chronic pain, limited studies have examined their roles in MDD. The study aimed to determine whether pain and pain catastrophizing were independent predictors of QOL in MDD after accounting for the impact of anxiety and depression. This is a prospective, naturalistic follow-up study. Ninety-one Chinese patients were enrolled during an acute episode of MDD, 82 of them were reassessed 3 months later using the same assessment on pain, anxiety, depression, and QOL. Pain intensity was evaluated using a verbal rating scale and a visual analog scale. Quality of life was assessed using the 36-item Short Form Health Survey. Pain-related cognition was assessed at baseline with the Pain Catastrophizing Scale. There was significant improvement in pain, anxiety, depression, and QOL from baseline to 3-month follow-up. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that pain intensity was significantly associated with QOL at baseline and 3 months. Pain complaint was more important than anxiety and depressive symptoms in predicting changes in both physical and psychosocial domains of QOL. After controlling for the severity of pain, anxiety, and depression, Pain Catastrophizing Scale score was independently associated with QOL in MDD. The study supports the specific role of pain and pain-related cognition in predicting QOL in depressed patients. Further studies targeting pain-related cognition for improving the outcome of MDD are necessary. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Is heat pain detection threshold associated with the area of secondary hyperalgesia following brief thermal sensitization? A study of healthy volunteers - design and detailed plan of analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hansen, Morten Sejer; Wetterslev, Jørn; Pipper, Christian Bressen; Asghar, Mohammad Sohail; Dahl, Jørgen Berg

    2016-05-31

    Several factors are believed to influence the development and experience of pain. Human clinical pain models are central tools, in the investigation of basic physiologic pain responses, and can be applied in patients as well as in healthy volunteers. Each clinical pain model investigates different aspects of the human pain response. Brief thermal sensitization induces a mild burn injury, resulting in development of primary hyperalgesia at the site of stimulation, and secondary hyperalgesia surrounding the site of stimulation. Central sensitization is believed to play an important role in the development of secondary hyperalgesia; however, a possible association of secondary hyperalgesia following brief thermal sensitization and other heat pain models remains unknown. Our aim with this study is to investigate how close the heat pain detection threshold is associated with the size of the area of secondary hyperalgesia induced by the clinical heat pain model: Brief thermal sensitization. We aim to include 120 healthy participants. The participants will be tested on two separate study days with the following procedures: i) Brief thermal sensitization, ii) heat pain detection threshold and iii) pain during thermal stimulation. Additionally, the participants will be tested with the Pain Catastrophizing Scale and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale questionnaires. We conducted statistical simulations based on data from our previous study, to estimate an empirical power of 99.9 % with α of 0.05. We define that an R(2) heat stimulation, and thus may be a biomarker of an individual's pain sensitivity. The number of studies investigating secondary hyperalgesia is growing; however basic knowledge of the physiologic aspects of secondary hyperalgesia in humans is still incomplete. We therefore find it interesting to investigate if HPDT, a known quantitative sensory test, is associated with areas of secondary hyperalgesia following brief thermal sensitization Clinicaltrials

  15. Management of chronic pain after hernia repair

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andresen K

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Kristoffer Andresen, Jacob Rosenberg Department of Surgery, Herlev Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark Abstract: Chronic pain following inguinal hernia repair is a common problem and feared complication. Up to 16% of people experience chronic pain following the repair of a groin hernia. The aim of this review was to provide an overview of treatment strategies for patients with chronic pain following inguinal hernia repair based on best practice guidelines and current clinical routines. The optimal management of chronic pain following inguinal hernia surgery should begin with a thorough clinical examination to rule out other causes of chronic pain and to rule out a recurrence. A scaled approach to treatment is recommended. Initially, watchful waiting can be tried if it can be tolerated by the patient and then systemic painkillers, escalating to blocks, and surgery as the final option. Surgery should include mesh removal and triple neurectomy following anterior approaches or mesh and tack removal following a posterior approach. The diagnosis and treatment strategies should be performed by or discussed with experts in the field. Keywords: inguinal hernia, chronic pain, management, surgery, pharmacology, radio frequency

  16. Characterizing individual painDETECT symptoms by average pain severity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sadosky A

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Alesia Sadosky,1 Vijaya Koduru,2 E Jay Bienen,3 Joseph C Cappelleri4 1Pfizer Inc, New York, NY, 2Eliassen Group, New London, CT, 3Outcomes Research Consultant, New York, NY, 4Pfizer Inc, Groton, CT, USA Background: painDETECT is a screening measure for neuropathic pain. The nine-item version consists of seven sensory items (burning, tingling/prickling, light touching, sudden pain attacks/electric shock-type pain, cold/heat, numbness, and slight pressure, a pain course pattern item, and a pain radiation item. The seven-item version consists only of the sensory items. Total scores of both versions discriminate average pain-severity levels (mild, moderate, and severe, but their ability to discriminate individual item severity has not been evaluated.Methods: Data were from a cross-sectional, observational study of six neuropathic pain conditions (N=624. Average pain severity was evaluated using the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form, with severity levels defined using established cut points for distinguishing mild, moderate, and severe pain. The Wilcoxon rank sum test was followed by ridit analysis to represent the probability that a randomly selected subject from one average pain-severity level had a more favorable outcome on the specific painDETECT item relative to a randomly selected subject from a comparator severity level.Results: A probability >50% for a better outcome (less severe pain was significantly observed for each pain symptom item. The lowest probability was 56.3% (on numbness for mild vs moderate pain and highest probability was 76.4% (on cold/heat for mild vs severe pain. The pain radiation item was significant (P<0.05 and consistent with pain symptoms, as well as with total scores for both painDETECT versions; only the pain course item did not differ.Conclusion: painDETECT differentiates severity such that the ability to discriminate average pain also distinguishes individual pain item severity in an interpretable manner. Pain

  17. Prevalence of pain in the head, back and feet in refugees previously exposed to torture: a ten-year follow-up study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsen, Dorthe Reff; Montgomery, Edith; Bøjholm, Søren

    2007-01-01

    AIM: To estimate change over 10 years concerning the prevalence of pain in the head, back and feet, among previously tortured refugees settled in Denmark, and to compare associations between methods of torture and prevalent pain at baseline and at 10-year follow-up. METHODS: 139 refugees previous...... associated with the type and bodily focus of the torture. This presents a considerable challenge to future evidence-based development of effective treatment programs....

  18. Quadriceps strength and anterior knee pain following tibia ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The tension generated on extension of the knee against a resistance using tensiometer was measured in Newton. The ranges of motion of the knees were documented, as well as Lysholm score which measures activities and document the presence and limitation caused by anterior knee pain. Results: A total of 36 patients ...

  19. Is there an association between fear avoidance beliefs, and pain and disability in patients with orofacial pain?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edmond, S L; Enriquez, C S; Millner, M H; Nasri-Heir, C; Heir, G M

    2017-06-01

    Numerous psychosocial factors have been shown to contribute to the development and perpetuation of orofacial pain. One well-recognized model for explaining the link between psychosocial factors and chronic pain is the fear avoidance model. To date, this proposed link has not been studied in subjects with orofacial pain. During the initial evaluation of subjects with orofacial pain, we collected data on fear avoidance beliefs using the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire, and disability and pain. At between 6 and 8 weeks follow-up, we re-collected these data, as well as data addressing subjects' perceived change in their condition. Data were analyzed using correlation coefficients and linear regression. Fear avoidance beliefs at intake were inversely correlated with intake disability, There were no significant associations between fear avoidance beliefs at initial evaluation or in changes in fear avoidance beliefs during the 6-8 weeks follow-up period; and changes in disability, pain or perceived change in condition at 6-8 weeks follow-up. Of note, fear avoidance beliefs increased over the follow-up period, despite improvements in all outcome measures. There was insufficient evidence to suggest that high levels of fear avoidance beliefs at initial evaluation are associated with higher levels of disability or pain at intake, or with change in disability, pain or perceived change in condition at 6-8 weeks follow-up. Similarly, there was insufficient evidence to suggest that changes in fear avoidance beliefs during treatment are associated with any of these outcome measures. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  20. Pain and Opioid use Outcomes Following Minimally Invasive Sacroiliac Joint Fusion with Decortication and Bone Grafting: The Evolusion Clinical Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Araghi, Ali; Woodruff, Robert; Colle, Kyle; Boone, Christopher; Ingham, Lisa; Tomeh, Antoine; Fielding, Louis C

    2017-01-01

    This report documents six-month results of the first 50 patients treated in a prospective, multi-center study of a minimally invasive (MI) sacroiliac (SI) joint fusion system. This cohort includes 50 patients who had MI SI joint fusion surgery and completed 6 month follow-up. Average age at baseline was 61.5, 58% were female, and SI joint-related pain duration was ≥2yrs in 54.0% of patients. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) SI joint pain, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), quality of life and opioid use were assessed preoperatively and at 6 months. At 6 months, mean VAS pain demonstrated a significant reduction from 76.2 at baseline to 35.1 (54% reduction, p<0.0001), with 72% of patients attaining the minimal clinically important difference (MCID, ≥20 point improvement). Mean ODI improved from 55.5 to 35.3 at 6 months (p < 0.001), with 56% of patients achieving the MCID (≥15 point improvement). Prior to surgery 33/50 (66%) of patients were taking opioids, but by 6 months the number of patients taking opioids had decreased by 55% to 15/50 (30%). Few procedural complications were reported. Two procedure-related events required hospitalization: a revision procedure (2%) for nerve impingement and one case of ongoing low back pain. Analysis of patients treated with MI SI joint fusion using the SImmetry System demonstrated that the procedure can be performed safely and results in significant improvements in pain, disability, and opioid use at 6 months. Longer term follow-up in this study will determine whether these improvements are durable, as well as the associated radiographic fusion rates.

  1. Pain patterns during adolescence can be grouped into four pain classes with distinct profiles

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holden, Sinead; Rathleff, Michael Skovdal; Roos, E. M.

    2018-01-01

    L (assessed by Euro-QoL 5D-3L). Latent class analysis was used to classify spatial pain patterns, based on the pain sites. The analysis included 2953 adolescents. RESULTS: Four classes were identified as follows: (1) little or no pain (63% of adolescents), (2) majority lower extremity pain (10%), (3) multi......-site bodily pain (22%) and (4) head and stomach pain (3%). The lower extremity multi-site pain group reported highest weekly sports participation (p ....001). Males were more likely to belong to the little or no pain class, whereas females were more likely to belong to the multi-site bodily pain class. CONCLUSIONS: Latent class analysis identified distinct classes of pain patterns in adolescents, characterized by sex, differences in HRQoL and sports...

  2. Sudden amnesia resulting in pain relief: the relationship between memory and pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Daniel S; Choi, Deborah Y; Whittington, Robert A; Nedeljković, Srdjan S

    2007-11-01

    Nociceptive pain and its emotional component can result in the development of a "chronic pain memory". This report describes two patients who had long histories of chronic pain and opioid dependence. Both patients experienced sudden memory loss that was followed by significant pain reduction and an eradication of their need for opioid management. Neural centers involved in sensory pain, its affective component, opioid dependence, and memory overlap in the brain and share common pathways. The anterior cingulate cortex, the insular cortex, and the amygdala are examples of regions implicated in both pain and memory. One of the patients in the report experienced multiple seizure episodes, which may have contributed to memory loss and pain relief. The role of electroconvulsive therapy as it relates to amnesia and pain is reviewed. Questions are raised regarding whether therapies that address the memory component of pain may have a role in the treatment of long-term chronic pain patients.

  3. Neonatal pain management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tarun Bhalla

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The past 2-3 decades have seen dramatic changes in the approach to pain management in the neonate. These practices started with refuting previously held misconceptions regarding nociception in preterm infants. Although neonates were initially thought to have limited response to painful stimuli, it was demonstrated that the developmental immaturity of the central nervous system makes the neonate more likely to feel pain. It was further demonstrated that untreated pain can have long-lasting physiologic and neurodevelopmental consequences. These concerns have resulted in a significant emphasis on improving and optimizing the techniques of analgesia for neonates and infants. The following article will review techniques for pain assessment, prevention, and treatment in this population with a specific focus on acute pain related to medical and surgical conditions.

  4. Insufficient pain management after spine surgery

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Rikke Vibeke; Fomsgaard, Jonna Storm; Dahl, Jørgen Berg

    2014-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: A prospective observational quality assurance study was performed at Glostrup Hospital, Denmark, to describe patients undergoing spine surgery with regard to perioperative analgesic management, post-operative pain, opioid consumption and side effects. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients...... experienced acceptable pain levels, but instrumented lumbar fusion leads to moderate to severe pain levels and a relatively high opioid consumption. The scheduled standard pain management protocols were sparsely followed. Challenges exist in post-operative pain management as observed in previous surveys...... eligible for the study were identified consecutively from the operation chart. The following data were registered: post-operative visual analogue (VAS) pain score at rest and during mobilisation, opioid consumption for the first 24 h, other analgesics administered and side effects. RESULTS: A total of 87...

  5. Follow-up of pain processing recovery after ketamine in hyperalgesic fibromyalgia patients using brain perfusion ECD-SPECT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guedj, Eric; Cammilleri, Serge; Colavolpe, Cecile; Laforte, Catherine de; Mundler, Olivier [Assistance Publique des Hopitaux de Marseille, Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire de la Timone, Service Central de Biophysique et de Medecine Nucleaire, Marseille, Cedex 5 (France); Niboyet, Jean [Clinique La Phoceanne, Unite d' Etude et de Traitement de la Douleur, Marseille (France)

    2007-12-15

    The aim of this study was to determine whether the follow-up of pain processing recovery in hyperalgesic fibromyalgia (FM) could be objectively evaluated with brain perfusion ethyl cysteinate dimer single photon computerized tomography (ECD-SPECT) after administration of ketamine. We enrolled 17 hyperalgesic FM women patients (48.5 {+-} 11 years, range 25-63). After treatment with subcutaneous ketamine, 11 patients were considered as 'good responders', with a decrease in pain intensity, evaluated by visual analog scale (VAS), greater than 50%. On the other hand, six patients were considered as 'poor responders'. A voxel-based analysis of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was conducted (p{sub voxel} < 0.001uc), in the two subgroups of patients, before and after treatment, in comparison to a group of ten healthy subjects, matched for age and gender. In comparison to baseline brain SPECT, midbrain rCBF showed a greater increase after ketamine in the responder group than in the nonresponder group (p{sub cluster} = 0.016c). In agreement with the clinical response, the change in midbrain rCBF after ketamine was highly correlated with the reduction of VAS pain score (r = 0.7182; p = 0.0041). This prospective study suggests that blockade of facilitatory descending modulation of pain with ketamine can be evaluated in the periaqueductal grey with brain perfusion SPECT. (orig.)

  6. Negative beliefs about low back pain are associated with persistent high intensity low back pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ng, Sin Ki; Cicuttini, Flavia M; Wang, Yuanyuan; Wluka, Anita E; Fitzgibbon, Bernadette; Urquhart, Donna M

    2017-08-01

    While previous cross-sectional studies have found that negative beliefs about low back pain are associated with pain intensity, the relationship between back beliefs and persistent low back pain is not well understood. This cohort study aimed to examine the role of back beliefs in persistent low back pain in community-based individuals. A hundred and ninety-two participants from a previous musculoskeletal health study were invited to take part in a two-year follow-up study. Beliefs about back pain were assessed by the Back Beliefs Questionnaire (BBQ) at baseline and low back pain intensity was measured by the Chronic Pain Grade Questionnaire at baseline and follow-up. Of the 150 respondents (78.1%), 16 (10.7%) reported persistent high intensity low back pain, 12 (8.0%) developed high intensity low back pain, in 16 (10.7%) their high intensity low back pain resolved and 106 (70.7%) experienced no high intensity low back pain. While participants were generally positive about low back pain (BBQ mean (SD) = 30.2 (6.4)), those with persistent high intensity pain reported greater negativity (BBQ mean (SD) = 22.6 (4.9)). Negative beliefs about back pain were associated with persistent high intensity low back pain after adjusting for confounders (M (SE) = 23.5 (1.6) vs. >30.1 (1.7), p back beliefs were associated with persistent high intensity low back pain over 2 years in community-based individuals. While further longitudinal studies are required, these findings suggest that targeting beliefs in programs designed to treat and prevent persistent high intensity low back pain may be important.

  7. Costs and health resources utilization following switching to pregabalin in individuals with gabapentin-refractory neuropathic pain: a post hoc analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Navarro, Ana; Saldaña, María T; Pérez, Concepción; Masramón, Xavier; Rejas, Javier

    2012-06-01

    To analyze the changes in pain severity and associated costs resulting from resource utilization and reduced productivity in patients with gabapentin-refractory peripheral neuropathic pain who switched to pregabalin therapy in primary care settings in Spain. This is a post hoc analysis of a 12-week, multicentre, noninterventional cost-of-illness study. Patients were included in the study if they were over 18 years of age and had a diagnosis of chronic, treatment-refractory peripheral neuropathic pain. The analysis included all pregabalin-naïve patients who had previously shown an inadequate response to gabapentin and switched to pregabalin. Severity of pain before and after treatment with pregabalin, alone or as an add-on therapy, was assessed using the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) and its related visual analogue scale (VA). Healthcare resource utilization, productivity (including lost-workday equivalents [LWDE]), and related costs were assessed at baseline and after pregabalin treatment. A total of 174 patients switched to pregabalin had significant and clinically relevant reductions in pain severity (mean [SD] change on SF-MPQ VA scale, -31.9 [22.1]; P use [in pregabalin add-on group], ancillary tests, and unscheduled medical visits) were observed at the end of trial. Additionally, there were substantial improvements in productivity, including a reduction in the number of LWDE following pregabalin treatment (-18.9 [26.0]; P < 0.0001). These changes correlated with substantial reductions in both direct (-652.9 ± 1622.4 €; P < 0.0001) and indirect healthcare costs (-851.6 [1259.6] €; P < 0.0001). The cost of care in patients with gabapentin-refractory peripheral neuropathic pain appeared to be significantly reduced after switching to pregabalin treatment, alone or in combination with other analgesic drugs, in a real-life setting. © 2011 The Authors. Pain Practice © 2011 World Institute of Pain.

  8. Use of thoracic spine thrust manipulation for neck pain and headache in a patient following multiple-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salvatori, Renata; Rowe, Robert H; Osborne, Raine; Beneciuk, Jason M

    2014-06-01

    Case report. Thoracic spine thrust manipulation has been shown to be an effective intervention for individuals experiencing mechanical neck pain. The patient was a 46-year-old woman referred to outpatient physical therapy 2 months following multiple-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. At initial evaluation, primary symptoms consisted of frequent headaches, neck pain, intermittent referred right elbow pain, and muscle fatigue localized to the right cervical and upper thoracic spine regions. Initial examination findings included decreased passive joint mobility of the thoracic spine, limited cervical range of motion, and limited right shoulder strength. Outcome measures consisted of the numeric pain rating scale, the Neck Disability Index, and the global rating of change scale. Treatment consisted of a combination of manual therapy techniques aimed at the thoracic spine, therapeutic exercises for the upper quarter, and patient education, including a home exercise program, over a 6-week episode of care. Immediate reductions in cervical-region pain (mean ± SD, 2.0 ± 1.1) and headache (2.0 ± 1.3) intensity were reported every treatment session immediately following thoracic spine thrust manipulation. At discharge, the patient reported 0/10 cervical pain and headache symptoms during all work-related activities. From initial assessment to discharge, Neck Disability Index scores improved from 46% to 16%, with an associated global rating of change scale score of +7 ("a very great deal better"). This case report describes the immediate and short-term clinical outcomes for a patient presenting with symptoms of neck pain and headache following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion surgical intervention. Clinical rationale and patient preference aided the decision to incorporate thoracic spine thrust manipulation as a treatment for this patient. Level of Evidence Therapy, level 4.

  9. Sex differences in the stability of conditioned pain modulation (CPM) among patients with chronic pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martel, Marc O; Wasan, Ajay D; Edwards, Robert R

    2013-11-01

    To examine the temporal stability of conditioned pain modulation (CPM), formerly termed diffuse noxious inhibitory controls, among a sample of patients with chronic pain. The study also examined the factors that might be responsible for the stability of CPM. In this test-retest study, patients underwent a series of standardized psychophysical pain-testing procedures designed to assess CPM on two separate occasions (i.e., baseline and follow up). Patients also completed self-report measures of catastrophizing (Pain Catastrophizing Scale [PCS] and negative affect [NA]). Overall, results provided evidence for the stability of CPM among patients with chronic pain. Results, however, revealed considerable sex differences in the stability of CPM. For women, results revealed a significant test-retest correlation between baseline and follow-up CPM scores. For men, however, the test-retest correlation between baseline and follow-up CPM scores was not significant. Results of a Fisher's Z-test revealed that the stability of CPM was significantly greater for women than for men. Follow-up analyses revealed that the difference between men and women in the stability of CPM could not be accounted for by any demographic (e.g., age) and/or psychological factors (PCS and NA). Our findings suggest that CPM paradigms possess sufficient reliability to be incorporated into bedside clinical evaluation of patients with chronic pain, but only among women. The lack of CPM reproducibility/stability observed among men places limits on the potential use of CPM paradigms in clinical settings for the assessment of men's endogenous pain-inhibitory function. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. Cancer Pain Management Education Rectifies Patients' Misconceptions of Cancer Pain, Reduces Pain, and Improves Quality of Life.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koh, Su-Jin; Keam, Bhumsuk; Hyun, Min Kyung; Ju Seo, Jeong; Uk Park, Keon; Oh, Sung Yong; Ahn, Jinseok; Lee, Ja Youn; Kim, JinShil

    2018-03-26

    More than half of the patients have reported improper management of breakthrough cancer pain. Empirical evidence is lacking concerning the effectiveness of cancer pain education on breakthrough pain control. This study aimed to examine the effects of individual pain education on pain control, use of short-acting analgesics for breakthrough pain, quality of life outcomes, and rectification of patients' misconceptions regarding cancer pain. A quasi-experimental design was used. In total, 176 (102 inpatients and 74 outpatients) and 163 (93 inpatients and 70 outpatients) cancer patients completed questionnaires on pain intensity, quality of life, use of short-acting medication for breakthrough pain, and misconceptions about cancer pain and opioid use before and immediately and/or seven days after individual pain education. The mean age of the participants was 60.9 years (±11.2), and 56.3% were male. The most common cancers were lung cancer (17.0%), colon cancer (15.9%), and breast cancer (12.5%). The subjects' reasons for attrition were conditional deterioration, death, or voluntary withdrawal (N = 13, 7.4%). Following the education, there was a significant reduction in overall pain intensity over 24 hours (P < 0.001). The outpatients showed more use of short-acting analgesics for breakthrough pain. Sleep quality change was most significantly associated with intervention; other quality of life aspects (e.g., general feelings and life enjoyment) also improved. Pain education also significantly reduced misconceptions regarding cancer pain management. The present educational intervention was effective in encouraging short-acting analgesic use for breakthrough pain, improving quality of life outcomes, and rectifying patients' misconceptions about analgesic use.

  11. Prevalence of postoperative pain in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and the association with preoperative pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bastrom, Tracey P; Marks, Michelle C; Yaszay, Burt; Newton, Peter O

    2013-10-01

    Review of a prospective database registry of surgical patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of postoperative pain and its impact on patient-reported postoperative outcomes using the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS)-22 outcomes questionnaire. Although reportedly rare, postoperative pain can be a devastating situation for the patient with AIS. Most recent studies examining outcomes in AIS surgical treatment use the SRS Pain domain score to assess pain in this population. A prospectively enrolled multicenter database was queried. Patients with minimum 2-year follow-up and 2-year SRS scores were included. Postoperative pain after the acute phase of recovery when reported by the patient to the treating surgeon/clinical team in follow-up is recorded as a complication in the database. Patients included in this series were grouped as either reporting pain or not to the surgeon/clinical team postoperatively. Pre- and postoperative SRS scores were then compared between these 2 groups using analysis of variance (P imaging). These 41 patients had significantly decreased 2-year SRS scores in the domains of Pain, Self-image, Mental health, and Total score (P 0.05). Unexplained pain after the 6-month postoperative period occurred in 7% of the cohort. The results indicate that patients reporting pain to their surgeons/clinical team postoperatively have lower pain scores on a subjective outcome instrument thus further validating the SRS-22 outcome tool. This reported pain seems to be associated with decreases in other SRS-22 domains. Interestingly, these patients also have lower preoperative pain scores than those without postoperative pain. Study into causes of pain in AIS and whether preoperative education and expectations targeted at this population would positively impact outcomes is warranted, especially because on average patients after AIS surgery have less pain. 3.

  12. Extended Release Liposomal Bupivacaine Injection (Exparel) for Early Postoperative Pain Control Following Palatoplasty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Day, Kristopher M; Nair, Narayanan M; Sargent, Larry A

    2018-05-14

    Liposomal bupivacaine (LB) is a long-acting local anesthetic reported to decrease postoperative pain in adults. The authors demonstrate the safe use of LB in pediatric patients with improved pain control following palatoplasty. Retrospective patient series of all single-surgeon palatoplasty patients treated at a tertiary craniofacial center from August 2014 to December 2015 were included. All patients received 1.3% LB intraoperatively as greater palatal nerve and surgical field blocks in 2-flap V-Y pushback palatoplasty. Postoperative oral intake, opioids administered, duration of hospitalization, and FLACC (face, legs, activity, cry, consolability) pain scores were measured. Twenty-seven patients (16 males and 11 females, average age of 10.8 months, weight 8.8 kg) received 2.9 ± 0.9 mL (2.6 ± 1.9 mg/kg) 1.3% LB. Average FLACC scores were 2.4 ± 2.2/10 in the postanesthesia care unit and 3.8 ± 1.8/10 while inpatients. Oral intake was first tolerated 10.3 ± 11.5 hours postoperatively and tolerated 496.4 ± 354.2 mL orally in the first 24 hours postoperatively. Patients received 8.5 ± 8.4 mg hydrocodone equivalents (0.46 ± 0.45 mg/kg per d hydrocodone equivalents) and were discharged 2.1 ± 1.3 days postoperatively. Opioid-related adverse events included emesis in 7.4% and pruritis in 3.7% of patients. The LB may be used safely in pediatric patients. Intraoperative injection of LB during palatoplasty can yield low postoperative opioid use and an early and adequate volume of oral intake over an average hospital stay. Further cost-efficacy studies of LB are needed to assess its value in pediatric plastic surgery.

  13. Comparison between Infusion Pumps: Fentanyl/Ketamine and Fentanyl/Paracetamol in Pain control Following Tight and Leg Surgeries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Behnam Mahmoodiyeh

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Background: Adjuvants such as ketamine, promethazine and paracetamol could bring up patients satisfaction and control harmful effects of opioids besides lessening their needed doses, as seen by fentanyl/paracetamol and fentanyl/ketamine combination before. The current study headed to compare paracetamol and ketamine in addition to fentanyl applied by infusion pumps in order to pain relief following major surgery.Methods: Through a double blinded randomized clinical trial, patients between18 and 65 with elective surgery for tight or leg fractures with ASA Class 1 and 2 referring to a university hospital in Arak, a town in central region of Iran, were recruited and used infusion pump for their postoperative pain control. The participants were divided into cases and controls regarding using ketamine/fentanyl (KF or paracetamol/fentanyl (PF infusion pumps.Results: The mean pain score was totally 3.87 with higher value in KF (5.06 and lower in PF (4.5 immediately after finishing surgery and getting conscious when started using infusion pump. There was no statistical difference between the groups in this regard. Concerning the side effects of the applied medications, blood pressure and heart rate had no differences comparing the groups.Conclusion: This study showed that paracetamol used in infusion pump can be brilliant in pain control after major surgeries like what done in lower extremities and joint replacement while lessens opioid use. Although paracetamol was more effective than ketamine in the current trial, more qualified studies at bigger size and in other fields of surgery beside orthopedic ones would be useful to support the effects if applicable.Keywords: Infusion pump, Ketamine, Paracetamol, Fentanyl, Postoperative pain

  14. Effect of pain chronification and chronic pain on an endogenous pain modulation circuit in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miranda, J; Lamana, S M S; Dias, E V; Athie, M; Parada, C A; Tambeli, C H

    2015-02-12

    We tested the hypothesis that chronic pain development (pain chronification) and ongoing chronic pain (chronic pain) reduce the activity and induce plastic changes in an endogenous analgesia circuit, the ascending nociceptive control. An important mechanism mediating this form of endogenous analgesia, referred to as capsaicin-induced analgesia, is its dependence on nucleus accumbens μ-opioid receptor mechanisms. Therefore, we also investigated whether pain chronification and chronic pain alter the requirement for nucleus accumbens μ-opioid receptor mechanisms in capsaicin-induced analgesia. We used an animal model of pain chronification in which daily subcutaneous prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) injections into the rat's hind paw for 14 days, referred to as the induction period of persistent hyperalgesia, induce a long-lasting state of nociceptor sensitization referred to as the maintenance period of persistent hyperalgesia, that lasts for at least 30 days following the cessation of the PGE2 treatment. The nociceptor hypersensitivity was measured by the shortening of the time interval for the animal to respond to a mechanical stimulation of the hind paw. We found a significant reduction in the duration of capsaicin-induced analgesia during the induction and maintenance period of persistent mechanical hyperalgesia. Intra-accumbens injection of the μ-opioid receptor selective antagonist Cys(2),Tyr(3),Orn(5),Pen(7)amide (CTOP) 10 min before the subcutaneous injection of capsaicin into the rat's fore paw blocked capsaicin-induced analgesia. Taken together, these findings indicate that pain chronification and chronic pain reduce the duration of capsaicin-induced analgesia, without affecting its dependence on nucleus accumbens μ-opioid receptor mechanisms. The attenuation of endogenous analgesia during pain chronification and chronic pain suggests that endogenous pain circuits play an important role in the development and maintenance of chronic pain. Copyright © 2014 IBRO

  15. Effects of a cognitive-behavioral pain-management program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johansson, C; Dahl, J; Jannert, M; Melin, L; Andersson, G

    1998-10-01

    A cognitive behavioral multidisciplinary pain management program was evaluated in two separate outcome studies; one controlled study (study I) and one study conducted on a consecutive sample with a long-term follow-up (study II). The 4-week inpatient treatment program included education sessions, goal setting, graded activity training, pacing, applied relaxation, cognitive techniques, social skills training, drug reduction methods, contingency management of pain behaviors, and planning of work return. The outcome of study I showed significant between-group differences in favor of the treatment group on measures of occupational training at 1-month follow-up, activity level in the sparetime at post-treatment and at follow-up, and decreased catastrophizing and pain behaviors at post-treatment. In study II significant improvements over time were found on measures of sick leave, pain intensity, pain interference, life control, affective distress, activity level in the sparetime, physical fitness and use of analgetics at 2-month follow-up and at 1-year follow-up. The results of the two outcome studies reported show that cognitive behavioral multidisciplinary pain management programs can successfully be applied to Swedish musculoskeletal pain patients.

  16. Complex regional pain syndrome type I following pacemaker implantation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sangita Kamath

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available A 70-year-old woman presented with burning pain and swelling over dorsum of right hand and small joints of the fingers, associated with redness, feeling of warmth, and stiffness of the fingers, with inability to bend the fingers since 2 months. The symptoms were progressively increasing in intensity for the past 1 month. There was no history of fever or trauma to the hand. Two months before her symptoms started, she had permanent pacemaker implanted for complete heart block with syncope. She was hypertensive and was on regular medication. Her X-ray of right hand showed decreased bone density (demineralisation, suggestive of osteopenia. A diagnosis of reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome or complex regional pain syndrome type I induced by pacemaker insertion was made. She was treated with amitriptyline and steroids, after which her symptoms improved dramatically.

  17. Manipulation Therapy Relieved Pain More Rapidly Than Acupuncture among Lateral Epicondylalgia (Tennis Elbow Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial with 8-Week Follow-Up

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chung-Yuan Hsu

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Radial bone adjustment manipulation treatment may be effective to reduce pain rapidly in lateral epicondylalgia patients and the pathological tension in the biceps brachii muscle is highly concerned. To prove this hypothesis, we conducted a randomized controlled trial and included 35 patients with lateral epicondylalgia for more than 2 months. Either manipulation treatment (n=16 or acupuncture (n=19 was given to these patients for 2 weeks and all patients’ symptoms were followed up for 8 weeks after treatment. Both groups demonstrated changes in pain VAS score, grip strength, and DASH questionnaire. Lateral epicondylalgia patients who received manipulation treatment felt pain relief sooner than those who had acupuncture treatments during the first few treatments. However, both acupuncture and manipulation are effective, while the difference has no significance at the 8-week follow-up. The trial was registered with Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN81308551 on 5 February 2016.

  18. Physical therapy intervention in patients with non-cardiac chest pain following a recent cardiac event: A randomized controlled trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Astrid T Berg

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: To assess the effect of two different physical therapy interventions in patients with stable coronary heart disease and non-cardiac chest pain. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was carried out at a university hospital in Norway. A total of 30 patients with known and stable coronary heart disease and self-reported persistent chest pain reproduced by palpation of intercostal trigger points were participating in the study. The intervention was deep friction massage and heat pack versus heat pack only. The primary outcome was pain intensity after the intervention period and 3 months after the last treatment session, measured by Visual Analogue Scale, 0 to 100. Secondary outcome was health-related quality of life. Results: Treatment with deep friction massage and heat pack gave significant pain reduction compared to heat pack only (–17.6, 95% confidence interval: –30.5, –4.7; p < 0.01, and the reduction was persistent at 3 months’ follow-up (–15.2, 95% confidence interval: –28.5, –1.8; p = 0.03. Health-related quality of life improved in all three domains in patients with no significant difference between groups. Conclusion: Deep friction massage combined with heat pack is an efficient treatment of musculoskeletal chest pain in patients with stable coronary heart disease.

  19. Tolerability of the capsaicin 8% patch following pretreatment with lidocaine or tramadol in patients with peripheral neuropathic pain: a multicentre, randomized, assessor-blinded study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jensen, T S; Høye, K; Fricová, J; Vanelderen, P; Ernault, E; Siciliano, T; Marques, S

    2014-10-01

    Application of the capsaicin 8% patch is associated with treatment-related discomfort. Consequently, pretreatment for 60 min with anaesthetic cream is recommended; however, this may be uncomfortable and time consuming. We conducted a multicentre, randomized (1:1), assessor-blinded study in patients with peripheral neuropathic pain to assess tolerability of the capsaicin patch following topical lidocaine (4%) or oral tramadol (50 mg) pretreatment. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients tolerating capsaicin patch application (ability to receive ≥90% of a 60-min application). Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) scores were assessed before, during and after treatment. Overall, 122 patients were included (61 per arm). The capsaicin patch was tolerated by 121 patients. Tolerability of the capsaicin patch was similar following pretreatment with lidocaine and tramadol. Following patch application, pain levels increased up to 55 min (change from baseline of 1.3 for lidocaine and 1.4 for tramadol). After patch removal, tramadol-treated patients experienced greater pain relief up to the end of day 1; in the evening, mean changes in NPRS scores from baseline were 0 for lidocaine and -1 for tramadol. Proportions of patients reporting increases of ≥2 NPRS points or >33% from baseline at one or more time point(s) on the day of treatment were similar between arms. Adverse event incidence was comparable between arms. Capsaicin 8% patch tolerability was similar in the two arms, with comparable results for most secondary endpoints. Tramadol given 30 min before patch application should be considered as an alternative pretreatment option in patients receiving capsaicin patch treatment. © 2014 The Authors. European Journal of Pain published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Pain Federation - EFIC®.

  20. Magnetic resonance imaging of abnormal shoulder pain following influenza vaccination

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    Okur, Gokcan [Etimesgut Military Hospital, Department of Radiology, Ankara (Turkey); Chaney, Kimberly A. [Presence St. Joseph Hospital, Department of Radiology, Elgin, IL (United States); Lomasney, Laurie M. [Loyola University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Maywood, IL (United States)

    2014-09-15

    The influenza vaccine is increasingly available to the general public and mandated by many employers in the United States. The prevalence of post-vaccination complications is likely on the rise. Complications are well known to general clinicians, but are under-reported in the imaging literature. We present four cases of post-vaccination shoulder pain with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. An intrasubstance fluid-like signal in deep muscular and/or tendinous structures was the most common finding on MRI of these four cases. Focal bone marrow signal within the humeral head and inflammatory changes in the subacromial/subdeltoid bursa were also observed. The most likely reason for a humeral intraosseous edema-like signal was presumed injection of vaccine substance directly into osseous structures that might lead to focal osteitis. In the published literature, there is little emphasis on the imaging of local injection site complications accompanying influenza vaccination. We intended to increase familiarity of MRI findings in the setting of prolonged or severe clinical symptoms following influenza vaccination through the imaging findings of these four cases. (orig.)

  1. Magnetic resonance imaging of abnormal shoulder pain following influenza vaccination

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okur, Gokcan; Chaney, Kimberly A.; Lomasney, Laurie M.

    2014-01-01

    The influenza vaccine is increasingly available to the general public and mandated by many employers in the United States. The prevalence of post-vaccination complications is likely on the rise. Complications are well known to general clinicians, but are under-reported in the imaging literature. We present four cases of post-vaccination shoulder pain with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings. An intrasubstance fluid-like signal in deep muscular and/or tendinous structures was the most common finding on MRI of these four cases. Focal bone marrow signal within the humeral head and inflammatory changes in the subacromial/subdeltoid bursa were also observed. The most likely reason for a humeral intraosseous edema-like signal was presumed injection of vaccine substance directly into osseous structures that might lead to focal osteitis. In the published literature, there is little emphasis on the imaging of local injection site complications accompanying influenza vaccination. We intended to increase familiarity of MRI findings in the setting of prolonged or severe clinical symptoms following influenza vaccination through the imaging findings of these four cases. (orig.)

  2. Effectiveness of graded activity versus physiotherapy in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain: midterm follow up results of a randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magalhães, Maurício Oliveira; Comachio, Josielli; Ferreira, Paulo Henrique; Pappas, Evangelos; Marques, Amélia Pasqual

    Low back pain (LBP) is a major health and economic problem worldwide. Graded activity and physiotherapy are commonly used interventions for nonspecific low back pain. However, there is currently little evidence to support the use of one intervention over the other in the medium-term. To compare the effectiveness of graded activity exercises to physiotherapy-based exercises at mid-term (three and six months' post intervention) in patients with chronic nonspecific LBP. Sixty-six patients were randomly allocated to two groups: graded activity group (n=33) and physiotherapy group (n=33). These patients received individual sessions twice a week for six weeks. Follow-up measurements were taken at three and six months. The main outcome measurements were intensity pain (Pain Numerical Rating Scale) and disability (Rolland Morris Disability Questionnaire). No significant differences between groups after three and six month-follow ups were observed. Both groups showed similar outcomes for pain intensity at three months [between group differences: -0.1 (95% confidence interval [CI]=-1.5 to 1.2)] and six months [0.1 (95% CI=-1.1 to 1.5)], disability at three months was [-0.6 (95% CI=-3.4 to 2.2)] and six months [0.0 (95% CI=-2.9 to 3.0)]. The results of this study suggest that graded activity and physiotherapy have similar effects in the medium-term for patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain. Copyright © 2017 Associação Brasileira de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação em Fisioterapia. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  3. Suprathreshold Heat Pain Response Predicts Activity-Related Pain, but Not Rest-Related Pain, in an Exercise-Induced Injury Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coronado, Rogelio A.; Simon, Corey B.; Valencia, Carolina; Parr, Jeffrey J.; Borsa, Paul A.; George, Steven Z.

    2014-01-01

    Exercise-induced injury models are advantageous for studying pain since the onset of pain is controlled and both pre-injury and post-injury factors can be utilized as explanatory variables or predictors. In these studies, rest-related pain is often considered the primary dependent variable or outcome, as opposed to a measure of activity-related pain. Additionally, few studies include pain sensitivity measures as predictors. In this study, we examined the influence of pre-injury and post-injury factors, including pain sensitivity, for induced rest and activity-related pain following exercise induced muscle injury. The overall goal of this investigation was to determine if there were convergent or divergent predictors of rest and activity-related pain. One hundred forty-three participants provided demographic, psychological, and pain sensitivity information and underwent a standard fatigue trial of resistance exercise to induce injury of the dominant shoulder. Pain at rest and during active and resisted shoulder motion were measured at 48- and 96-hours post-injury. Separate hierarchical models were generated for assessing the influence of pre-injury and post-injury factors on 48- and 96-hour rest-related and activity-related pain. Overall, we did not find a universal predictor of pain across all models. However, pre-injury and post-injury suprathreshold heat pain response (SHPR), a pain sensitivity measure, was a consistent predictor of activity-related pain, even after controlling for known psychological factors. These results suggest there is differential prediction of pain. A measure of pain sensitivity such as SHPR appears more influential for activity-related pain, but not rest-related pain, and may reflect different underlying processes involved during pain appraisal. PMID:25265560

  4. Expectation requires treatment to boost pain relief: an fMRI study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schenk, Lieven A; Sprenger, Christian; Geuter, Stephan; Büchel, Christian

    2014-01-01

    We investigated the effect of a possible interaction between topical analgesic treatment and treatment expectation on pain at the behavioral and neuronal level by combining topical lidocaine/prilocaine treatment with an expectancy manipulation in a 2 by 2 within-subject design (open treatment, hidden treatment, placebo, control). Thirty-two healthy subjects received heat pain stimuli on capsaicin-pretreated skin and rated their experienced pain during functional magnetic resonance imaging. This allowed us to separate drug- and expectancy-related effects at the behavioral and neuronal levels and to test whether they interact during the processing of painful stimuli. Pain ratings were reduced during active treatment and were associated with reduced activity in the anterior insular cortex. Pain ratings were lower in open treatment compared with hidden treatment and were related to reduced activity in the anterior insular cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex, the secondary somatosensory cortex, and the thalamus. Testing for an interaction revealed that the expectation effect was significantly larger in the active treatment conditions compared with the no-treatment conditions and was associated with signal changes in the anterior insular cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex, and the ventral striatum. In conclusion, this study shows that even in the case of a topical analgesic, expectation interacts with treatment at the level of pain ratings and neuronal responses in placebo-related brain regions. Our results are highly relevant in the clinical context as they show (i) that expectation can boost treatment and (ii) that expectation and treatment are not necessarily additive as assumed in placebo-controlled clinical trials. Copyright © 2013 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. 'Pseudofailure' of spinal cord stimulation for neuropathic pain following a new severe noxious stimulus: learning points from a case series of failed spinal cord stimulation for complex regional pain syndrome and failed back surgery syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muquit, Samiul; Moussa, Ahmad Abdelhai; Basu, Surajit

    2016-05-01

    Failure of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) may be due to hardware problems, migration of electrodes and, in the long-term, plasticity in the spinal cord with habituation to the stimulation current. We describe a series of seven patients who experienced acute therapeutic loss of SCS effects following an acute nociceptive event unrelated to primary pathology. There were no hardware problems. We called this 'Pseudofailure', as the effective stimulation returned in all patients following a period off stimulation or reprogramming. This phenomenon has not been reported previously in the literature. Over a 4-year period, we managed seven patients with this feature: four had received SCS for complex regional pain syndrome and three for failed back surgery syndrome. In all seven cases, there was cessation of the pain relief afforded by SCS following an acute painful event: four patients had trauma, two patients had domestic electric shock and one patient suffered shingles (varicella zoster infection). We excluded hardware-related problems in all cases. In two patients, SCS effects could be regained by an initial attempt at reprogramming. In the remaining five cases reprogramming was unsuccessful, and stimulation was switched off for several months before recommencing, when we discovered a return of good therapeutic effect. We conclude that SCS may seem to fail following a separate strong nociceptive stimulus. Stimulation may be regained with reprogramming or following a period with stimulation switched off. We would, therefore, advise against removal of SCS hardware in the first instance.

  6. Shoulder Pain After Thoracic Surgery

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Blichfeldt-Eckhardt, Morten R; Andersen, Claus; Ørding, Helle

    2017-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: To study the time course of ipsilateral shoulder pain after thoracic surgery with respect to incidence, pain intensity, type of pain (referred versus musculoskeletal), and surgical approach. DESIGN: Prospective, observational cohort study. SETTING: Odense University Hospital, Denmark...... for musculoskeletal involvement (muscle tenderness on palpation and movement) with follow-up 12 months after surgery. Clinically relevant pain was defined as a numeric rating scale score>3. Of the 60 patients included, 47 (78%) experienced ipsilateral shoulder pain, but only 25 (42%) reported clinically relevant...... shoulder pain. On postoperative day 4, 19 patients (32%) still suffered shoulder pain, but only 4 patients (7%) had clinically relevant pain. Four patients (8%) still suffered shoulder pain 12 months after surgery. In 26 patients (55%), the shoulder pain was classified as referred versus 21 patients (45...

  7. How to Surgically Remove the Permanent Mesh Ring after the Onstep Procedure for Alleviation of Chronic Pain following Inguinal Hernia Repair

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stina Öberg

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available A promising open inguinal hernia operation called Onstep was developed in 2005. The technique is without sutures to the surrounding tissue, causing minimal tension. A specific mesh is used with a memory recoil ring in the border, which may cause pain superficial to the lateral part of the mesh for slender patients. The aim of this study was to illustrate an easy procedure that alleviates/removes the pain. A male patient had persistent pain six months after the Onstep operation and therefore had a ring removal operation. The procedure is presented as a video and a protocol. At the eleven-month follow-up, the patient was free of pain, without a recurrence. It is advised to wait some months after the initial hernia repair before removing the ring, since the mesh needs time to become well integrated into the surrounding tissue. The operation is safe and easy to perform, which is demonstrated in a video.

  8. Comparison of paracetamol, ibuprofen, and diclofenac potassium for pain relief following dental extractions and deep cavity preparations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giath Gazal

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of different oral analgesics for relieving pain and distress in adults following the extraction of teeth and deep cavity preparations under local anesthesia. Methods: This randomized controlled study was conducted between November 2015 and May 2016. One hundred and twenty patients were randomly allocated to 3 groups. Forty patients were in the paracetamol (1 gram group, 40 in the ibuprofen (400 mg group and 40 in the diclofenac potassium (50 mg group. Evaluation of the post extraction and deep cavity preparations pain was made by patients immediately postoperatively, 2, 4 and 6 hours postoperatively on standard 100 mm visual analogue scales (VAS. Furthermore, each patient was observed preoperatively and immediately postoperatively for signs of distress by using a 5 point face scale. Results: There were significant decreases in mean pain VAS scores for diclofenac potassium group compared to paracetamol and ibuprofen groups at 4 hours postoperatively (one-way Analysis of Variance: p=0.0001, p=0.001 and 6 hours postoperatively (p=0.04, p=0.005. Changes in distress scores from the preoperative score to the postoperative score were made using the paired sample t-test. There were significant decreases in distress scores between the preoperative and postoperative scores (p=0.0001. Conclusions: Diclofenac potassium was more effective than paracetamol or ibuprofen for reducing postoperative pain associated with tooth extraction and deep cavity preparation. Patients’ distress levels can be alleviated by using preemptive analgesics.

  9. Physical therapy for chronic scrotal content pain with associated pelvic floor pain on digital rectal exam.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farrell, M Ryan; Dugan, Sheila A; Levine, Laurence A

    2016-12-01

    Chronic scrotal content pain (CSCP) is a common condition that can be challenging to manage definitively. A cohort of patients with CSCP have referred pain from myofascial abnormalities of the pelvic floor and therefore require treatment modalities that specifically address the pelvic floor such as pelvic floor physical therapy (PFPT). Retrospective chart review of all men with a pelvic floor component of CSCP presenting to our tertiary care medical center and undergoing PFPT from 2011-2014. Patients with CSCP and pain/tightness on pelvic floor evaluation with 360° digital rectal exam (DRE) were referred to a physiotherapist for PFPT. CSCP was defined as primary unilateral or bilateral pain of the testicle, epididymis and/or spermatic cord that was constant or intermittent, lasted greater than 3 months, and significantly interfered with daily activities. Long term follow up was conducted by office visit and physical therapy chart review. Thirty patients, mean age of 42 years (range 18-75), were followed for a median of 13 months (range 3-48). Median pre-PFPT pain score was 6/10 (range 2-10). After a mean of 12 PFPT sessions (IQR 6-16), pain improved in 50.0% of patients, median decrease in pain was 4.5/10 (range 1-10). Complete resolution of pain occurred in 13.3%, 44.0% had none to minor residual pain. Following PFPT, fewer subjects required pain medication compared with prior to PFPT (44.0% versus 73.3%, p = 0.03). For men with CSCP and a positive pelvic floor exam with DRE, we recommend a trial of PFPT as an effective and non-operative treatment modality.

  10. Best Practices in Management of Postpartum Pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fahey, Jenifer O

    Pain has been documented as a major concern for women in the postpartum period. Management of postpartum pain, however, is a relatively neglected area of clinical research. As a result, evidence to support interventions to alleviate the discomforts associated with childbirth is sparse. This paucity of research on postpartum pain management is particularly surprising given that in the United States alone nearly 4 million women give birth each year. Inadequate pain relief in the hours to months following childbirth can interfere with maternal-newborn bonding and feeding and, by impeding mobility, can increase the risk of postpartum complications. In addition, pain that is not adequately managed may increase the risk of chronic pain that lasts beyond the postpartum period. In this article, the more common causes of pain following childbirth are reviewed and recommendations for pain management based on available evidence are outlined. Considerations for pain management in lactating women and for hospital discharge are discussed.

  11. How well do clinical pain assessment tools reflect pain in infants?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slater, Rebeccah; Cantarella, Anne; Franck, Linda; Meek, Judith; Fitzgerald, Maria

    2008-06-24

    Pain in infancy is poorly understood, and medical staff often have difficulty assessing whether an infant is in pain. Current pain assessment tools rely on behavioural and physiological measures, such as change in facial expression, which may not accurately reflect pain experience. Our ability to measure cortical pain responses in young infants gives us the first opportunity to evaluate pain assessment tools with respect to the sensory input and establish whether the resultant pain scores reflect cortical pain processing. Cortical haemodynamic activity was measured in infants, aged 25-43 wk postmenstrual, using near-infrared spectroscopy following a clinically required heel lance and compared to the magnitude of the premature infant pain profile (PIPP) score in the same infant to the same stimulus (n = 12, 33 test occasions). Overall, there was good correlation between the PIPP score and the level of cortical activity (regression coefficient = 0.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] limits 0.32-1.11, p = 0.001; correlation coefficient = 0.57). Of the different PIPP components, facial expression correlated best with cortical activity (regression coefficient = 1.26, 95% CI limits 0.84-1.67, p free.

  12. Chronic low back pain patients' use of, level of knowledge of and perceived benefits of complementary medicine: a cross-sectional study at an academic pain center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dubois, Julie; Scala, Emmanuelle; Faouzi, Mohamed; Decosterd, Isabelle; Burnand, Bernard; Rodondi, Pierre-Yves

    2017-04-04

    Chronic pain patients often use complementary medicine (CM) to alleviate their pain; however, little is known about the use of CM by chronic low back pain (cLBP) patients. We investigated the frequency of use of CM by cLBP patients, the perceived effects of these therapies, patients' knowledge regarding CM, and patient-physician communication regarding CM. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from November 2014 to February 2015. A questionnaire was distributed by physicians to 238 consecutive patients consulting for cLBP at the Pain Center of Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland. Poisson regression model was used to analyze patients' level of knowledge regarding various CMs, and the logistic regression model was used to assess CM use for cLBP. The questionnaire was returned by 168 cLBP patients (response rate: 70.6%). Lifetime prevalence of CM use for cLBP was 77.3%. The most commonly used therapies were osteopathy (48.8%), massage (45.2%) and acupuncture (31.6%), rated for their usefulness on a 0-10 scale as a mean ± SD of 5.4 ± 2.7, 5.9 ± 2.5 and 3.8 ± 3.2, respectively. The CM treatment best known by patients was osteopathy, followed by massage and acupuncture. If their doctors proposed CM as a treatment for cLBP, 78% of participants reported being very or somewhat likely to try CM. Respondents with CM health insurance were more likely to use CM (OR = 2.26; 95%CI: 1.07-4.78; p = 0.031) for cLBP. Respondents having experienced cLBP for more than five years were more likely to use CM to treat their cLBP than respondents having experienced cLBP for one year or less (OR = 2.84; 95%CI: 1.02-7.88; p = 0.044). More than three-quarters of cLBP patients in our sample did use CM to treat their cLBP. The results showed that the most commonly used therapies were not necessarily the highest rated in terms of perceived usefulness. These results highlight the importance of developing integrative pain centers in which patients may obtain advice

  13. Efficacy of arthroscopically placed pain catheter adjacent to the suprascapular nerve (continuous arthroscopically assisted suprascapular nerve block following arthroscopic rotator-cuff repair

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yamakado K

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Kotaro YamakadoDepartment of Orthopaedics, Fukui General Hospital, Fukui, JapanBackground: Rotator-cuff surgery is well recognized to be a painful procedure.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an arthroscopically placed perineural catheter at the scapular notch to provide a continuous block of the suprascapular nerve (continuous arthroscopically assisted suprascapular nerve block [ca-SSNB] following arthroscopic rotator-cuff repair (ARCR.Materials and methods: This level II, prospective, randomized, controlled trial without postoperative blinding included 40 patients, who had a 48-hour pain pump, with 0.2% ropivacaine infusion and a continuous rate of 3 mL/hour, placed via an arthroscopically placed catheter following ARCR with arthroscopic release of the superior transverse ligament: 21 patients had a ca-SSNB, and 19 patients had a continuous subacromial bursal block (SAB. The visual analog scale (at 6 hours and on the first, second, and third postoperative days and the total number of additional pain-reduction attempts during the 3 postoperative days were calculated.Results: The respective visual analog scale scores (mm obtained from the ca-SSNB and SAB groups were 62.4 and 67.6 (P=0.73 before surgery, 9.1 and 19.4 (P=0.12 at 6 hours after surgery, 24.4 and 44.6 (P=0.019 on the first postoperative day, 19.4 and 40.4 (P=0.0060 on the second postoperative day, and 18.5 and 27.8 (P=0.21 on the third postoperative day. Total additional pain-reduction attempts recorded for the ca-SSNB and SAB groups during the 3 postoperative days were 0.3 times and 1.2 times (P=0.0020, respectively.Conclusion: ca-SSNB was highly effective in controlling postoperative pain after ARCR.Keywords: shoulder, rotator cuff tear, postoperative pain control, continuous suprascapular nerve block, arthroscopic rotator cuff repair

  14. CHRONIC UNEXPLAINED OROFACIAL PAIN

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    Aleš Vesnaver

    2002-04-01

    Full Text Available Background. Chronic unexplained orofacial pain is frequently the cause of prolonged suffering for the patient and an unsolvable problem for the therapist. Pathophysiology of the onset of this type of pain is virtually unknown. Still, it is possible to divide chronic orofacial pain into several separate categories, according to its onset, symptoms and therapy. All forms of this type of pain have a strong psychological component.Methods. A retrograde review was conducted, in which patients’ records, treated in 1994 for chronic unexplained orofacial pain, were followed through a 5 year period. The modalities of treatment then and at present were compared.Conclusions. Except for trigeminal neuralgia, where carbamazepine remains the first choice drug, treatment of chronic facial pain has changed considerably.

  15. Objective Measures for the Assessment of Post-Operative Pain in Bos indicus Bull Calves Following Castration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Musk, Gabrielle C.; Hyndman, Timothy H.; Lehmann, Heidi S.; Tuke, S. Jonathon; Collins, Teresa; Johnson, Craig B.

    2017-01-01

    Simple Summary Surgical castration of cattle is a common husbandry procedure, and although this procedure is known to cause pain in cattle and other species, in some countries it is often performed without anaesthesia or analgesia. Society is increasingly aware of this animal welfare issue and it is creating pressure to drive research into animal welfare science with the aim of identifying practical and economical approaches to pain management in livestock. To effectively manage pain, a pain assessment must be performed. Pain assessment methods are often subjective and therefore influenced by the observer. Ideally, objective assessments that generate consistent and repeatable results between observers should be identified. Bos indicus bull calves were divided into four groups: no castration (NC, n = 6); castration with pre-operative local anaesthetic (CL n = 12); castration with pre-operative anti-inflammatory medication (CM, n = 12); and, castration without pain relief (C, n = 12). A range of objective assessments was performed: bodyweight measurements, activity, and rest levels, and four different compounds in the blood. The results of this study suggest that animals rest for longer periods after the pre-operative administration of anti-inflammatory medication. The other objective assessments measured in this study were not able to consistently differentiate between treatment groups. These findings emphasise the need for alternative quantifiable and objective indicators of pain in Bos indicus bull calves. Abstract The aim of the study was to assess pain in Bos indicus bull calves following surgical castration. Forty-two animals were randomised to four groups: no castration (NC, n = 6); castration with pre-operative lidocaine (CL, n = 12); castration with pre-operative meloxicam (CM, n = 12); and, castration alone (C, n = 12). Bodyweight was measured regularly and pedometers provided data on activity and rest from day −7 (7 days prior to surgery) to 13. Blood

  16. GP pain management: what are the 'Ps' and 'As' of pain management?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wan, Aston

    2014-08-01

    Pain is one common reason for clinical encounters in primary care. The complex nature of chronic pain syndromes can make assessment and management daunting at times. This article presents an easy scheme to help general practitioners efficiently assess, manage and review/follow up patients with chronic pain. The mnemonic presented for assessment is the '4Ps' (pain, other pathology/past medical history, performance/function and psychological/psychiatric status). For management, we can also use '4Ps' (physical, psychological, pharmacological and procedural) and for review there are the '6As' (activities, analgesia, adverse effects, aberrance behaviours, affects and adequate documentation).

  17. The effect of ultrapro or prolene mesh on postoperative pain and well-being following endoscopic Totally Extraperitoneal (TEP hernia repair (TULP: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Schouten Nelleke

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to describe the rationale and design of a randomized controlled trial analyzing the effects of mesh type (Ultrapro versus Prolene mesh on postoperative pain and well-being following an endoscopic Totally Extraperitoneal (TEP repair for inguinal hernias (short: TULP trial. Methods and design The TULP trial is a prospective, two arm, double blind, randomized controlled trial to assess chronic postoperative pain and quality of life following implantation of a lightweight (Ultrapro and heavyweight (Prolene mesh in endoscopic TEP hernia repair. The setting is a high-volume single center hospital, specializing in TEP hernia repair. All patients are operated on by one of four surgeons. Adult male patients (≥18 years of age with primary, reducible, unilateral inguinal hernias and no contraindications for TEP repair are eligible for inclusion in the study. The primary outcome is substantial chronic postoperative pain, defined as moderate to severe pain persisting ≥ 3 months postoperatively (Numerical Rating Scale, NRS 4–10. Secondary endpoints are the individual development of pain until three years after the TEP procedure, the quality of life (QoL, recurrence rate, patient satisfaction and complications. Discussion Large prospective randomized controlled studies with a long follow-up evaluating the incidence of chronic postoperative pain following implantation of lightweight and heavyweight mesh in endoscopic (TEP hernia repair are limited. By studying the presence of pain and quality of life, but also complications and recurrences in a large patient population, a complete efficiency and feasibility assessment of both mesh types in TEP hernia repair will be performed. Trial registration The TULP study is registered in the Dutch Trial Register (NTR2131

  18. Patient-controlled oral analgesia for postoperative pain management following total knee replacement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kastanias, Patti; Gowans, Sue; Tumber, Paul S; Snaith, Kianda; Robinson, Sandra

    2010-01-01

    To investigate whether patient-controlled oral analgesia (PCOA) used by individuals receiving a total knee replacement could reduce pain, increase patient satisfaction, reduce opioid use and/or reduce opioid side effects when compared with traditional nurse (RN)-administered oral analgesia. Patients who underwent an elective total knee replacement at a quaternary care centre (Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario) were randomly assigned to either PCOA or RN-administered short-acting oral opioids on postoperative day 2. Subjects in the RN group called the RN to receive their prescribed short-acting opioid. Subjects in the PCOA group kept a single dose of their prescribed oral opioid at their bedside and took this dose when they felt they needed it, to a maximum of one dose every 2 h. Study outcomes, collected on postoperative day 2, included pain (measured by the Brief Pain Inventory - Short Form), patient satisfaction (measured by the Pain Outcome Questionnaire Satisfaction subscale - component II), opioid use (oral morphine equivalents), opioid side effects (nausea, pruritus and/or constipation) and knee measures (maximum passive knee flexion and pain at maximum passive knee flexion, performed on the operative knee). Study outcomes were analyzed twice. First, for a subset of 73 subjects who remained in their randomly assigned group (PCOA group, n=36; RN group, n=37), randomized analyses were performed. Second, for the larger sample of 88 subjects who were categorized by their actual method of receiving oral opioids (PCOA group, n=41; RN group, n=47), as-treated analyses were performed. There were no differences in study outcomes between the PCOA and RN groups in either analysis. PCOA was not superior to RN administration on study outcomes. However, PCOA did not increase opioid use or pain. PCOA remains an important element in the patient-centred care facility.

  19. Postoperative groin pain and success rates following transobturator midurethral sling placement: TVT ABBREVO® system versus TVT™ obturator system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canel, Virginie; Thubert, Thibault; Wigniolle, Ingrid; Fernandez, Hervé; Deffieux, Xavier

    2015-10-01

    Placement of a transobturator midurethral sling (MUS) is the standard surgical treatment for stress urinary incontinence. Most recent MUS procedures have been poorly evaluated. We compared the results using a "new" device expected to reduce postoperative pain, the TVT ABBREVO® system (TVT-Abb), with those using the TVT™ obturator system (TVT-O). This was a retrospective study comparing the use of the TVT-Abb (in 50 patients) and the TVT-O (in 50 patients). The main outcomes were the amount of postoperative pain, the success rate (no reported urinary leakage and negative cough test) with both MUS procedures, and the prevalence of complications. The mean follow-up time was 12 months. The preoperative characteristics of the two groups were comparable. There was less postoperative pain (VAS, 0 to 100) in the TVT-Abb group than in the TVT-O group (12.2 vs. 24.4, p TVT-Abb group and the TVT-O group (8 % vs. 12 %, p = 0.74). The prevalences of perioperative and postoperative complications (bladder/urethral injury, haemorrhage) in the two groups were equal. The success rates were similar at 12 months after surgery (88 % vs. 78 %, p = 0.29). The success rates with TVT-Abb and TVT-O were equal at 12 months after surgery, but there was less immediate postoperative pain with TVT-Abb.

  20. Differential pain modulation in patients with peripheral neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gormsen, Lise; Bach, Flemming W; Rosenberg, Raben; Jensen, Troels S

    2017-12-29

    Background The definition of neuropathic pain has recently been changed by the International Association for the Study of Pain. This means that conditions such as fibromyalgia cannot, as sometimes discussed, be included in the neuropathic pain conditions. However, fibromyalgia and peripheral neuropathic pain share common clinical features such as spontaneous pain and hypersensitivity to external stimuli. Therefore, it is of interest to directly compare the conditions. Material and methods In this study we directly compared the pain modulation in neuropathic pain versus fibromyalgia by recording responses to a cold pressor test in 30 patients with peripheral neuropathic pain, 28 patients with fibromyalgia, and 26 pain-free age-and gender-matched healthy controls. Patients were asked to rate their spontaneous pain on a visual analog scale (VAS (0-100 mm) immediately before and immediately after the cold pressor test. Furthermore the duration (s) of extremity immersion in cold water was used as a measure of the pain tolerance threshold, and the perceived pain intensity at pain tolerance on the VAS was recorded on the extremity in the water after the cold pressor test. In addition, thermal (thermo tester) and mechanical stimuli (pressure algometer) were used to determine sensory detection, pain detection, and pain tolerance thresholds in different body parts. All sensory tests were done by the same examiner, in the same room, and with each subject in a supine position. The sequence of examinations was the following: (1) reaction time, (2) pressure thresholds, (3) thermal thresholds, and (4) cold pressor test. Reaction time was measured to ensure that psychomotoric inhibitions did not influence pain thresholds. Results Pain modulation induced by a cold pressor test reduced spontaneous pain by 40% on average in neuropathic pain patients, but increased spontaneous pain by 2.6% in fibromyalgia patients. This difference between fibromyalgia and neuropathic pain patients was

  1. Effects of Preoperative Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs on Pain Mitigation and Patients’ Shoulder Performance Following Rotator Cuff Repair

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    Alireza Rouhani

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: Pain is one of the most important factors adversely affecting clinical outcomes of operated patients. The present study aims at evaluating effects of preoperative COX2 non-steroidal anti-inflammatory inhibitors on pain mitigation and performance of patients with shoulder rotator cuff tear. Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 60 patients suffering from rotator cuff injury candidate for arthroscopic repair. The patients were classified in two parallel and matched groups. One group (case group was treated using Celecoxib (200mg/12h started 48 hours before surgery and continued for 10 days after operation. In the control group, the placebo was prescribed in the same way. Postoperative pain, side effects, sleep disturbance, and short-term outcomes were compared between two groups using DASH questionnaire. Results: Postoperative pain in the Celecoxib group significantly decreased in comparison with the control one. The difference was statistically meaningful (P<0.001. Well motion ability was seen in 80% of patients of the Celecoxib group. It was 26.6% in the placebo group since pain inhibited them from exercising more motions. In this regard, there was a statistically meaningful difference between these two groups (P=0.02. Sleep disturbance was meaningfully at higher levels in the placebo group (P=0.001. Following up the patients for three months, it was made clear that performance of the Celecoxib group was better than that of the placebo one. Conclusion: COX2 inhibitors are well efficient in patients’ pain management after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair surgery. It results in less life complications, less sleep disturbances, improvement of patients’ short-term clinical outcome, and more quick recovery.

  2. Persistent postsurgical pain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Werner, Mads Utke; Bischoff, Joakim Mutahi

    2014-01-01

    The prevalences of severe persistent postsurgical pain (PPP) following breast cancer surgery (BCS), groin hernia repair (GHR), and lung cancer surgery (LCS) are 13, 2, and 4-12 %, respectively. Estimates indicate that 80,000 patients each year in the U.S.A. are affected by severe pain...... duration of surgery, repeat surgery, more invasive surgical techniques, and intraoperative nerve lesion have been associated with PPP. One of the most consistent predictive factors for PPP is high intensity acute postsurgical pain, but also psychological factors including anxiety, catastrophizing trait...

  3. Incidence of Pain or Discomfort Following an Operative Treatment: A Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1982-08-19

    Seltzer, S.:.Sclic AMPS and-cyc1l1-GMF-q-ua-i -’a-’- tion in pulp and periapical lesions and their correlation to pain. J Endod 7:6, pp 268-271, June...are instrumental in conveying neuronal impulses from the dental organ to cognitive centers of the central nervous system . While this may be... relationship to dentinal pain. Int Dent J 22:219, 1972. 7. Avery, J.K. and Rapp, A.: Mechanism of neural impulse transmission in human teeth. Oral Surg 12:190

  4. Patient directed self management of pain (PaDSMaP compared to treatment as usual following total knee replacement: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Donell Simon

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In 2009, 665 patients underwent total knee replacements (TKRs at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NNUH, representing nearly 1% of the national total. Pain control following the operation can be poor, and this can cause poor mobilization and potential long-term adverse events. Although high levels of pain are not associated with patient dissatisfaction, brief periods of pain may lead to neuronal remodeling and sensitization. Patient controlled oral analgesia (PCOA may improve pain relief; however, the evidence to date has been inconclusive. Patient directed self management of pain (PaDSMaP is a single center randomized controlled trial, which aims to establish if patient self-medication improves, or is equivalent to, treatment as usual and to create an educational package to allow implementation elsewhere. Methods/design Patients eligible for a TKR will be recruited and randomized in the outpatient clinic. All patients will undergo their operations according to normal clinical practice but will be randomized into two groups. Once oral medication has commenced, one group will have pain relief administered by nursing staff in the usual way (treatment as usual; TAU, whilst the second group will self manage their pain medication (patient directed self management of pain; PaDSMaP. Those recruited for self-medication will undergo a training program to teach the use of oral analgesics according to the World Health Organization (WHO pain cascade and how to complete the study documentation. The primary endpoint of the trial is the visual analogue scale (VAS pain score at 3 days or discharge, whichever is sooner. The follow-up time is 6 weeks with a planned trial period of 3 years. The secondary objectives are satisfaction with the management of patient pain post-operatively whilst an inpatient after primary TKR; overall pain levels and pain on mobilization; satisfaction with pain management information

  5. Lipid composition and lidocaine effect on immediate and delayed injection pain following propofol administration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zirak, Nahid; Bameshki, Alireza; Yazdani, Mohammadjavad; Gilani, Mehryar Taghavi

    2016-01-01

    Propofol has been used for the induction and maintenance of anesthesia. However, patients experience vascular pain during its injection. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of the lipid type used in propofol preparations and that of lidocaine on the immediate and delayed vascular pain induced by propofol administration. In this double-blinded clinical study, 150 patients at American Society of Anesthesiologists level I-II were randomly divided into three equally sized groups. A propofol with medium and long-chain triglycerides (propofol-MCT/LCT) was administered to the first group. The second group received propofol containing propofol-LCT, and the third group received propofol-LCT and pretreatment lidocaine 20 mg. The incidence and the intensity of immediate (during injection) and delayed injection pain (after 20 s) were evaluated on a verbal analog scale (1-10) until patients' unconsciousness. Sample size was calculated with SigmaPlot version 12.5 software. Data were analyzed with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16, one-way analysis of variance, and post-hoc Tukey. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The demographic parameters of the three groups were similar. The lidocaine group experienced the least immediate vascular pain. The intensity of pain was highest in the propofol-LCT group (P = 0.04). Additionally, the intensity of delayed pain was lowest in the propofol-MCT/LCT group (P = 0.01). The incidence of pain associated with the propofol administration was 26.5, 44, and 18%, respectively, in propofol-MCT/LCT, propofol-LCT, and lidocaine and propofol-LCT groups. The results indicate an effect of the lipid type on delayed pain reduction, especially propofol-MCT/LCT. On the other hand, the lidocaine decreases immediate propofol-LCT vascular pain.

  6. Effects of a Tailored Positive Psychology Intervention on Well-Being and Pain in Individuals With Chronic Pain and a Physical Disability: A Feasibility Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Müller, Rachel; Gertz, Kevin J; Molton, Ivan R; Terrill, Alexandra L; Bombardier, Charles H; Ehde, Dawn M; Jensen, Mark P

    2016-01-01

    To determine the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of a computer-based positive psychology intervention in individuals with a physical disability and chronic pain. Individuals with spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, neuromuscular disease, or postpolio syndrome and chronic pain were randomly assigned to a positive psychology or a control condition. Participants in the intervention group were instructed to practice 4 personalized positive psychology exercises. Participants in the control group were instructed to write about life details for 8 weeks. Participants completed online well-being and pain-related questionnaires at baseline, posttreatment, and at the 2.5-month follow-up, and rated treatment satisfaction at posttreatment. Ninety-six participants were randomized and 68 (70%) completed follow-up assessments. Participants in the positive psychology intervention group reported significant pretreatment to posttreatment improvements in pain intensity, pain control, pain catastrophizing, pain interference, life satisfaction, positive affect, and depression. Improvements in life satisfaction, depression, pain intensity, pain interference, and pain control were maintained to the 2.5-month follow-up. Participants in the control group reported significant pretreatment to posttreatment improvements in life satisfaction, and pretreatment to follow-up improvements in pain intensity and pain control. Significant between-group differences, favoring the treatment group, emerged for pretreatment to posttreatment improvements in pain intensity and pain control. Participants were similarly satisfied with both treatments. The results support the feasibility, acceptability, and potential efficacy of a computer-based positive psychology intervention for improving well-being and pain-related outcomes in individuals with physical disabilities and chronic pain, and indicate that a full trial of the intervention is warranted.

  7. Treatment of Chronic Pain for Adults 65 and Over: Analyses of Outcomes and Changes in Psychological Flexibility Following Interdisciplinary Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, Whitney; Daly, Aisling; Yu, Lin; McCracken, Lance M

    2017-02-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for older adults with chronic pain. Secondarily, we examined the associations between changes on processes of psychological flexibility and treatment outcome variables. Participants were 60 adults with chronic pain age 65 and older selected from a larger consecutive sample of 928 adults of any age. All participants had longstanding pain that was associated with significant distress and disability. Participants completed measures of pain, functioning, and depression, and processes of psychological flexibility at baseline, immediately post-treatment, and at a 9-month follow-up. Treatment consisted of a 2- or 4-week residential program based on principles of ACT delivered by an interdisciplinary team. Treatment was designed to increase daily functioning by enhancing key processes of psychological flexibility, including openness, awareness, and committed action. Participants showed significant improvements in functioning and mental health at posttreatment. Participants also showed significant increases in pain acceptance and committed action from pre- to post-treatment. Small effect sizes were observed for most treatment outcome and process variables in the pre-treatment to follow-up intervals; however, these improvements were not statistically significant. In secondary analyses, changes in facets of psychological flexibility were significantly associated with improvements in social functioning and mental health. This study supports the potential effectiveness of ACT for chronic pain among older adults. Future research is needed to determine how to maximize the impact of this treatment, particularly through greater impact on psychological flexibility.

  8. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) for the Control of Pain during Rehabilitation Following Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA): A Randomized, Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rakel, Barbara; Zimmerman, M. Bridget; Geasland, Katharine; Embree, Jennie; Clark, Charles R; Noiseux, Nicolas O; Callaghan, John J; Herr, Keela; Walsh, Deirdre; Sluka, Kathleen A

    2014-01-01

    This study evaluated the efficacy of TENS in reducing pain and hyperalgesia and increasing function following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We hypothesized participants using TENS during rehabilitation exercises would: 1) report significantly lower pain during range-of-motion (ROM) and fast walking but not at rest; 2) have less hyperalgesia; and, 3) have better function than participants receiving Placebo-TENS or Standard Care. We also hypothesized that change in ROM pain would differ based on psychological characteristics (trait anxiety, pain catastrophizing and depression) and treatment group. This prospective, randomized study used intent-to-treat analyses on 317 subjects after primary, unilateral TKA. Assessors, blinded to treatment allocation, measured pain, function (ROM and gait speed), and hyperalgesia (quantitative sensory tests) postoperatively and 6 weeks after surgery. Analgesic intake, anxiety, depression, and pain catastrophizing were also assessed. TENS participants used it 1–2 times/day at 42 mA (on average) and had less pain postoperatively during active knee extension (p=0.019) and fast walking (p=0.006) than Standard Care participants. TENS and Placebo-TENS were not significantly different. TENS participants who scored low on anxiety and pain catastrophizing had a greater reduction in ROM pain at 6 weeks than those scoring high on these factors (p=0.002 and 0.03). Both TENS and Placebo-TENS participants had less postoperative mechanical hyperalgesia (p=0.03 – 0.01) than Standard Care participants. Supplementing pharmacologic analgesia with TENS during rehabilitation exercises reduces movement pain postoperatively but a placebo influence exists and the effect is gone by 6 weeks. Patients with low anxiety and pain catastrophizing may benefit most from TENS. PMID:25270585

  9. Reduction of pain-related fear and increased function and participation in work-related upper extremity pain (WRUEP): effects of exposure in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Jong, Jeroen R; Vlaeyen, Johan W S; van Eijsden, Marjon; Loo, Christoph; Onghena, Patrick

    2012-10-01

    There is increasing evidence that pain-related fear influences the development and maintenance of pain disability, presumably mediated through the fear-related avoidance of valued activities. Individually tailored graded exposure in vivo (GEXP) has been demonstrated to reduce pain-related fear and increase functional abilities in patients with chronic low back pain, neck pain, and complex regional pain syndrome. The current study aimed to test whether these effects generalize towards patients with work-related upper extremity pain. A sequential replicated and randomized single-case experimental phase design with multiple measurements was used. Within each participant, GEXP was compared to a no-treatment baseline period and a no-treatment 6-month follow-up period. Eight patients who reported a high level of pain-related fear were included in the study. Daily changes in pain catastrophizing, pain-related fear, and pain intensity were assessed using a diary, and subjected to randomization tests. Before the start of the baseline period, just after GEXP, and at 6-month follow-up, clinically relevant changes of pain catastrophizing, pain-related fear, perceived harmfulness of physical activity, pain disability, and participation/autonomy were verified. When GEXP was introduced, levels of pain catastrophizing and pain-related fear decreased significantly. Clinically relevant improvements were observed for pain disability, perceived participation, and autonomy. These favourable changes were maintained until 6-month follow-up. The findings of the current study underscore the external validity of a cognitive-behavioural GEXP treatment for patients with chronic pain reporting increased pain-related fear. Copyright © 2012 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. International guidelines for prevention and management of post-operative chronic pain following inguinal hernia surgery

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Alfieri, S; Amid, P K; Campanelli, G

    2011-01-01

    To provide uniform terminology and definition of post-herniorrhaphy groin chronic pain. To give guidelines to the scientific community concerning the prevention and the treatment of chronic groin and testicular pain.......To provide uniform terminology and definition of post-herniorrhaphy groin chronic pain. To give guidelines to the scientific community concerning the prevention and the treatment of chronic groin and testicular pain....

  11. The Effect of Medicinal Cannabis on Pain and Quality-of-Life Outcomes in Chronic Pain: A Prospective Open-label Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haroutounian, Simon; Ratz, Yael; Ginosar, Yehuda; Furmanov, Karina; Saifi, Fayez; Meidan, Ronit; Davidson, Elyad

    2016-12-01

    The objective of this prospective, open-label study was to determine the long-term effect of medicinal cannabis treatment on pain and functional outcomes in participants with treatment-resistant chronic pain. The primary outcome was the change in the pain symptom score on the S-TOPS (Treatment Outcomes in Pain Survey-Short Form) questionnaire at the 6-month follow-up in an intent-to-treat population. Secondary outcomes included the change in S-TOPS physical, social, and emotional disability scales, the pain severity, and pain interference on the Brief Pain Inventory, sleep problems, and the change in opioid consumption. A total of 274 participants were approved for treatment; complete baseline data were available for 206 (intent-to-treat), and complete follow-up data for 176 participants. At follow-up, the pain symptom score improved from median 83.3 (95% confidence interval [CI], 79.2-87.5) to 75.0 (95% CI, 70.8-79.2) (Pmedicinal cannabis in this open-label, prospective cohort resulted in improved pain and functional outcomes, and a significant reduction in opioid use. Results suggest long-term benefit of cannabis treatment in this group of patients, but the study's noncontrolled nature should be considered when extrapolating the results.

  12. Smoking behavior and motivation to quit among chronic pain patients initiating multidisciplinary pain treatment: a prospective study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Unrod, Marina; Gironda, Ronald J; Clark, Michael E; White, Kristi E; Simmons, Vani N; Sutton, Steven K; Brandon, Thomas H

    2014-08-01

    The primary aim of this study was to assess smoking characteristics and cessation motivation prior to and after initiation of multidisciplinary chronic pain treatment. A secondary aim was to identify predictors of cessation motivation among smokers initiating treatment for chronic pain. We used a prospective, nonrandomized, repeated measures design. The study was conducted in a multidisciplinary specialty pain treatment program at a veterans hospital. Smokers (N = 90) referred to a multidisciplinary pain program for the treatment of chronic pain. Patients completed questionnaires assessing pain-related and smoking-related factors prior to (baseline) and 8 weeks post (follow-up) specialty pain treatment initiation. Primary outcome measures were the Contemplation Ladder and the Stages of Change (SOC) algorithm. At baseline, patients reported moderate levels of cessation motivation, and 69% were in the contemplation stage or higher on the SOC. Motivation to quit smoking was higher at follow-up compared with baseline on both continuous, t(89) = 2.11, P motivation (e.g., pain intensity) were subsumed by more general predictors (e.g., nicotine dependence). Patients in this sample were more motivated to quit smoking a few weeks after, as compared with before initiating specialty pain treatment. Future research into pain-specific predictors of cessation motivation is warranted to inform the development of interventions that address pain patients' unique needs. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Do People Eat the Pain Away? The Effects of Acute Physical Pain on Subsequent Consumption of Sweet-Tasting Food.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Darbor, Kathleen E; Lench, Heather C; Carter-Sowell, Adrienne R

    2016-01-01

    Sweet tasting foods have been found to have an analgesic effect. Therefore people might consume more sweet-tasting food when they feel pain. In Study 1, participants were randomly assigned to a pain or non-pain condition and their consumption of cheesecake was measured. Participants ate more cheesecake (a sweet-tasting food) following a painful experience than a non-painful one. In Study 2, participants were randomly assigned to a painful experience or a resource depleting experience (i.e., squeezing a handgrip) and then were asked to taste test two foods, one sweet and one not sweet. Participants ate more sweet-tasting food following a painful experience than a non-painful or a resource-depleting experience. These differences were not present for consumption of non-sweet food. Further, habitual self-control predicted consumption of sweet-tasting food when in pain, with those lower in self-control particularly likely to eat more. Results suggest that people do eat more sweet-tasting food when they feel pain, particularly if they are not in the habit of controlling their impulses. These findings have implications for health given rising rates of obesity and pain-related diagnoses.

  14. Knee arthritis pain is reduced and range of motion is increased following moderate pressure massage therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Field, Tiffany; Diego, Miguel; Gonzalez, Gladys; Funk, C G

    2015-11-01

    The literature on massage therapy effects on knee pain suggests that pain was reduced based on self-report, but little is known about range of motion (ROM) effects. Medical School staff and faculty who had knee arthritis pain were randomly assigned to a moderate pressure massage therapy or a waitlist control group (24 per group). Self-reports included the WOMAC (pain, stiffness and function) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. ROM and ROM-related pain were assessed before and after the last sessions. The massage group showed an immediate post-massage increase in ROM and a decrease in ROM-associated pain. On the last versus the first day of the study, the massage group showed greater increases in ROM and decreases in ROM-related pain as well as less self-reported pain and sleep disturbances than the waitlist control group. These data highlight the effectiveness of moderate pressure massage therapy for increasing ROM and lessening ROM-related pain and long-term pain and sleep disturbances. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Neuropathic pain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giuseppe Re

    2009-02-01

    Full Text Available Neuropathic pain is the expression of a dysfunction or primary lesion of a nerve in the peripheral or central nervous system, or both, rather than the biological signal transmitted by the nerve following peripheral nociceptor activation. It represents about 20% of all painful syndromes, with an estimated prevalence of 1.5%, however is actual incidence is hard to pinpoint due to the difficulties encountered in distinguishing it from chronic pain, of which it represents a significant percentage, on account of the not infrequent concurrence of conditions. It is crucial to recognise the variety of symptoms with which it can present: these can be negative and positive and, in turn, motor, sensitive and autonomic. In public health terms, it is important to emphasise that the diagnosis of neuropathic pain does not in most cases require sophisticated procedures and does not therefore weigh on health expenditure. In clinical practice, a validated scale (the LANSS is mentioned is useful for identifying patients presenting neuropathic pain symptoms. Therapy is based on three categories of medication: tricyclic antidepressants, anti-epileptics and opioids at high doses: neuropathic pain has a bad reputation for often resisting common therapeutic approaches and responding less well that nociceptor pain to monotherapy. Therapeutic strategies are all the more adequate the more they are based on symptoms and therefore on the pain generation mechanisms, although the recommendations are dictated more by expert opinions that double-blind randomised trials.

  16. Are low back pain and low physical capacity risk indicators for dropout among recently qualified eldercare workers? A follow-up study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faber, Anne; Giver, Hanne; Strøyer, Jesper; Hannerz, Harald

    2010-12-01

    A high job turnover and dropout among eldercare workers has led to a significant shortage of qualified manpower in the Danish eldercare sector. The predictive effect of some non-work-related causes for leaving the eldercare sector 2 years after qualification, physical capacity, duration, and severity of previous low back pain, was investigated. A 2-year prospective cohort study of all the Danish eldercare workers, who finished their education during 2004 (n = 6347). Questionnaire data from 2004 were followed up by register data on attachment to labour market, educational status, and association to trade from Statistics Denmark in 2006. Data on physical capacity, duration, and severity of low back pain the last 12 months among the female participants were analysed by multinomial logistic regression to estimate odds-ratios for being either in the eldercare sector, in other health- and welfare sectors, in all other sectors, under education, or outside labour market, 2 years after qualification. Disability due to and duration of low back pain were significant predictors for dropout from the eldercare sector 2 years after qualification. Low physical capacity was not. Data on duration of low back pain suggest a trend towards a dose-response relationship: The longer the duration of low back pain, the higher odds for dropout. Low back pain and disability due to low back pain during the last year of education were independent predictors for dropout from the eldercare sector 2 years after qualification. However, low self-rated physical capacity did not predict job dropout or turnover.

  17. Do pain-associated contexts increase pain sensitivity? An investigation using virtual reality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harvie, Daniel S; Sterling, Michele; Smith, Ashley D

    2018-04-30

    Pain is not a linear result of nociception, but is dependent on multisensory inputs, psychological factors, and prior experience. Since nociceptive models appear insufficient to explain chronic pain, understanding non-nociceptive contributors is imperative. Several recent models propose that cues associatively linked to painful events might acquire the capacity to augment, or even cause, pain. This experiment aimed to determine whether contexts associated with pain, could modulate mechanical pain thresholds and pain intensity. Forty-eight healthy participants underwent a contextual conditioning procedure, where three neutral virtual reality contexts were paired with either unpredictable noxious stimulation, unpredictable vibrotactile stimulation, or no stimulation. Following the conditioning procedure, mechanical pain thresholds and pain evoked by a test stimulus were examined in each context. In the test phase, the effect of expectancy was equalised across conditions by informing participants when thresholds and painful stimuli would be presented. Contrary to our hypothesis, scenes that were associated with noxious stimulation did not increase mechanical sensitivity (p=0.08), or increase pain intensity (p=0.46). However, an interaction with sex highlighted the possibility that pain-associated contexts may alter pain sensitivity in females but not males (p=0.03). Overall, our data does not support the idea that pain-associated contexts can alter pain sensitivity in healthy asymptomatic individuals. That an effect was shown in females highlights the possibility that some subgroups may be susceptible to such an effect, although the magnitude of the effect may lack real-world significance. If pain-associated cues prove to have a relevant pain augmenting effect, in some subgroups, procedures aimed at extinguishing pain-related associations may have therapeutic potential.

  18. Operant conditioning of enhanced pain sensitivity by heat-pain titration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Becker, Susanne; Kleinböhl, Dieter; Klossika, Iris; Hölzl, Rupert

    2008-11-15

    Operant conditioning mechanisms have been demonstrated to be important in the development of chronic pain. Most experimental studies have investigated the operant modulation of verbal pain reports with extrinsic reinforcement, such as verbal reinforcement. Whether this reflects actual changes in the subjective experience of the nociceptive stimulus remained unclear. This study replicates and extends our previous demonstration that enhanced pain sensitivity to prolonged heat-pain stimulation could be learned in healthy participants through intrinsic reinforcement (contingent changes in nociceptive input) independent of verbal pain reports. In addition, we examine whether different magnitudes of reinforcement differentially enhance pain sensitivity using an operant heat-pain titration paradigm. It is based on the previously developed non-verbal behavioral discrimination task for the assessment of sensitization, which uses discriminative down- or up-regulation of stimulus temperatures in response to changes in subjective intensity. In operant heat-pain titration, this discriminative behavior and not verbal pain report was contingently reinforced or punished by acute decreases or increases in heat-pain intensity. The magnitude of reinforcement was varied between three groups: low (N1=13), medium (N2=11) and high reinforcement (N3=12). Continuous reinforcement was applied to acquire and train the operant behavior, followed by partial reinforcement to analyze the underlying learning mechanisms. Results demonstrated that sensitization to prolonged heat-pain stimulation was enhanced by operant learning within 1h. The extent of sensitization was directly dependent on the received magnitude of reinforcement. Thus, operant learning mechanisms based on intrinsic reinforcement may provide an explanation for the gradual development of sustained hypersensitivity during pain that is becoming chronic.

  19. Hair-Normalized Cortisol Waking Response as a Novel Biomarker of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Activity following Acute Trauma: A Proof-of-Concept Study with Pilot Results

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David M. Walton

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The mechanisms underlying the development of persistent posttraumatic pain and disability remain elusive. Recent evidence suggests that disordered stress-system pathway (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity may be responsible for the genesis and maintenance of long-term sensory and emotional problems. However, confidence in current evidence is limited by the necessarily retrospective collection of data. Hair cortisol can serve as a calendar of HPA axis activity going back several months prior to injury. The purposes of this pilot study were to determine the feasibility of using hair cortisol and hair-normalized salivary cortisol as biomarkers of distress following traumatic injuries of whiplash or distal radius fracture. Ten subjects provided complete data within 3 weeks of injury. Hair cortisol, cortisol waking response (CWR, and mean daily cortisol (MDC were captured at inception, as were self-report indicators of pain, disability, and pain catastrophizing. Pain and disability were also captured 3 months after injury. Results indicate that cortisol waking response may be a useful biomarker of current distress as measured using the pain catastrophizing scale, especially when normalized to 3-month hair cortisol (r=0.77 raw, 0.93 normalized. Hair-normalized CWR may also have predictive capacity, correlating with 3-month self-reported disability at r=0.70. While promising, the results must be viewed in light of the small sample.

  20. Effectiveness of balneotherapy in chronic low back pain -- a randomized single-blind controlled follow-up study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balogh, Zoltán; Ordögh, József; Gász, Attila; Német, László; Bender, Tamás

    2005-08-01

    Balneotherapy, a domain of medical science, focuses on utilizing the beneficial effects of medicinal waters. Low back pain is among the most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders affecting a large proportion of the population during their lifetime. Although small in number, all controlled studies published on this subject have demonstrated the benefits of balneotherapy. This present study was undertaken to compare the effects of hydrotherapy with mineral water vs. tap water on low back pain. A single-blind clinical study was carried out to appraise the therapeutic efficacy of reduced sulphurous water on 60 patients with low back pain. 30 subjects took baths in reduced sulphurous mineral water, whereas the other 30 patients used modified tap water of matching odor. Parameters determined at baseline, after balneo-/hydrotherapy, and at the end of the 3-month follow-up period included the results of the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, the modified Oswestry index, mobility of the spine, antalgic posture, tenderness of the paravertebral muscles on palpation, the dose requirements for analgesics, and the efficacy assessed by the investigators and by the patients. Bathing in mineral water resulted in a statistically significant improvement. This was reflected by the VAS (p balneotherapy. By contrast, hydrotherapy with tap water resulted only in the temporary improvement of just a single parameter: the VAS score improved significantly (p Balneotherapy in itself can alleviate low back pain. As demonstrated by this study, the analgesic efficacy and improvement of mobility accomplished by the use of mineral water is significantly superior to that afforded by hydrotherapy with tap water. Our results clearly establish the beneficial effects of mineral water. Moreover, it is a valuable adjunct to other forms of physical treatment as well as to pharmacotherapy.

  1. Are People With Whiplash-Associated Neck Pain Different From People With Nonspecific Neck Pain?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anstey, Ricci; Kongsted, Alice; Kamper, Steven; Hancock, Mark J

    2016-10-01

    Study Design Secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study with cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. Background The clinical importance of a history of whiplash-associated disorder (WAD) in people with neck pain remains uncertain. Objective To compare people with WAD to people with nonspecific neck pain, in terms of their baseline characteristics and pain and disability outcomes over 1 year. Methods Consecutive patients with neck pain who presented to a secondary-care spine center answered a comprehensive self-report questionnaire and underwent a physical examination. Patients were classified into a group of either those with WAD or those with nonspecific neck pain. We compared the outcomes of baseline characteristics of the 2 groups, as well as pain intensity and activity limitation at follow-ups of 6 and 12 months. Results A total of 2578 participants were included in the study. Of these, 488 (19%) were classified as having WAD. At presentation, patients with WAD were statistically different from patients without WAD for almost all characteristics investigated. While most differences were small (1.1 points on an 11-point pain-rating scale and 11 percentage points on the Neck Disability Index), others, including the presence of dizziness and memory difficulties, were substantial. The between-group differences in pain and disability increased significantly (Pneck pain. Conclusion People referred to secondary care with WAD typically had more self-reported pain and disability and experienced worse outcomes than those with nonspecific neck pain. Caution is required when interpreting the longitudinal outcomes due to lower-than-optimal follow-up rates. Level of Evidence Prognosis, level 2. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2016;46(10):894-901. Epub 3 Sep 2016. doi:10.2519/jospt.2016.6588.

  2. HYPNOTHERAPY INTERVENTION FOR LOIN PAIN HEMATURIA: A CASE STUDY1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elkins, Gary R.; Koep, Lauren L.; Kendrick, Cassie E.

    2012-01-01

    Loin pain hematuria is characterized by chronic loin pain, hematuria, and dysuria. There are no known effective treatments for loin pain hematuria and longer-term use of analgesics and surgical options are often ineffective or associated with negative side effects. This article reports on a 17-year-old female patient diagnosed with loin pain hematuria who presented with unilateral, uncontrolled loin pain following numerous unsuccessful attempts at controlling her symptoms with traditional medical interventions—including antibiotics, opioids, and renal denervation. The patient received 8 sessions of hypnotherapy. Baseline, end-point, and follow-up measures administered included the General Health Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, McGill Pain Questionnaire, Pain Discomfort Scale, and visual analogue measures of pain, academic interference, and social interference. At follow-up, results indicated clinically significant decreases in pain, anxiety, and depression with nearly complete remission of presenting symptoms. PMID:22098573

  3. Can hip impingement be mistaken for tendon pain in the groin? A long-term follow-up of tenotomy for groin pain in athletes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sansone, Mikael; Ahldén, Mattias; Jonasson, Pall; Thomeé, Roland; Falk, Anders; Swärd, Leif; Karlsson, Jón

    2014-04-01

    There are several reports on the association between pubalgia and intra-articular hip disorders. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcome in athletes who underwent tenotomy due to long-standing groin pain. A secondary purpose was evaluating the frequency of femoro-acetabular impingement (FAI) and its impact on the long-term outcome. Thirty-two high-level male athletes treated with adductor tenotomy, rectus abdominis tenotomy or both were included. At a median follow-up time of 6 years after the tenotomy, the subjects underwent standardised clinical examination, plain radiographs, completed web-based health-related patient-reported outcomes, including iHOT12, HAGOS (six subscales), EQ-5D (two subscales), HSAS for physical activity level and a VAS for overall hip function. Furthermore, patient satisfaction and return to sports were documented. Twenty-four of the 32 (75 %) athletes were satisfied with the outcome of the tenotomy, and 22 of the athletes (69 %) were able to return to their pre-injury sport. Before the long-term follow-up, two of these satisfied athletes had undergone repeat surgery (one hip arthroscopy due to FAI and one repeat tenotomy). Of the 24 satisfied athletes, eight (33 %) had a positive hip impingement test at the follow-up. Of the remaining eight athletes not satisfied with the outcome, only one returned to their pre-injury sport and three had undergone hip arthroscopy prior to follow-up. Five had positive hip impingement tests which was significantly more frequently than in the satisfied group (p = 0.008). The group with a positive hip impingement test reported significantly more pain and symptoms, more hip problems during sports and physical activity, as well as lower hip-related quality of life according to the HAGOS scores (p pubalgia yielded a satisfactory long-term outcome, with three of four athletes being able to return to their pre-injury sport. The athletes that did not return to their pre-injury sport had

  4. Comparison of the effects of continuous intrapleural vs epidural administration of 0.5% bupivacaine on pain, metabolic response and pulmonary function following cholecystectomy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Scott, N B; Mogensen, T; Bigler, D

    1989-01-01

    Twenty patients undergoing elective cholecystectomy were prospectively randomised to receive either intrapleural (bolus 20 ml followed by 10 ml/h) or thoracic epidural (bolus 9 ml followed by 5 ml/h) bupivacaine 0.5% for 8 h postoperatively to assess the effect of these two techniques on pain...

  5. Ibuprofen is superior to paracetamol for pain relief following third molar removal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferraiolo, Debra M; Veitz-Keenan, Analia

    2014-12-01

    The Cochrane Oral Health Group's Trials Register, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Medline, Embase and the metaRegister of Controlled Trials were searched with no language restrictions. Randomised controlled double-blinded clinical trials using the third molar model were included. Two review authors independently and in duplicate extracted data. The proportion of patients with at least 50% pain relief (based on total pain relief (TOTPAR) and summed pain intensity difference (SPID) data) was calculated for all three drugs at both two and six hours post-dosing and meta-analysed for comparison. Seven studies involving 2241 patients were included. Two studies were considered to be at low risk of bias, three at high risk and two unclear risk of bias. Ibuprofen was found to be a superior analgesic to paracetamol at several doses, with high quality evidence suggesting that ibuprofen 400 mg is superior to 1000 mg paracetamol based on pain relief (estimated from TOTPAR data) and the use of rescue medication meta-analyses. Risk ratio (RR) for at least 50% pain relief (based on TOTPAR) at six hours was 1.47 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.28 to 1.69; five trials) favouring 400 mg ibuprofen over 1000 mg paracetamol, RR for not using rescue medication (also favouring ibuprofen) was 1.50 (95% CI 1.25 to 1.79; four trials). For combined drug RR for at least 50% of the maximum pain relief over six hours of 1.77 (95% CI 1.32 to 2.39) (paracetamol 1000 mg and ibuprofen 400 mg) (one trial; moderate quality evidence). RR not using rescue medication 1.60 (95% CI 1.36 to 1.88) (two trials; moderate quality evidence). Adverse events were comparable between the treatment groups, but no formal analysis could be undertaken. There is high quality evidence that ibuprofen is superior to paracetamol at doses of 200 mg to 512 mg and 600 mg to 1000 mg respectively based on pain relief and use of rescue medication data collected at six hours postoperatively. The

  6. How well do clinical pain assessment tools reflect pain in infants?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rebeccah Slater

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available Pain in infancy is poorly understood, and medical staff often have difficulty assessing whether an infant is in pain. Current pain assessment tools rely on behavioural and physiological measures, such as change in facial expression, which may not accurately reflect pain experience. Our ability to measure cortical pain responses in young infants gives us the first opportunity to evaluate pain assessment tools with respect to the sensory input and establish whether the resultant pain scores reflect cortical pain processing.Cortical haemodynamic activity was measured in infants, aged 25-43 wk postmenstrual, using near-infrared spectroscopy following a clinically required heel lance and compared to the magnitude of the premature infant pain profile (PIPP score in the same infant to the same stimulus (n = 12, 33 test occasions. Overall, there was good correlation between the PIPP score and the level of cortical activity (regression coefficient = 0.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] limits 0.32-1.11, p = 0.001; correlation coefficient = 0.57. Of the different PIPP components, facial expression correlated best with cortical activity (regression coefficient = 1.26, 95% CI limits 0.84-1.67, p < 0.0001; correlation coefficient = 0.74 (n = 12, 33 test occasions. Cortical pain responses were still recorded in some infants who did not display a change in facial expression.While painful stimulation generally evokes parallel cortical and behavioural responses in infants, pain may be processed at the cortical level without producing detectable behavioural changes. As a result, an infant with a low pain score based on behavioural assessment tools alone may not be pain free.

  7. Are there gender differences in coping with neck pain following acute whiplash trauma?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Carstensen, T B W; Frostholm, Lisbeth; Oernboel, E

    2012-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Little is known about gender differences in coping after whiplash, and to date possible interaction of gender and coping on recovery has not been investigated. AIMS: To examine if gender differences in coping are associated with long-lasting neck pain after acute whiplash. METHODS...... they completed the Coping Strategies Questionnaire, and after 12months a VAS scale on neck pain intensity. RESULTS: The odds for long-lasting neck pain were more than twice as high for women than for men (OR=2.17 (95% CI: 1.40; 3.37). However, no gender difference in coping and no interaction between gender.......10 (95% CI: 1.05; 1.13) for each point on these scales. CONCLUSIONS: No interaction between coping and gender on neck pain was found, thus different coping strategies 3months post-collision did not explain the different prognosis observed in men and women. Clinically relevant influence...

  8. Comparison of post-obturation pain experience following one-visit and two-visit root canal treatment on teeth with vital pulps: a randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, C; Xu, P; Ren, L; Dong, G; Ye, L

    2010-08-01

    To compare the incidence and intensity of post-obturation pain after one- or two-visit root canal treatment (RCT) on anterior teeth with vital pulps and a single root and canal in a randomized controlled trial. One hundred patients requiring RCT on permanent anterior teeth with vital pulps preoperatively were included. The patients were assigned randomly into two groups of 50 patients each. After local anaesthesia, isolation, access and pulp extirpation, the canals of all teeth were prepared using engine-driven rotary ProTaper nickel-titanium instruments in a crown-down technique and irrigated with 2.5% NaOCl. The teeth in group 1 (n = 50) were filled with AH Plus sealer and gutta-percha using a lateral compaction technique at the first visit, whilst those in group 2 (n = 50) were medicated with a calcium hydroxide paste, a sterile dry cotton pellet and Caviton and scheduled for a second visit 7 days later. A modified verbal descriptor scale was used to measure preoperative pain and post-obturation pain at 6, 24, 48 h and 1 week after operation. Chi-square tests and independent-sample T-tests were used to compare the incidence and intensity of post-obturation pain of two groups at each interval. Eleven patients were excluded from the study as they failed to follow the scheduled revisit or their selected teeth had more than one root canal. Data were obtained from the remaining 89 patients. Forty-three patients were undergoing one-visit treatment (group 1) and 46 undergoing two-visit treatment (group 2). Most patients in both groups reported no pain or only slight pain within each post-obturation interval, only one in group 1 and one in group 2 had flare-ups and slight swelling. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence and intensity of post-obturation pain experienced by two groups. The incidence and intensity of post-obturation pain experience following one- or two-visit RCT on teeth with vital pulps and a single canal were not

  9. Hip arthroscopy in patients with recurrent pain following Bernese periacetabular osteotomy for acetabular dysplasia: operative findings and clinical outcomes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cvetanovich, Gregory L.; Heyworth, Benton E.; Murray, Kerri; Yen, Yi-Meng; Kocher, Mininder S.; Millis, Michael B.

    2015-01-01

    To report the operative findings and outcomes of hip arthroscopy for recurrent pain following periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) for acetabular dysplasia. A departmental database was used to identify patients who underwent hip arthroscopy following PAO between 2000 and 2009. Demographic data, arthroscopic findings, functional outcome scores and patient satisfaction were analysed. Of 556 PAO patients, 17 hips in 16 patients (3.1%) underwent post-PAO hip arthroscopy. Mean age at PAO was 23.8 years, and mean age at arthroscopy was 27.0 years. Common hip arthroscopy findings included labral tears (13 hips, 81.3%), significant (≥grade 2) chondral changes (12 hips, 75%), cam impingement (7 hips, 43.8%) and pincer impingement (6 hips, 37.5%). At mean follow-up 2.8 years after arthroscopy, additional procedures had been performed in six hips (37.5%), including total hip arthroplasty in one hip. Post-PAO arthroscopy questionnaire revealed 85.7% of patients with improved hip pain, 57.1% improved hip stiffness and 57.1% improved hip function. There was no significant difference in functional outcome measures. Common post-PAO hip arthroscopy findings include labral tears, chondral changes and femoroacetabular impingement. Many patients reported subjective hip improvement from post-PAO arthroscopy, but hip outcome scores were unchanged and one-third of patients had further surgery. PMID:27011852

  10. Predictors of Persistent Axial Neck Pain After Cervical Laminoplasty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kimura, Atsushi; Shiraishi, Yasuyuki; Inoue, Hirokazu; Endo, Teruaki; Takeshita, Katsushi

    2018-01-01

    Retrospective analysis of prospective data. The aim of this study was to reveal baseline predictors of persistent postlaminoplasty neck pain. Axial neck pain is one of the most common complications after cervical laminoplasty; however, baseline predictors of persistent postlaminoplasty neck pain are unclear. We analyzed data from 156 patients who completed a 2-year follow-up after double-door laminoplasty for degenerative cervical myelopathy. Patients rated the average intensity of axial neck pain in the last month using an 11-point numerical rating scale preoperatively and at the 2-year follow-up. The dependent variable was the presence of moderate-to-severe neck pain (numerical rating scale ≥4) at the 2-year follow-up. The independent variables included patient characteristics, baseline radiological parameters, surgical variables, baseline axial neck pain intensity, and baseline functions, which were measured by the Japanese Orthopaedic Association score and the Short Form-36 survey (SF-36). Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of moderate-to-severe neck pain after laminoplasty. At the 2-year follow-up, 51 patients (32%) had moderate-to-severe neck pain, and 106 patients (68%) had no or mild pain. Univariate analysis revealed that the ratio of cervical anterolisthesis, ratio of current smoking, baseline neck pain intensity, and baseline SF-36 Mental Component Summary differed significantly between the groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that independent predictors of moderate-to-severe neck pain at the 2-year follow-up include the presence of anterolisthesis, current smoking, moderate-to-severe baseline neck pain, and lower SF-36 Mental Component Summary. The presence of anterolisthesis and moderate-to-severe baseline neck pain were also associated with significantly poorer physical function after surgery. The presence of anterolisthesis was associated not only with the highest odds ratio of

  11. Factors associated with pain and disability reduction following exercise interventions in chronic whiplash.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ludvigsson, M L; Peterson, G; Dedering, Å; Falla, D; Peolsson, A

    2016-02-01

    Some studies support the prescription of exercise for people with whiplash-associated disorders (WAD); however, the response is highly variable. Further research is necessary to identify factors which predict response. This is a secondary analysis of a randomized, multicentre controlled clinical trial of 202 volunteers with chronic WAD (grades 2 and 3). They received either neck-specific exercise with, or without a behavioural approach, or prescription of physical activity for 12 weeks. Treatment response, defined as a clinical important reduction in pain or disability, was registered after 3 and 12 months, and factors associated with treatment response were explored using logistic regression. Participation in the neck-specific exercise group was the only significant factor associated with both neck pain and neck disability reduction both at 3 and 12 months. Patients in this group had up to 5.3 times higher odds of disability reduction and 3.9 times higher odds of pain reduction compared to those in the physical activity group. Different baseline features were identified as predictors of response depending on the time point examined and the outcome measure selected (pain vs. disability). Factors associated with treatment response after exercise interventions differ in the short and long term and differ depending on whether neck pain or disability is considered as the primary outcome. Participation in a neck-specific exercise intervention, in contrast to general physical activity, was the only factor that consistently indicated higher odds of treatment success. These results support the prescription of neck-specific exercise for individuals with chronic WAD. © 2015 European Pain Federation - EFIC®

  12. The comparison of preincisional peritonsillar infiltration of ketamine and tramadol for postoperative pain relief on children following adenotonsillectomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ugur, Kadriye Serife; Karabayirli, Safinaz; Demircioğlu, Rüveyda İrem; Ark, Nebil; Kurtaran, Hanifi; Muslu, Bunyamin; Sert, Hüseyin

    2013-11-01

    To investigate and compare the effectiveness of preincisional peritonsillar infiltration of ketamine and tramadol for post-operative pain on children following adenotonsillectomy. Prospective randomized double blind controlled study. Seventy-five children aged 3-10 years undergoing adenotonsillectomy were included in study. Patients received injections in peritonsillar fossa of tramadol (2 mg/kg-2 ml), ketamine (0.5 mg/kg-2 ml) or 2 ml serum physiologic. During operation heart rate, oxygen saturation, average mean blood pressures were recorded in every 5 min. Operation, anesthesia and the time that Alderete scores 9-10, patient satisfaction, analgesic requirements were recorded. Postoperatively nausea, vomiting, sedation, dysphagia, bleeding scores were recorded at 0, 10, 30, 60 min and 2, 4, 8, 12, 18, 24h postoperatively. Pain was evaluated using modified Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Pain Scale (mCHEOPS) at fixed intervals after the procedure (15 min and 1, 4, 12, 16, and 24h postoperatively). The recordings of heart rate, mean arterial pressure, nausea, vomiting, sedation and bleeding scores were similar in all groups (p>0.05). The mCHEOPS scores at 10 min, 30 min, 1h, 8h were significantly lower in both tramadol and ketamine group when compared with control (p0.05). Preincisional injection of ketamine and tramadol prior to tonsillectomy is safe, effective method and equivalent for post-tonsillectomy pain, patient satisfaction, postoperative nausea, vomiting, dysphagia. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Do work-related factors affect care-seeking in general practice for back pain or upper extremity pain?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jensen, Jens Christian; Haahr, Jens Peder; Frost, Poul; Andersen, Johan Hviid

    2013-10-01

    Musculoskeletal pain conditions remain a major cause of care-seeking in general practice. Not all patients with musculoskeletal pain (MP) seek care at their general practitioner (GP), but for those who do, the GP's knowledge of what work-related factors might have influenced the patient's decision to seek care could be important in order to give more well-founded advice to our patients. The objective of this study was to elucidate the effects of workloads on care-seeking for back pain or upper extremity pain during an eighteen-month follow-up period. This is a prospective study with a baseline questionnaire and eighteen-month follow-up. Among the registered patients of 8 GPs, we identified 8,517 persons between 17 and 65 years of age, who all received the questionnaire. A total of 5,068 (59.5 %) persons answered. During the eighteen months of follow-up, we used the International Classification for Primary Care (ICPC) to identify all care-seekers with either back pain or upper extremity pain. Of these, all currently employed persons were included in our analysis, in all 4,325 persons. For analysis, we used Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Analyses were stratified by gender. High levels of heavy lifting, defined as the upper tertile on a categorical scale, were associated with care-seeking for back pain (HR 1.90 [95 % CI: 1.14-3.15]) and upper extremity pain (HR 2.09 [95 % CI: 1.30-3.38]) among males, but not in a statistically significant way among females. Repetitive work and psychosocial factors did not have any statistically significant impact on care-seeking for neither back pain nor upper extremity pain. Work-related factors such as heavy lifting do, to some extent, contribute to care-seeking with MP. We suggest that asking the patient about physical workloads should be routinely included in consultations dealing with MP.

  14. Arthrography of painful hips following arthroplasty: Digital versus plain film subtraction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Walker, C W; FitzRandolph, R L; Dalrymple, G V [Arkansas Univ. for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR (USA). Dept. of Radiology John McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital, Little Rock, AR (USA); Collins, D N [Arkansas Univ. for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR (USA). Dept. of Orthopedics John McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital, Little Rock, AR (USA)

    1991-08-01

    Digital and manual subtraction images obtained during the arthrographic evaluation of 78 painful hip prostheses were reviewed retrospectively. Revision arthroplasty was performed in 53 of these cases, and the arthrographic and surgical findings were correlated. The digital and manual subtraction images were evaluated without knowledge of the surgical results using established criteria for component loosening. The difference between detection of femoral component loosening on digital as opposed to manual subtraction images was statistically significant (P < 0.05). This study demonstrates that digital subtraction improves the evaluation of femoral component loosening in painful hip prostheses. (orig./GDG).

  15. How to Surgically Remove the Permanent Mesh Ring after the Onstep Procedure for Alleviation of Chronic Pain following Inguinal Hernia Repair

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Öberg, Stina; Andresen, Kristoffer; Rosenberg, Jacob

    2016-01-01

    -month follow-up, the patient was free of pain, without a recurrence. It is advised to wait some months after the initial hernia repair before removing the ring, since the mesh needs time to become well integrated into the surrounding tissue. The operation is safe and easy to perform, which is demonstrated......A promising open inguinal hernia operation called Onstep was developed in 2005. The technique is without sutures to the surrounding tissue, causing minimal tension. A specific mesh is used with a memory recoil ring in the border, which may cause pain superficial to the lateral part of the mesh...

  16. Efficacy of oral meloxicam suspension for prevention of pain and inflammation following band and surgical castration in calves.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olson, M E; Ralston, Brenda; Burwash, Les; Matheson-Bird, Heather; Allan, Nick D

    2016-06-13

    Castration is one of the most common procedures performed on beef and dairy cattle. The objective of the study was to determine the efficacy of meloxicam oral suspension in reducing pain and inflammation in calves following band or surgical castration. Two identical trials with the exception of the method of castration (Band Castration Study 1 and Surgical Castration Study 2) were conducted. Sixty (60) healthy Holstein calves 4 to 5 months of age (138-202 Kg) were used. Animals received either Meloxicam Oral Suspension at a dose of 1 mg/kg BW (n = 15 Study 1 and 15 Study 2) or Saline (n = 15 Study 1 and 15 Study 2) 2 h before castration. Physiological (Heart Rate, Plasma Cortisol and Plasma Substance P) and Behavioral (Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Accelerometers and tail Pedometers) evaluations were conducted before (day -1) and after Castration (Day 0, 1, 2, 3). Inflammation was evaluated daily by providing an individual animal score (Study1) or with a measurement of scrotal thickness (Study 2). Heart rates were significantly greater in control animals following band and surgical castration. Plasma cortisol and substance P were significantly reduced in animals receiving Meloxicam Oral Suspension. Control animals had significantly greater VAS scores. Accelerometers showed that meloxicam treated animals had a significantly greater motion index and number of steps as well as less % time lying and number of lying bouts. The scrotal inflammation (based on scrotal swelling) was significantly decreased in the meloxicam treated animals compared to the control animals on day 1, day 2 and 3. Meloxicam Oral Suspension was able to significantly reduce the display of painful behaviors and physiological responses to pain in band castrated and surgical castrated calves for up to 72 h following a single oral treatment of 1 mg/kg body weight. Meloxicam Oral Suspension was able to significantly reduce scrotal inflammation in band castrated and surgical castrated calves.

  17. Dynamic Pain Phenotypes are Associated with Spinal Cord Stimulation-Induced Reduction in Pain: A Repeated Measures Observational Pilot Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Claudia M; Buenaver, Luis F; Raja, Srinivasa N; Kiley, Kasey B; Swedberg, Lauren J; Wacnik, Paul W; Cohen, Steven P; Erdek, Michael A; Williams, Kayode A; Christo, Paul J

    2015-07-01

    Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has become a widely used treatment option for a variety of pain conditions. Substantial variability exists in the degree of benefit obtained from SCS and patient selection is a topic of expanding interest and importance. However, few studies have examined the potential benefits of dynamic quantitative sensory testing (QST) to develop objective measures of SCS outcomes or as a predictive tool to help patient selection. Psychological characteristics have been shown to play an important role in shaping individual differences in the pain experience and may aid in predicting responses to SCS. Static laboratory pain-induction measures have also been examined in their capacity for predicting SCS outcomes. The current study evaluated clinical, psychological and laboratory pain measures at baseline, during trial SCS lead placement, as well as 1 month and 3 months following permanent SCS implantation in chronic pain patients who received SCS treatment. Several QST measures were conducted, with specific focus on examination of dynamic models (central sensitization and conditioned pain modulation [CPM]) and their association with pain outcomes 3 months post SCS implantation. Results suggest few changes in QST over time. However, central sensitization and CPM at baseline were significantly associated with clinical pain at 3 months following SCS implantation, controlling for psycho/behavioral factors and pain at baseline. Specifically, enhanced central sensitization and reduced CPM were associated with less self-reported pain 3 months following SCS implantation. These findings suggest a potentially important role for dynamic pain assessment in individuals undergoing SCS, and hint at potential mechanisms through which SCS may impart its benefit. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. Evaluating the Measurement Properties of the Self-Assessment of Treatment Version II, Follow-Up Version, in Patients with Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Floortje van Nooten

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. The Self-Assessment of Treatment version II (SAT II measures treatment-related improvements in pain and impacts and impressions of treatment in neuropathic pain patients. The measure has baseline and follow-up versions. This study assesses the measurement properties of the SAT II. Methods. Data from 369 painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (PDPN patients from a phase III trial assessing capsaicin 8% patch (Qutenza® efficacy and safety were used in these analyses. Reliability, convergent validity, known-groups validity, and responsiveness (using the Brief Pain Inventory-Diabetic Neuropathy [BPI-DN] and Patient Global Impression of Change [PGIC] analyses were conducted, and minimally important differences (MID were estimated. Results. Exploratory factor analysis supported a one-factor solution for the six impact items. The SAT II has good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha: 0.96 and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients: 0.62–0.88. Assessment of convergent validity showed moderate to strong correlations with change in other study endpoints. Scores varied significantly by level of pain intensity and sleep interference (p<0.05 defined by the BPI-DN. Responsiveness was shown based on the PGIC. MID estimates ranged from 1.2 to 2.4 (pain improvement and 1.0 to 2.0 (impact scores. Conclusions. The SAT II is a reliable and valid measure for assessing treatment improvement in PDPN patients.

  19. Effectiveness of Splanchnic Nerve Neurolysis for Targeting Location of Cancer Pain: Using the Pain Drawing as an Outcome Variable.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novy, Diane M; Engle, Mitchell P; Lai, Emily A; Cook, Christina; Martin, Emily C; Trahan, Lisa; Yu, Jun; Koyyalagunta, Dhanalakshmi

    2016-07-01

    The effectiveness of splanchnic nerve neurolysis (SNN) for cancer-related abdominal pain has been investigated using numeric pain intensity rating as an outcome variable. The outcome variable in this study used the grid method for obtaining a targeted pain drawing score on 60 patients with pain from pancreatic or gastro-intestinal primary cancers or metastatic disease to the abdominal region. Results demonstrate excellent inter-rater agreement (intra-class correlation [ICC] coefficient at pre-SNN = 0.97 and ICC at within one month post-SNN = 0.98) for the grid method of scoring the pain drawing and demonstrate psychometric generalizability among patients with cancer-related pain. Using the Wilcoxon signed rank test and associated effect sizes, results show significant improvement in dispersion of pain following SNN. Effect sizes for the difference in pre-SNN to 2 post-SNN time points were higher for the pain drawing than for pain intensity rating. Specifically, the effect size difference from pre- to within one month post-SNN was r = 0.42 for pain drawing versus r = 0.23 for pain intensity rating. Based on a smaller subset of patients who were seen within 1 - 6 months following SNN, the effect size difference from pre-SNN was r = 0.46 for pain drawing versus r = 0.00 for pain intensity rating. Collectively, these data support the use of the pain drawing as a reliable outcome measure among patients with cancer pain for procedures such as SNN that target specific location and dispersion of pain.

  20. Pre-differentiated GABAergic neural precursor transplants for alleviation of dysesthetic central pain following excitotoxic spinal cord injury

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeung Woon eLee

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Intraspinal quisqualic acid (QUIS injury induce (i mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia, (ii progressive self-injurious overgrooming of the affected dermatome. The latter is thought to resemble painful dysesthesia observed in spinal cord injury (SCI patients. We have reported previously loss of endogenous GABA immunoreactive (IR cells in the superficial dorsal horn of QUIS rats 2 weeks post-injury. Further histological evaluation showed that GABA-, glycine-, and synaptic vesicular transporter VIAAT-IR persisted but were substantially decreased in the injured spinal cord. In this study, partially-differentiated GABA-IR embryonic neural precursor cells (NPCs were transplanted into the spinal cord of QUIS rats to reverse overgrooming by replenishing lost inhibitory circuitry. Rat E14 NPCs were predifferentiated in 0.1 ng/ml FGF-2 for 4 hrs prior to transplantation. In vitro immunocytochemistry of transplant cohort showed large population of GABA-IR NPCs that double labeled with nestin but few co-localized with NeuN, indicating partial maturation. Two weeks following QUIS lesion at T12-L1, and following the onset of overgrooming, NPCs were transplanted into the QUIS lesion sites; bovine adrenal fibroblast cells were used as control. Overgrooming was reduced in >55.5% of NPC grafted animals, with inverse relationship between the number of surviving GABA-IR cells and the size of overgrooming. Fibroblast-control animals showed a progressive worsening of overgrooming. At 3 weeks post-transplantation, numerous GABA-, nestin-, and GFAP-IR cells were present in the lesion site. Surviving grafted GABA-IR NPCs were NeuN+ and GFAP-. These results indicate that partially-differentiated NPCs survive and differentiate in vivo into neuronal cells following transplantation into an injured spinal cord. GABA-IR NPC transplants can restore lost dorsal horn inhibitory signaling and are useful in alleviating central pain following SCI.

  1. Clinically meaningful scores on pain catastrophizing before and after multidisciplinary rehabilitation: a prospective study of individuals with subacute pain after whiplash injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, Whitney; Wideman, Timothy H; Sullivan, Michael J L

    2014-03-01

    Pain catastrophizing has emerged as a significant risk factor for problematic recovery after musculoskeletal injury. As such, there has been an increased focus on interventions that target patients' levels of catastrophizing. However, it is not presently clear how clinicians might best interpret scores on catastrophizing before and after treatment. Thus, the purpose of this study was to provide preliminary guidelines for the clinical interpretation of scores on pain catastrophizing among individuals with subacute pain after musculoskeletal injury. A sample of 166 occupationally disabled individuals with subacute pain due to a whiplash injury participated in this study. Participants completed a 7-week standardized multidisciplinary rehabilitation program aimed at fostering functional recovery. Participants completed the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) upon program commencement and completion. One year later, participants indicated their pain severity and involvement in employment activities. Separate receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were conducted to determine absolute pretreatment and posttreatment and percent change scores on the PCS that were best associated with clinically important levels of pain and employment status at the follow-up. An absolute pretreatment PCS score of 24 best identified patients according to follow-up clinical outcomes. Posttreatment PCS scores of 14 and 15 best identified patients with high follow-up pain intensity ratings and those who did not return to work, respectively. PCS reductions of approximately 38% to 44% were best associated with return to work and low pain intensity ratings at follow-up. The results indicate scores on catastrophizing before and after treatment that are clinically meaningful. These results may serve as preliminary guidelines to assess the clinical significance of interventions targeting pain catastrophizing in patients with subacute pain after musculoskeletal injury.

  2. Parental Approach to the Prevention and Management of Fever and Pain Following Childhood Immunizations: A Survey Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saleh, Ezzeldin; Swamy, Geeta K; Moody, M Anthony; Walter, Emmanuel B

    2017-05-01

    Antipyretic analgesics are commonly used to prevent and treat adverse events following immunizations. Current practice discourages routine use due to possible blunting of vaccine immune responses. We surveyed 150 parents/caregivers of recently vaccinated 6- and 15-month-old children to determine the prevalence of and beliefs regarding antipyretic analgesics use around vaccinations. 11% used them prophylactically, before vaccination. Use in the first 48 hours after vaccination was 64%, primarily to prevent and/or treat fever and pain. Acetaminophen was administered 2.6 times more frequently than ibuprofen. Ibuprofen was used more in the 15-month compared with the 6-month-old children (28% vs 7.4%, respectively, P = .001). The majority of caregivers disagreed with their use for fever (53%) or pain (59%). Antipyretic analgesic use, including prophylaxis, around vaccinations was common in our study population. Effective interventions are needed to target parents/caregivers to eliminate unnecessary antipyretic analgesic use around vaccination time and foster nonmedication alternatives.

  3. Psychosocial factors associated with change in pain and disability outcomes in chronic low back pain patients treated by physiotherapist: A systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alhowimel, Ahmed; AlOtaibi, Mazyad; Radford, Kathryn; Coulson, Neil

    2018-01-01

    Almost 80% of people have low back pain at least once in their life. Clinical guidelines emphasize the use of conservative physiotherapy and the importance of staying active. While the psychological factors predicting poor recovery following surgical intervention are understood, the psychosocial factors associated with poor outcomes following physiotherapy have yet to be identified. Electronic searches of PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO and EBSCO were conducted using terms relating to psychosocial factors, chronic low back pain, disability and physiotherapy. Papers examining the relationship between psychosocial factors and pain and disability outcomes following physiotherapy were included. Two reviewers selected, appraised and extracted studies independently. In total, 10 observational studies were identified that suggested an association between fear of movement, depression, self-efficacy and catastrophizing in modifying pain and disability outcomes following physiotherapy. Although limited by methodological shortcomings of included studies, and heterogeneity of physiotherapy interventions and measures of disability and psychosocial outcomes, the findings are consistent with other research in the context of back pain and physiotherapy, which suggest an association between psychosocial factors, including fear of movement, catastrophizing and self-efficacy and pain and disability outcomes in chronic low back pain patients treated by physiotherapist. However, a direct relationship cannot be concluded from this study. Findings suggest an association between psychosocial factors, including fear of movement, catastrophizing and self-efficacy and pain and disability outcomes in chronic low back pain patients treated by physiotherapist, which warrants further study.

  4. Acute severe neck pain and dysphagia following cervical maneuver: diagnostic approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trendel, D; Bonfort, G; Lapierre-Combes, M; Salf, E; Barberot, J-P

    2014-04-01

    Overlooking an etiologic hypothesis in acute neck pain with dysphagia may lead to misdiagnosis. A 51-year-old man who had received cervical manipulation came to the emergency unit with evolutive acute neck pain, cervical spine stiffness and odynophagia, without fever or other signs of identified pathology. Cervical X-ray and CT angiography of the supra-aortic vessels ruled out traumatic etiology (fracture or arterial dissection) and revealed an accessory bone, orienting diagnosis toward retropharyngeal abscess, which was, however, belied by endoscopy performed under general anesthesia. A second CT scan with contrast injection and tissue phase ruled out infection, revealing a retropharyngeal calcification inducing retropharyngeal edema. Evolution under analgesics was favorable within 13 days. Given a clinical triad associating acute neck pain, cervical spine stiffness and odynophagia, traumatic or infectious etiology was initially suspected. Cervical CT diagnosed calcific tendinitis of the longus colli, revealing a pathognomic retropharyngeal calcification. Secondary to hydroxyapatite deposits anterior to the odontoid process of the axis, this is a rare form of tendinopathy, usually showing favorable evolution in 10-15 days under analgesic and anti-inflammatory treatment. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  5. Protective determinants of sickness absence among employees with multisite pain-a 7-year follow-up.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haukka, Eija; Ojajärvi, Anneli; Kaila-Kangas, Leena; Leino-Arjas, Päivi

    2017-02-01

    We identified factors protective of all-cause sickness absence (SA) among subjects with multisite musculoskeletal pain (MSP). The nationally representative source sample comprised 3420 actively working Finns aged 30 to 55 in year 2000 and alive at follow-up. Pain in 18 body locations was combined into four sites (neck, low back, upper limbs, and lower limbs). The baseline prevalence of MSP (pain in ≥ 2 sites) was 32%. Baseline data on sociodemographic factors, work ability, work, health, and lifestyle were gathered by questionnaire, interview, and clinical examination and linked with national registers on all-cause SA (periods lasting ≥10 workdays) for 2002 to 2008. Based on trajectory analysis, 74% of those with MSP had a low and 26% a high probability of SA. In logistic regression analysis, younger age, male sex, and professional occupational group were inversely associated with SA. Allowing for these, good physician-assessed work ability, physically light work, possibility to adjust workday length, encouraging workplace atmosphere, no problems with working community or mental stress, normal weight, and no sleep disorders were predictive of lower SA rates (odds ratios between 0.47 and 0.70). In a final stepwise model adjusted for age, sex, and occupational group, no exposure to lifting (odds ratio 0.58, 95% confidence interval 0.39-0.85) and to repetitive hand movements (0.57, 0.39-0.83), possibility to adjust workday length (0.73, 0.53-0.99), and normal weight (0.59, 0.40-0.87) were inversely associated with SA. In conclusion, several modifiable factors related to work and lifestyle were found as predictive of lower rates of longer SA among occupationally active subjects with MSP.

  6. Efficacy and Tolerability of Intramuscular Dexketoprofen in Postoperative Pain Management following Hernia Repair Surgery

    OpenAIRE

    Jamdade, P. T.; Porwal, A.; Shinde, J. V.; Erram, S. S.; Kamat, V. V.; Karmarkar, P. S.; Bhagtani, K.; Dhorepatil, S.; Irpatgire, R.; Bhagat, H.; Kolte, S. S.; Shirure, P. A.

    2011-01-01

    Objective. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of intramuscular dexketoprofen for postoperative pain in patients undergoing hernia surgery. Methodology. Total 202 patients received single intramuscular injection of dexketoprofen 50 mg or diclofenac 50 mg postoperatively. The pain intensity (PI) was self-evaluated by patients on VAS at baseline 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 hours. The efficacy parameters were number of responders, difference in PI (PID) at 8 hours, sum of analogue of pain intensity differ...

  7. The sodium pentothal hypnosis interview with follow-up treatment for complex regional pain syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simon, E P; Dahl, L F

    1999-08-01

    A patient who was unresponsive to multiple conservative medical treatments for complex regional pain syndrome was assessed using a novel approach--the sodium pentothal hypnosis interview. The interview suggested that his pain was centrally generated. The patient's pain symptoms resolved with hypnotherapeutic treatment. Indications for this procedure and implications for assessment and treatment are discussed. This case raises more questions than it answers, and leaves the reader to struggle with current difficulties in diagnostic decision-making.

  8. Children's pain perspectives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esteve, R; Marquina-Aponte, V

    2012-05-01

    Previous studies on children's pain perspectives remain limited to English-speaking populations. An exploratory cross-sectional descriptive design was used to investigate the developmental progression of children's pain perspectives, including their pain experience, its definition and attributes, causality and coping. The Children's Pain Perspectives Inventory was applied to 180 healthy Spanish children. A coding system was developed following the content analysis method. Three age groups were compared: 4-6 years, corresponding to the Piagetian pre-operational stage of cognitive development; 7-11 years, corresponding to stage of concrete operations; and 12-14 years, corresponding to the period of early formal operations. In children between 4 and 6, the predominant narratives related to physical injuries, the notion of causality and the definition of pain. In children between 7 and 11, the predominant narratives were those in which pain was described as a sensation in one part of the body. The view of pain as having an emotional basis significantly increased with age and was more frequent in adolescents. In contrast, children between 4-6 and 7-11 indicated that pain occurs spontaneously. The denial of any positive aspects of pain significantly decreased with age; some children between 7 and 11 referred to the 'possibility of relief', while the view that pain is a 'learning experience' was significantly more frequent among adolescents aged between 12 and 14 years. The use of cognitive strategies to control pain significantly increased with age. Between 12 and 14 years of age, adolescents communicate pain by non-verbal behaviour and reported that they do not express demands for relief. There was a progression from concrete to more complex notions of pain as age increased. These results may be of use to health professionals and parents to understand how children at various developmental stages express and cope with pain and to develop tools that effectively assess and

  9. Results of Percutaneous Balloon Compression in Trigeminal Pain Syndromes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grewal, Sanjeet S; Kerezoudis, Panagiotis; Garcia, Oscar; Quinones-Hinojosa, Alfredo; Reimer, Ronald; Wharen, Robert E

    2018-06-01

    To investigate initial pain relief and subsequent recurrence after percutaneous balloon compression (PBC) and describe its association with the nature of trigeminal pain, previous procedures, or other clinical factors. A total of 222 patients with medically refractory trigeminal pain treated with PBC at Mayo Clinic Florida between 1998 and 2017 were enrolled into this study. Patients were divided into those with typical trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and those with atypical trigeminal pain. The postprocedural rate of pain recurrence and associations between patient characteristics and recurrence were studied. One hundred fifty-two patients had TN and 70 patients had atypical pain. At the last follow-up, 158 patients had excellent pain relief, 37 had good pain relief, 11 had fair pain relief, and 16 had poor pain relief. The median duration of follow-up was 31.1 months. Patients with atypical pain were less likely to have an excellent result compared with patients with typical pain (61.4% vs. 82.9%; P < 0.001). Recurrence was observed in 103 patients (46.4%) and was associated with previous procedures (hazard ratio, 1.658; 95% confidence interval, 1.09-2.49; P = 0.017). Other clinical factors were not significant. Our study demonstrates the safety and efficacy of PBC, with 88% of patients pain-free at last follow-up. Patients with atypical pain have worse outcomes, and patients with previous procedures have a higher risk of recurrence. Repeat surgery does not decrease efficacy. We recommend conservative parameter selection at the initial procedure. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Aging and low back pain among exercise participants: a follow-up study with psychological adaptation factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilks, Scott E; Kadivar, Zahra; Guillory, Stephen A; Isaza, Jorge

    2009-01-01

    This study is a follow-up to a study previously published in this journal that reported the moderating function of exercise exertion amid the relationship between age and low back pain (LBP) among consistent exercise participants. The current study analyzed factors of psychological adaptation as potential mediators within the age--LBP relationship. Measures of psychological adaptation included psychological vulnerability, avoidant coping, resilient coping, and perceived resilience. The sample reported slightly moderate psychological vulnerability; a moderate extent of avoidant coping and resilient coping; and high resilience. Age inversely correlated with psychological vulnerability and avoidance coping. LBP correlated inversely with avoidant coping. Avoidant coping positively mediated (enhanced) age's effect on LBP. Results from this follow-up analysis highlight the importance of understanding and testing psychological factors in models with age and a physical health outcome.

  11. Differential proteomics analysis of the analgesic effect of electroacupuncture intervention in the hippocampus following neuropathic pain in rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gao Yong-Hui

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Evidence is building steadily on the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy in pain relief and repeated acupuncture-induced pain relief is accompanied by improvement of hippocampal neural synaptic plasticity. To further test the cellular and molecular changes underlying analgesic effect of acupuncture, the global change of acupuncture associated protein profiles in the hippocampus under neuropathic pain condition was profiled. Methods The chronic constrictive injury (CCI model was established by ligature of the unilateral sciatic nerve in adult Wistar rats. Rats were randomized into normal control (NC group, CCI group, and CCI with electroacupuncture (EA stimulation group. EA was applied to bilateral Zusanli (ST36 and Yanglingquan (GB34 in the EA group. Differentially expressed proteins in the hippocampus in the three groups were identified by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry. The functional clustering of the identified proteins was analyzed by Mascot software. Results After CCI, the thermal pain threshold of the affected hind footpad was decreased and was reversed gradually by 12 sessions of acupuncture treatment. Following EA, there were 19 hippocampal proteins identified with significant changes in expression (>2-fold, which are involved in metabolic, physiological, and cellular processes. The top three canonical pathways identified were “cysteine metabolism”, “valine, leucine, and isoleucine degradation” and “mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK signaling”. Conclusions These data suggest that the analgesic effect of EA is mediated by regulation of hippocampal proteins related to amino acid metabolism and activation of the MAPK signaling pathway.

  12. Pain and Satisfaction With Pain Management Among Older Patients During the Transition From Acute to Skilled Nursing Care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simmons, Sandra F; Schnelle, John F; Saraf, Avantika A; Simon Coelho, Chris; Jacobsen, J Mary Lou; Kripalani, Sunil; Bell, Susan; Mixon, Amanda; Vasilevskis, Eduard E

    2016-12-01

    Approximately 20% of hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries are discharged from the hospital to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs); and up to 23% of SNF patients return to the hospital within 30 days of hospital discharge, with pain as one of the most common symptoms precipitating hospital readmission. We sought to examine the prevalence of moderate to severe pain at hospital discharge to SNF, the incidence of new moderate to severe pain (relative to prehospitalization), and satisfaction with pain management among older acute care patients discharged to SNF. Structured patient interviews were conducted with 188 Medicare beneficiaries discharged to 23 area SNFs from an academic medical center. Pain level (0-10) and satisfaction with pain management were assessed upon hospital admission, discharge, and within 1 week after transition to SNF. There was a high prevalence of moderate to severe pain at each time point including prehospital (51%), hospital discharge (38%), and following SNF admission (53%). Twenty-eight percent of participants reported new moderate to severe pain at hospital discharge, whereas 44% reported new moderate to severe pain following SNF admission. Most participants reported being "satisfied" with their pain treatment, even in the context of moderate to severe pain. Moderate to severe pain is a common problem among hospitalized older adults discharged to SNF and continues during their SNF stay. Pain assessment and management should involve a specific, planned process between hospital and SNF clinicians at the point of care transition, even if patients express "satisfaction" with current pain management. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  13. [Operative treatment of painful neuromas].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stokvis, Annemieke; Coert, J Henk

    2011-01-01

    3-5% of patients with traumatic or iatrogenic peripheral nerve injury develop a painful neuroma, especially following trauma of small cutaneous sensory nerve branches. Neuroma pain is difficult to treat and often leads to loss of function and reduction of quality of life. Patients with a painful neuroma present with spontaneous electric, shooting or burning pain, allodynia, hyperalgesia and cold intolerance. The diagnosis is based on the medical history and physical examination, supplemented by Tinel's test and a diagnostic nerve blockade. Lasting pain relief is possible by means of surgical neuroma treatment performed by a plastic surgeon. Surgical treatment consists of repair or denervation of the nerve with relocation of the nerve stump in bone or muscle tissue or a vein. Referral of neuroma patients without delay to a plastic surgeon or multidisciplinary consultation is important, because the symptoms become increasingly difficult to treat over time. 3-5% of patients with traumatic or iatrogenic peripheral nerve injury develop a painful neuroma, especially following trauma of small cutaneous sensory nerve branches. Neuroma pain is difficult to treat and often leads to loss of function and reduction of quality of life. Patients with a painful neuroma present with spontaneous electric, shooting or burning pain, allodynia, hyperalgesia and cold intolerance. The diagnosis is based on the medical history and physical examination, supplemented by Tinel's test and a diagnostic nerve blockade. Lasting pain relief is possible by means of surgical neuroma treatment performed by a plastic surgeon. Surgical treatment consists of repair or denervation of the nerve with relocation of the nerve stump in bone or muscle tissue or a vein. Referral of neuroma patients without delay to a plastic surgeon or multidisciplinary consultation is important, because the symptoms become increasingly difficult to treat over time.

  14. An Intensive Locomotor Training Paradigm Improves Neuropathic Pain following Spinal Cord Compression Injury in Rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dugan, Elizabeth A; Sagen, Jacqueline

    2015-05-01

    Spinal cord injury (SCI) is often associated with both locomotor deficits and sensory dysfunction, including debilitating neuropathic pain. Unfortunately, current conventional pharmacological, physiological, or psychological treatments provide only marginal relief for more than two-thirds of patients, highlighting the need for improved treatment options. Locomotor training is often prescribed as an adjunct therapy for peripheral neuropathic pain but is rarely used to treat central neuropathic pain. The goal of this study was to evaluate the potential anti-nociceptive benefits of intensive locomotor training (ILT) on neuropathic pain consequent to traumatic SCI. Using a rodent SCI model for central neuropathic pain, ILT was initiated either 5 d after injury prior to development of neuropathic pain symptoms (the "prevention" group) or delayed until pain symptoms fully developed (∼3 weeks post-injury, the "reversal" group). The training protocol consisted of 5 d/week of a ramping protocol that started with 11 m/min for 5 min and increased in speed (+1 m/min/week) and time (1-4 minutes/week) to a maximum of two 20-min sessions/d at 15 m/min by the fourth week of training. ILT prevented and reversed the development of heat hyperalgesia and cold allodynia, as well as reversed developed tactile allodynia, suggesting analgesic benefits not seen with moderate levels of locomotor training. Further, the analgesic benefits of ILT persisted for several weeks once training had been stopped. The unique ability of an ILT protocol to produce robust and sustained anti-nociceptive effects, as assessed by three distinct outcome measures for below-level SCI neuropathic pain, suggests that this adjunct therapeutic approach has great promise in a comprehensive treatment strategy for SCI pain.

  15. Long-Term Follow-Up of Gut-Directed Hypnotherapy vs. Standard Care in Children With Functional Abdominal Pain or Irritable Bowel Syndrome

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vlieger, Arine M.; Rutten, Juliette M. T. M.; Govers, Anita M. A. P.; Frankenhuis, Carla; Benninga, Marc A.

    2012-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: We previously showed that gut-directed hypnotherapy (HT) is highly effective in the treatment of children with functional abdominal pain (FAP) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Aim of this follow-up study was to investigate the long-term effects of HT vs. standard medical treatment

  16. TelePain: Primary Care Chronic Pain Management through Weekly Didactic and Case-based Telementoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flynn, Diane M; Eaton, Linda H; McQuinn, Honor; Alden, Ashley; Meins, Alexa R; Rue, Tessa; Tauben, David J; Doorenbos, Ardith Z

    2017-12-01

    Chronic pain is a significant problem among military personnel and a priority of the military health system. The U.S. Army Surgeon General's Pain Management Task Force recommends using telehealth capabilities to enhance pain management. This article describes the development and evaluation of a telehealth intervention (TelePain) designed to improve access to pain specialist consultation in the military health system. The study uses a wait-list controlled clinical trial to test: 1) effectiveness of the intervention, and 2) interviews to assess barriers and facilitators of the intervention implementation. The intervention involves a didactic presentation based on the Joint Pain Education Curriculum followed by patient case presentations and multi-disciplinary discussion via videoconference by clinicians working in the military health system. A panel of pain specialists representing pain medicine, internal medicine, anesthesiology, rehabilitation medicine, psychiatry, addiction medicine, health psychology, pharmacology, nursing, and complementary and integrative pain management provide pain management recommendations for each patient case. We use the Pain Assessment Screening Tool and Outcomes Registry (PASTOR) to measure patient outcomes, including pain, sleep, fatigue, anxiety, and depression. This article reports some of the challenges and lessons learned during early implementation of the TelePain intervention. Weekly telephone meetings among the multisite research team were instrumental in problem solving, identifying problem areas, and developing solutions. Solutions for recruitment challenges included additional outreach and networking to military health providers, both building on.

  17. Pain and recovery after total knee arthroplasty: a 12-month follow-up after a prospective randomized study evaluating Nefopam and Ketamine for early rehabilitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aveline, Christophe; Roux, Alain Le; Hetet, Hubert Le; Gautier, Jean F; Vautier, Pierre; Cognet, Fabrice; Bonnet, Francis

    2014-09-01

    Ketamine and nefopam has been documented to decrease pain intensity and improve rehabilitation after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). We conducted a follow-up study of a previously randomized clinical trial to determine the prevalence and risk factors of chronic pain 1 year after TKA and to assess the role of perioperative administration of ketamine and nefopam. The original randomized, double-blind trial evaluated postoperative pain in 75 patients scheduled for TKA who received either a 48-hour infusion of ketamine or nefopam compared with placebo. The current study has evaluated patients at 6 and 12 months for the presence of chronic pain defined as a visual analogue scale ≥40 mm during a stair-climbing test. Other outcomes were incidence of neuropathic pain evaluated (DN4 score), active flexion of the knee, and functional outcome (KOOS-PS score). A total of 69 patients completed the trial. The prevalence of chronic pain at 12 months was 17.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 10.2%-27.9%) without difference between the ketamine (12.5%), nefopam (13.7%), and placebo groups (26.1%). Prevalence of neuropathic pain was 10.2% (95% CI, 3%-17.3%). Ketamine reduced DN4 scores (P=0.02), increased knee flexion (P=0.0007), and KOOS-PS scores (Ppain (odds ratio 4.54; 95% CI, 1.17-17.67). After TKA, the intensity of postoperative pain is a risk factor of chronic pain on movement. Intraoperative ketamine seems to improve long-term results of rehabilitation in this setting.

  18. CT-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation in osteoid osteoma. Re-assessments of results with optimized technique and possible pain patterns in mid-term follow-up

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Omlor, G.; Merle, C.; Lehner, B.; Ewerbeck, V.; Rehnitz, C.; Weber, M.A.; Ludwig, K.

    2012-01-01

    To re-assess radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of osteoid osteoma (OO) with an optimized technique and to evaluate patterns of post-interventional pain important for the detection of recurrence. 44 consecutive patients with OO treated with precise inclusion criteria by RFA were examined retrospectively. RFA was performed with an optimized technique. Technical success (TS), primary and secondary clinical success (PCS/SCS) and minor and major complications (MIC/MAC) were evaluated. Pain patterns defined as 'osteoid osteoma-specific pain' (OOSP) and 'unspecific pain' (UP), 'limitations in daily activity' (LDA) and 'patient satisfaction' (PS) were evaluated using a numeric rating scale (0 - 10; 0 = no pain, 0 = no limitation, 10 = fully satisfied). The pain intensity before and after RFA was compared. The mean follow-up time was 35 months (n = 40, range 2 - 60 months). TS was 100 % (n = 44), PCS 98 % (n = 44), and SCS 100 % (n = 40). MIC and MAC were 0 % (n = 44). OOSP was 0 after RFA in all 44 patients. UP was 0 in 24 of 40 patients (60 %), 1 in 11 patients (28 %) for up to 7 days and 1 - 4 in 5 patients (13 %) for 30 - 180 days. LDA was 0 in 39 of 40 patients (98 %), and 1 in 1 patient. PS was 10 in all patients. The pain after RFA was significantly less than before RFA (p < 0.0001). Using an optimized technique primary clinical success rates in the high nineties have to be expected. Unspecific pain of low intensity is not unusual after RFA and has to be distinguished from pain caused by recurrent disease. (orig.)

  19. Preoperative paravertebral blocks for the management of acute pain following mastectomy: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Offodile, Anaeze C; Sheckter, Clifford C; Tucker, Austin; Watzker, Anna; Ottino, Kevin; Zammert, Martin; Padula, William V

    2017-10-01

    Preoperative paravertebral blocks (PPVBs) are routinely used for treating post-mastectomy pain, yet uncertainties remain about the cost-effectiveness of this modality. We aim to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of PPVBs at common willingness-to-pay (WTP) thresholds. A decision analytic model compared two strategies: general anesthesia (GA) alone versus GA with multilevel PPVB. For the GA plus PPVB limb, patients were subjected to successful block placement versus varying severity of complications based on literature-derived probabilities. The need for rescue pain medication was the terminal node for all postoperative scenarios. Patient-reported pain scores sourced from published meta-analyses measured treatment effectiveness. Costing was derived from wholesale acquisition costs, the Medicare fee schedule, and publicly available hospital charge masters. Charges were converted to costs and adjusted for 2016 US dollars. A commercial payer perspective was adopted. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were evaluated against WTP thresholds of $500 and $50,000 for postoperative pain control. The ICER for preoperative paravertebral blocks was $154.49 per point reduction in pain score. 15% variation in inpatient costs resulted in ICER values ranging from $124.40-$180.66 per pain point score reduction. Altering the probability of block success by 5% generated ICER values of $144.71-$163.81 per pain score reduction. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis yielded cost-effective trials 69.43% of the time at $500 WTP thresholds. Over a broad range of probabilities, PPVB in mastectomy reduces postoperative pain at an acceptable incremental cost compared to GA. Commercial payers should be persuaded to reimburse this technique based on convincing evidence of cost-effectiveness.

  20. Post-Flight Back Pain Following International Space Station Missions: Evaluation of Spaceflight Risk Factors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laughlin, Mitzi S.; Murray, Jocelyn D.; Wear, Mary L.; Van Baalen, Mary

    2016-01-01

    Back pain during spaceflight has often been attributed to the lengthening of the spinal column due to the absence of gravity during both short and long-duration missions. Upon landing and re-adaptation to gravity, the spinal column reverts back to its original length thereby causing some individuals to experience pain and muscular spasms, while others experience no ill effects. With International Space Station (ISS) missions, cases of back pain and injury are more common post-flight, but little is known about the potential risk factors.

  1. Somatization is associated with worse outcome in a chiropractic patient population with neck pain and low back pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ailliet, L; Rubinstein, S M; Knol, D; van Tulder, M W; de Vet, H C W

    2016-02-01

    To determine if psychosocial factors are associated with outcome in patients with neck pain or low back pain. In a prospective, multi-center chiropractic practice-based cohort study in Belgium and The Netherlands, 917 patients, of which 326 with neck pain and 591 with low back pain, completed self-administered questionnaires at baseline, following the second visit, and at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. Psychosocial factors assessed at baseline were: distress, depression, anxiety and somatization via the Four Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire, patient's beliefs regarding the effect of physical activity and work on their complaint via the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire, and social support via the Feij social support scale. Primary outcome measures were perceived recovery, pain intensity, and functional status which was measured with the Neck Disability Index and Oswestry Disability Index. A univariable regression analysis to estimate the relation between each psychological variable and outcome was followed by a multivariable multilevel regression analysis. There were no differences in baseline patient characteristics between the patient population from Belgium and the Netherlands. Somatization scores are consistently associated with perceived recovery, functional status and pain for both neck pain and low-back pain. Depression was associated with poorer functioning in patients with LBP. There was a small association between fear and function and pain for patients with neck pain or low-back pain. Somatization was the only variable consistently found to be associated with diminished perceived recovery, higher degree of neck or low back disability, and increased neck or low back pain. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Improvement in automatic postural coordination following alexander technique lessons in a person with low back pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cacciatore, Timothy W; Horak, Fay B; Henry, Sharon M

    2005-06-01

    The relationship between abnormal postural coordination and back pain is unclear. The Alexander Technique (AT) aims to improve postural coordination by using conscious processes to alter automatic postural coordination and ongoing muscular activity, and it has been reported to reduce low back pain. This case report describes the use of the AT with a client with low back pain and the observed changes in automatic postural responses and back pain. The client was a 49-year-old woman with a 25-year history of left-sided, idiopathic, lumbrosacral back pain. Automatic postural coordination was measured using a force plate during horizontal platform translations and one-legged standing. The client was tested monthly for 4 months before AT lessons and for 3 months after lessons. Before lessons, she consistently had laterally asymmetric automatic postural responses to translations. After AT lessons, the magnitude and asymmetry of her responses and balance improved and her low back pain decreased. Further research is warranted to study whether AT lessons improve low back pain-associated abnormalities in automatic postural coordination and whether improving automatic postural coordination helps to reduce low back pain.

  3. Optimism, pain coping strategies and pain intensity among women with rheumatoid arthritis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zuzanna Kwissa-Gajewska

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: According to the biopsychosocial model of pain, it is a multidimensional phenomenon, which comprises physiological (sensation-related factors, psychological (affective and social (socio-economic status, social support factors. Researchers have mainly focused on phenomena increasing the pain sensation; very few studies have examined psychological factors preventing pain. The aim of the research is to assess chronic pain intensity as determined by level of optimism, and to identify pain coping strategies in women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA. Material and methods : A survey was carried out among 54 women during a 7-day period of hospitalisation. The following questionnaires were used: LOT-R (optimism; Scheier, Carver and Bridges, the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ; Rosenstiel and Keefe and the 10-point visual-analogue pain scale (VAS. Results: The research findings indicate the significance of optimism in the experience of chronic pain, and in the pain coping strategies. Optimists felt a significantly lower level of pain than pessimists. Patients with positive outcome expectancies (optimists experienced less pain thanks to replacing catastrophizing (negative concentration on pain with an increased activity level. Regardless of personality traits, active coping strategies (e.g. ignoring pain sensations, coping self-statements – appraising pain as a challenge, a belief in one’s ability to manage pain resulted in a decrease in pain, whilst catastrophizing contributed to its intensification. The most common coping strategies included praying and hoping. Employment was an important demographic variable: the unemployed experienced less pain than those who worked. Conclusions : The research results indicate that optimism and pain coping strategies should be taken into account in clinical practice. Particular attention should be given to those who have negative outcome expectations, which in turn determine strong chronic pain

  4. Rehabilitation of scoliosis patients with pain after surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weiss, Hans-Rudolf

    2002-01-01

    In our centre, the postoperative scoliosis rehabilitation consists in stabilizing postural and respiratory exercises lasting several hours a day (5 1/2 to 7 hours). Additionally to pain treatment, we apply pain physiotherapy, physical therapy, acupuncture and besides manual medicine, also a psychological intervention and pain treatment by medication. 46 patients suffered from heavier pain 10 or more years after scoliosis surgery. The patients reported their pain at the beginning and at the end of 3-6 week in-patient rehabilitation programme. We applied a visual analogous scale (VAS), a numerical scale (NS), a standardized adjective scale (VRS), and a pain frequency scale. All the patients with an average age of 36 years old (SD=16) and an average curve angle of 35 degrees thoracic (SD=36) and 26 degrees lumbar (SD=22) showed a decrease of the values on the pain intensity scale. Pain reduction was highly significant, as well as pain frequency. Chronic pain as a late result following scoliosis surgery can be reduced by an intensive in-patient rehabilitation, at least in the short term. There are further necessary studies in order to follow-up the long-term effect of postoperative rehabilitation.

  5. "Real-life" treatment of chronic pain: Targets and goals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ablin, Jacob N; Buskila, Dan

    2015-02-01

    Treating chronic pain is a complex challenge. While textbooks and medical education classically categorize pain as originating from peripheral (nociceptive), neuropathic, or centralized origins, in real life each and every patient may present a combination of various pain sources, types, and mechanisms. Moreover, individual patients may evolve and develop differing types of pain throughout their clinical follow-up, further emphasizing the necessity to maintain clinical diligence during the evaluation and follow-up of these patients. Rational treatment of patients suffering from chronic pain must attempt at deconstructing complex pain cases, identifying variegate pain generators, and targeting them with appropriate interventions, while incorporating both pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies, rather than focusing on the total pain level, which represents an integral of all pain types. Failing to recognize the coexistence of different types of pain in an individual patient and escalating medications only on the basis of total pain intensity are liable to lead to both ineffective control of pain and increased untoward effects. In the current review, we outline strategies for deconstructing complex pain and therapeutic suggestions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Exercise Based- Pain Relief Program

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zadeh, Mahdi Hossein

    in the current study was to use exercise induced- muscle damage followed by ECC as an acute pain model and observe its effects on the sensitivity of the nociceptive system and blood supply in healthy subjects. Then, the effect of a repeated bout of the same exercise as a healthy pain relief strategy......Exercise-based pain management programs are suggested for relieving from musculoskeletal pain; however the pain experienced after unaccustomed, especially eccentric exercise (ECC) alters people´s ability to participate in therapeutic exercises. Subsequent muscle pain after ECC has been shown...... to cause localized pressure pain and hyperalgesia. A prior bout of ECC has been repeatedly reported to produce a protective adaptation known as repeated bout effect (RBE). One of the main scopes of the current project was to investigate the adaptations by which the RBE can be resulted from. The approach...

  7. Guidelines in the management of diabetic nerve pain: clinical utility of pregabalin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vinik, Aaron I; Casellini, Carolina M

    2013-01-01

    and the Toronto Consensus Panel on Diabetic Neuropathy were included. Unfortunately, the results of evidence-based studies do not necessarily take into account the presence of comorbidities, the cost of treatment, or the role of third-party payers in decision-making. Thus, this review attempts to give a more balanced view of the management of pain in the diabetic patient with neuropathy and in particular the role of pregabalin.

  8. Pain in Down's Syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Federica Mafrica

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Pain is a homeostatic mechanism that intervenes to protect the organism from harmful stimuli that could damage its integrity. It is made up of two components: the sensory-discriminative component, which identifies the provenance and characteristics of the type of pain; and the affective-motivational component, on which emotional reflexes, following the painful sensation, depend.There is a system for pain control at an encephalic and spinal level, principally made up of the periaqueductal grey matter, the periventricular area, the nucleus raphe magnus, and the pain-inhibition complex situated in the posterior horns of the spinal cord. Through the activation of these pain-control systems, the nervous system suppresses the afference of pain signals. Endogenous opioids represent another analgesic system.In the course of various studies on pain transmission in Down patients, the reduced tolerance of pain and the incapacity to give a qualitative and quantitative description emerged in a powerful way. All of these aspects cause difficulty in evaluating pain. This is linked to several learning difficulties. However, it cannot be excluded that in these anomalies of pain perception, both the anatomical and the neurotransmitter alteration, typical of this syndrome, may hold a certain importance.This fact may have important clinical repercussions that could affect the choice of therapeutic and rehabilitative schemes for treatment of pathologies in which pain is the dominant symptom, such as postoperative pain. It could influence research on analgesics that are more suitable for these patients, the evaluation of the depth of analgesia during surgical operation, and ultimately, absence of obvious pain manifestations. In conclusion, alterations of the central nervous system, neurotransmitters, pain transmission, and all related problems should be considered in the management of pain in patients with Down's syndrome, especially by algologists and

  9. Outcome After Pituitary Radiosurgery for Thalamic Pain Syndrome

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayashi, Motohiro; Chernov, Mikhail F.; Taira, Takaomi; Ochiai, Taku; Nakaya, Kotaro; Tamura, Noriko; Goto, Shinichi; Yomo, Shoji; Kouyama, Nobuo; Katayama, Yoko; Kawakami, Yoriko; Izawa, Masahiro; Muragaki, Yoshihiro

    2007-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate outcomes after pituitary radiosurgery in patients with post-stroke thalamic pain syndrome. Methods and Materials: From 2002 to 2006, 24 patients with thalamic pain syndrome underwent pituitary radiosurgery at Tokyo Women's Medical University and were followed at least 12 months thereafter. The radiosurgical target was defined as the pituitary gland and its connection with the pituitary stalk. The maximum dose varied from 140 to 180 Gy. Mean follow-up after treatment was 35 months (range, 12-48 months). Results: Initial pain reduction, usually within 48 h after radiosurgery, was marked in 17 patients (71%). However, in the majority of cases the pain recurred within 6 months after treatment, and at the time of the last follow-up examination durable pain control was marked in only 5 patients (21%). Ten patients (42%) had treatment-associated side effects. Anterior pituitary abnormalities were marked in 8 cases and required hormonal replacement therapy in 3; transient diabetes insipidus was observed in 2 cases, transient hyponatremia in 1, and clinical deterioration due to increase of the numbness severity despite significant reduction of pain was seen once. Conclusions: Pituitary radiosurgery for thalamic pain results in a high rate of initial efficacy and is accompanied by acceptable morbidity. It can be used as a primary minimally invasive management option for patients with post-stroke thalamic pain resistant to medical therapy. However, in the majority of cases pain recurrence occurs within 1 year after treatment

  10. Role of MR imaging in chronic wrist pain

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zanetti, Marco; Saupe, Nadja [University Hospital Balgrist, Department of Radiology, Zurich (Switzerland); Nagy, Ladislav [University Hospital Balgrist, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Zurich (Switzerland)

    2007-04-15

    Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for chronic wrist pain is challenging. Correct assessment of the triangular fibrocartilage, hyaline cartilage, ligaments, and tendons has become mandatory for comprehensive decision making in wrist surgery. The MR technique, potential and limits of MR imaging in patients with chronic wrist pain will be discussed. MR arthrography with injection of gadolinium-containing contrast material into the distal radioulnar joint is suggested for evaluation of the triangular fibrocartilage. The clinically meaningful ulnar-sided peripheral tears are otherwise hard to diagnose. The diagnostic performance of MR imaging for interosseous ligament tears varies considerably. The sensitivity for scapholunate ligament tears is consistently better than for lunotriquetral ligament tears. Gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging is considered to be the best technique for detecting established avascularity of bone, but the assessment of the MR results remains challenging. Most cases of ulnar impaction syndrome have characteristic focal signal intensity changes in the ulnar aspect of the lunate. Avascular necrosis of the lunate (Kienboeck's disease) is characterized by signal changes starting in the proximal radial aspect of the lunate. MR imaging is extremely sensitive for occult fractures. Questions arise if occult posttraumatic bone lesions seen on MR images only necessarily require the same treatment as fractures evident on plain films or computed tomography (CT) images. MR imaging and ultrasound are equally effective for detecting occult carpal ganglia. Carpe bossu (carpal boss) is a bony protuberance of a carpometacarpal joint II and III which may be associated with pain. (orig.)

  11. Role of MR imaging in chronic wrist pain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zanetti, Marco; Saupe, Nadja; Nagy, Ladislav

    2007-01-01

    Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for chronic wrist pain is challenging. Correct assessment of the triangular fibrocartilage, hyaline cartilage, ligaments, and tendons has become mandatory for comprehensive decision making in wrist surgery. The MR technique, potential and limits of MR imaging in patients with chronic wrist pain will be discussed. MR arthrography with injection of gadolinium-containing contrast material into the distal radioulnar joint is suggested for evaluation of the triangular fibrocartilage. The clinically meaningful ulnar-sided peripheral tears are otherwise hard to diagnose. The diagnostic performance of MR imaging for interosseous ligament tears varies considerably. The sensitivity for scapholunate ligament tears is consistently better than for lunotriquetral ligament tears. Gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging is considered to be the best technique for detecting established avascularity of bone, but the assessment of the MR results remains challenging. Most cases of ulnar impaction syndrome have characteristic focal signal intensity changes in the ulnar aspect of the lunate. Avascular necrosis of the lunate (Kienboeck's disease) is characterized by signal changes starting in the proximal radial aspect of the lunate. MR imaging is extremely sensitive for occult fractures. Questions arise if occult posttraumatic bone lesions seen on MR images only necessarily require the same treatment as fractures evident on plain films or computed tomography (CT) images. MR imaging and ultrasound are equally effective for detecting occult carpal ganglia. Carpe bossu (carpal boss) is a bony protuberance of a carpometacarpal joint II and III which may be associated with pain. (orig.)

  12. Resolution of pain after childbirth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eisenach, James C; Pan, Peter; Smiley, Richard M; Lavand'homme, Patricia; Landau, Ruth; Houle, Timothy T

    2013-01-01

    Chronic pain after surgery occurs in 10-40% of individuals, including 5-20% of women after cesarean delivery in previous reports. Pain and depression 2 months after childbirth are independently associated with more severe acute post-delivery pain. Here we examine other predictors of pain at 2 months and determine the incidence of pain at 6 and 12 months after childbirth. Following Institutional Review Board approval, 1228 women were interviewed within 36 h of delivery. Of these, 937 (76%) were successfully contacted by telephone at 2 months, and, if they had pain, at 6 and 12 months after delivery. The primary outcome measure was presence of pain which began at the time of delivery. We also generated a model of severity of acute post-delivery pain and 2 month pain and depression. Pain which began at the time of delivery was remarkably rare 6 and 12 months later (1.8% and 0.3% [upper 95% confidence limit, 1.2%], respectively). Past history of pain and degree of tissue damage at delivery accounted for 7.0% and 16.7%, respectively, of one aspect in the variability in acute post-delivery pain. Neither of these factors was associated with incidence of pain 2 months later. Using a definition of new onset pain from delivery, we show a remarkably low incidence of pain 1 yr after childbirth, including those with surgical delivery. Additionally, degree of tissue trauma and history of chronic pain, risk factors for pain 2 months after other surgery, were unimportant to pain 2 months after cesarean or vaginal delivery.

  13. Simulation of statistical systems with not necessarily real and positive probabilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kalkreuter, T.

    1991-01-01

    A new method to determine expectation values of observables in statistical systems with not necessarily real and positive probabilities is proposed. It is tested in a numerical study of the two-dimensional O(3)-symmetric nonlinear σ-model with Symanzik's one-loop improved lattice action. This model is simulated as polymer system with field dependent activities which can be made positive definite or indefinite by adjusting additive constants of the action. For a system with indefinite activities the new proposal is found to work. It is also verified that local observables are not affected by far-away ploymers with indefinite activities when the system has no long-range order. (orig.)

  14. Neuropathic pain in the orofacial region: The role of pain history. A retrospective study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dieb, W; Moreau, N; Chemla, I; Descroix, V; Boucher, Y

    2017-06-01

    Orofacial neuropathic pain is often difficult to treat, mostly because of still unclear underlying mechanisms. The occurrence of such neuropathic pain varies depending on different factors, of which preexisting preoperative pain seems to be of high importance. The aim of this study was thus to test the hypothesis that prior history of pain could indeed be considered a risk factor for the development of orofacial neuropathic pain in the same region. The study was performed in the dental department of the Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière (GHPS) in Paris, France. We investigated the presence of prior inflammatory pain before development of orofacial neuropathic pain in 56 patients. For each patient file, the following items were collected: age, gender; medical history; diagnosis; description of the pain (at time of consultation); presence or absence of prior dental treatment; date and type of dental treatment received. 41 patients (73%) of orofacial neuropathic pain patients had a history of pain compatible with an inflammatory condition; 4% (n=2) did not report any prior pain and 23% (n=13) could not remember. Among the patients with documented history of pain prior to neuropathy, 88% (n=36) received surgical treatment; 61%, (n=25) endodontic treatment and 22%, (n=9) restorative treatment. All eventually received endodontic treatment or tooth extraction. These dental treatments are compatible with the hypothesis of prior inflammatory pain in these patients. These results support the hypothesis that prior inflammatory pain could favor the development of orofacial neuropathic pain. Prevention and treatment of inflammatory trigeminal pain may therefore play a key role in preventing future neuropathic pain development. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  15. Mind-body dualism and the biopsychosocial model of pain: what did Descartes really say?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duncan, G

    2000-08-01

    In the last two decades there have been many critics of western biomedicine's poor integration of social and psychological factors in questions of human health. Such critiques frequently begin with a rejection of Descartes' mind-body dualism, viewing this as the decisive philosophical moment, radically separating the two realms in both theory and practice. It is argued here, however, that many such readings of Descartes have been selective and misleading. Contrary to the assumptions of many recent authors, Descartes' dualism does attempt to explain the union of psyche and soma - with more depth than is often appreciated. Pain plays a key role in Cartesian as well as contemporary thinking about the problem of dualism. Theories of the psychological origins of pain symptoms persisted throughout the history of modern medicine and were not necessarily discouraged by Cartesian mental philosophy. Moreover, the recently developed biopsychosocial model of pain may have more in common with Cartesian dualism than it purports to have. This article presents a rereading of Descartes' mental philosophy and his views on pain. The intention is not to defend his theories, but to re-evaluate them and to ask in what respect contemporary theories represent any significant advance in philosophical terms.

  16. Is a Widening Gender Wage Gap Necessarily Caused by a Glass Ceiling?

    OpenAIRE

    Staveren, Irene

    2012-01-01

    textabstractContrary to what is generally assumed, the gender wage gap and the glass ceiling may not necessarily be positively related. An exploratory analysis of aggregate public service personnel data for Uganda shows that the gender wage gap is small at the middle level of management, whereas it is twice as high at the top. At the same time, the share of women in top positions appears to be twice as high as at the middle ranks. Hence, it seems that in the context of a very patriarchal cult...

  17. Brain activity modifications following spinal cord stimulation for chronic neuropathic pain: A systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bentley, L D; Duarte, R V; Furlong, P L; Ashford, R L; Raphael, J H

    2016-04-01

    Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is believed to exert supraspinal effects; however, these mechanisms are still far from fully elucidated. This systematic review aims to assess existing neurophysiological and functional neuroimaging literature to reveal current knowledge regarding the effects of SCS for chronic neuropathic pain on brain activity, to identify gaps in knowledge, and to suggest directions for future research. Electronic databases and hand-search of reference lists were employed to identify publications investigating brain activity associated with SCS in patients with chronic neuropathic pain, using neurophysiological and functional neuroimaging techniques (fMRI, PET, MEG, EEG). Studies investigating patients with SCS for chronic neuropathic pain and studying brain activity related to SCS were included. Demographic data (age, gender), study factors (imaging modality, patient diagnoses, pain area, duration of SCS at recording, stimulus used) and brain areas activated were extracted from the included studies. Twenty-four studies were included. Thirteen studies used neuroelectrical imaging techniques, eight studies used haemodynamic imaging techniques, two studies employed both neuroelectrical and haemodynamic techniques separately, and one study investigated cerebral neurobiology. The limited available evidence regarding supraspinal mechanisms of SCS does not allow us to develop any conclusive theories. However, the studies included appear to show an inhibitory effect of SCS on somatosensory evoked potentials, as well as identifying the thalamus and anterior cingulate cortex as potential mediators of the pain experience. The lack of substantial evidence in this area highlights the need for large-scale controlled studies of this kind. © 2015 European Pain Federation - EFIC®

  18. Prediction of postoperative pain after mandibular third molar surgery

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rudin, Asa; Eriksson, Lars; Liedholm, Rolf

    2010-01-01

    . Standardized surgery was performed during local anesthesia. Postoperative pain management was with rescue paracetamol and ibuprofen. The patients were instructed to record each day their pain at rest and during dynamic conditions, and their requirement of analgesics for 14 days following surgery.......To evaluate the predictive potential of preoperative psychological and psychophysiological variables in estimating severity of postoperative pain following mandibular third molar surgery (MTMS). Methods: Following ethical committee approval and informed consent, 40 consecutive patients scheduled...... for MTMS were included. Preoperative psychometric indicators of anxiety, depression, and vulnerability were evaluated by patient questionnaires. Thermal thresholds and heat pain perception (1 second phasic stimuli: 44 degrees C to 48 degrees C) were evaluated with quantitative sensory testing techniques...

  19. TelePain: Primary care chronic pain management through weekly didactic and case‐based telementoring

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diane M. Flynn

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Chronic pain is a significant problem among military personnel and a priority of the military health system. The U.S. Army Surgeon General's Pain Management Task Force recommends using telehealth capabilities to enhance pain management. This article describes the development and evaluation of a telehealth intervention (TelePain designed to improve access to pain specialist consultation in the military health system. The study uses a wait-list cluster controlled clinical trial to test: 1 effectiveness of the intervention, and 2 interviews to assess barriers and facilitators of the intervention implementation. The intervention involves a didactic presentation based on the Joint Pain Education Curriculum followed by patient case presentations and multi-disciplinary discussion via videoconference by clinicians working in the military health system. A panel of pain specialists representing pain medicine, internal medicine, anesthesiology, rehabilitation medicine, psychiatry, addiction medicine, health psychology, pharmacology, nursing, and complementary and integrative pain management provide pain management recommendations for each patient case. We use the Pain Assessment Screening Tool and Outcomes Registry (PASTOR to measure patient outcomes, including pain, sleep, fatigue, anxiety, and depression. This article reports some of the challenges and lessons learned during early implementation of the TelePain intervention. Weekly telephone meetings among the multisite research team were instrumental in problem solving, identifying problem areas, and developing solutions. Solutions for recruitment challenges included additional outreach and networking to military health providers, both building on existing relationships and new relationships.

  20. Retrospective study on radiotherapy efficacy in case of painful heel spur

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klossok-Niethammer, Ruth Giuliana

    2011-01-01

    Objective: The effect of radiotherapy in context of a plantar fasciitis in order to reduce pain was evaluated in this retrospective study. Patients and methods: The data of 188 patients who suffered of heel spur pain and who were irradiated in the period from 1994 to 2009 were evaluated in this study. All of them had at least one follow up examination after radiatiotherapy. The mean age amounted to 57 years. 76.5% of the patients were female. All patients described a local pain which was the basis for the indication. 74.4 % of the patients described pain especially under stress. The duration of anamnesis was averaged as follows: 15 % of the patients had pain for some weeks to 3 months, 43 % for 4 to 6 months, 28% even for 7 to 12 months. The period of medical history was longer than 12 months for 12 % of the patients in this study. 122 of 188 patients received orthopedic arch support (shoe inlays) as first therapy method. Most of the patients were irradiated using regular lateral opposing fields with photons of the energy 4 MV and 6 MV of a linear accelerator, applying a total dose of 6Gy in 6 fractions to 1,0Gy twice weekly. Only one patient was irradiated using a Co 60 machine. The acquisition of data regarding the effect was performed on the last day of the radiotherapy and in 3 to 6 monthly follow ups. Additionally the doctors who attended the patients beyond the radiotherapy received a special questionnaire about the pain reduction, so that the follow up data could be completed. Results: On the last day of radiotherapy 120/188 patients (63,8%)reported an improvement of pain reduction, 7/188 patients (3,7%) absence of pain. For 52/188 patients (27.6 %) pain remained constant. At the second follow up examination after in the median 100 days the effect of radiotherapy of 165 patients could be evaluated, 43/165 patients (26 %) were pain free, 79/165 patients (47,8 %) reported an obvious pain reduction, and for 33/165 patients there was no pain improvement. At the

  1. CT-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation in osteoid osteoma. Re-assessments of results with optimized technique and possible pain patterns in mid-term follow-up

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Omlor, G.; Merle, C.; Lehner, B.; Ewerbeck, V. [Universitaetsklinik Heidelberg (Germany). Orthopaedische Universitaetsklinik; Rehnitz, C.; Weber, M.A. [Universitaetsklinik Heidelberg (Germany). Klinik fuer Diagnostische und Interventionelle Radiologie; Ludwig, K. [Klinikum Herford (Germany). Klinik fuer Diagnostische und Interventionelle Radiologie

    2012-04-15

    To re-assess radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of osteoid osteoma (OO) with an optimized technique and to evaluate patterns of post-interventional pain important for the detection of recurrence. 44 consecutive patients with OO treated with precise inclusion criteria by RFA were examined retrospectively. RFA was performed with an optimized technique. Technical success (TS), primary and secondary clinical success (PCS/SCS) and minor and major complications (MIC/MAC) were evaluated. Pain patterns defined as 'osteoid osteoma-specific pain' (OOSP) and 'unspecific pain' (UP), 'limitations in daily activity' (LDA) and 'patient satisfaction' (PS) were evaluated using a numeric rating scale (0 - 10; 0 = no pain, 0 = no limitation, 10 = fully satisfied). The pain intensity before and after RFA was compared. The mean follow-up time was 35 months (n = 40, range 2 - 60 months). TS was 100 % (n = 44), PCS 98 % (n = 44), and SCS 100 % (n = 40). MIC and MAC were 0 % (n = 44). OOSP was 0 after RFA in all 44 patients. UP was 0 in 24 of 40 patients (60 %), 1 in 11 patients (28 %) for up to 7 days and 1 - 4 in 5 patients (13 %) for 30 - 180 days. LDA was 0 in 39 of 40 patients (98 %), and 1 in 1 patient. PS was 10 in all patients. The pain after RFA was significantly less than before RFA (p < 0.0001). Using an optimized technique primary clinical success rates in the high nineties have to be expected. Unspecific pain of low intensity is not unusual after RFA and has to be distinguished from pain caused by recurrent disease. (orig.)

  2. Dispositional optimism and coping with pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bargiel-Matusiewicz, K; Krzyszkowska, A

    2009-12-07

    The aim of this article is to analyze the relation between dispositional optimism and coping with chronic pain. The study seeks to define the relation between life orientation (optimism vs. pessimism) and coping with pain (believes about pain control and the choice of coping strategy). The following questionnaires were used: LOT-R - Life Orientation Test, BPCQ - The Beliefs about Pain Control Questionnaire and CSQ - The Pain Coping Strategies Questionnaire. The results show that dispositional optimism correlates positively with: internal locus of pain control r=0.6, Pr=0.38, Pr = 0.93, Pr = 0.82, Pr = -0.28, P<0.05. We conclude that dispositional optimism plays a key role in forming the mechanisms of coping with chronic pain and thereby in improving the psychophysical comfort of patients.

  3. Experimental knee pain reduces muscle strength

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henriksen, Marius; Mortensen, Sara Rosager; Aaboe, Jens

    2011-01-01

    Pain is the principal symptom in knee pathologies and reduced muscle strength is a common observation among knee patients. However, the relationship between knee joint pain and muscle strength remains to be clarified. This study aimed at investigating the changes in knee muscle strength following...... experimental knee pain in healthy volunteers, and if these changes were associated with the pain intensities. In a crossover study, 18 healthy subjects were tested on 2 different days. Using an isokinetic dynamometer, maximal muscle strength in knee extension and flexion was measured at angular velocities 0....... Knee pain reduced the muscle strength by 5 to 15% compared to the control conditions (P knee extension and flexion at all angular velocities. The reduction in muscle strength was positively correlated to the pain intensity. Experimental knee pain significantly reduced knee extension...

  4. Endogenous Opioid-Masked Latent Pain Sensitization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pereira, Manuel P; Donahue, Renee R; Dahl, Jørgen B

    2015-01-01

    UNLABELLED: Following the resolution of a severe inflammatory injury in rodents, administration of mu-opioid receptor inverse agonists leads to reinstatement of pain hypersensitivity. The mechanisms underlying this form of latent pain sensitization (LS) likely contribute to the development of chr...

  5. Physiotherapy treatment of the diabetic shoulder: a longitudinal study following patients with diabetes and shoulder pain using a pre-post treatment design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kyhlbäck, Maria; Schröder Winter, Helena; Thierfelder, Tomas; Söderlund, Anne

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this study was to describe and evaluate a physiotherapy program targeted to reduce pain intensity and improve the daily functioning of diabetics with shoulder problems. It was hypothesized that patients receiving specific physiotherapy treatment improved more frequently and rapidly than diabetic patients followed up without specific physiotherapeutic intervention. A pre-post treatment design was completed for a group of 10 subjects. The treatment protocol, also applied during the daily activities of the subjects, was aiming at reducing pain intensity and shoulder stiffness and improving impaired functioning in daily activities by muscle relaxation, light-load exercise and enhancing proper shoulder co-ordination. The group analysis showed significant decrease of pain intensity level as well as improved shoulder functioning and sustained level of subject self-efficacy beliefs throughout the study period. The results suggest that it is possible to relieve shoulder pain intensity and improve daily activities of patients with diabetes-related shoulder problems by employing a physiotherapy program focusing on muscle relaxation, light-load exercise and on the enhancement of proper shoulder co-ordination in daily activities. A physiotherapy program can be effective in reducing pain and improving shoulder function in diabetics with shoulder problems. The treatment should focus on muscle relaxation, light-load exercise and on the enhancement of proper shoulder co-ordination in daily activities.

  6. DO PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN EXPERIENCE PAIN REDUCTION AND FUNCTIONAL IMPROVEMENT AFTER TREATMENT AT A MULTIDISCIPLINARY OUTPATIENT CLINIC?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Norbye Anja

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Background: Low back pain is the most common affliction of the musculoskeletal system. Patients with chronic low back pain cost the society great expenses in treatments and other social benefits; however, the effects of interventions are discussed. The purpose of this study was to determine whether patients with chronic low back pain experience pain reduction and functional improvement after treatment at a multidisciplinary outpatient clinic. Methods: A prospective study design was used, including 446 patients who participated in follow-up questionnaires with data collection at 6 and 12 months after treatment. The primary outcome was alterations in pain and function. Result: By 12 months after treatment, 71.3 % of the included patients had completed the follow-up questionnaires. Based on these questionnaires, we identified statistically significant changes from baseline at all end points, with clinically significant changes in approximately half of the participants (p = 0.000. Conclusion: Treatment of chronic low back pain at a multidisciplinary outpatient clinic resulted in clinically significant pain reduction and functional improvement within 12 months for approximately half of affected patients.

  7. Various notions of amenability for not necessarily locally compact groupoids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mădălina Roxana Buneci

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available We start with a groupoid G endowed with a family W of subsets mimicking the properties of a neighborhood basis of the unit space (of a topological groupoid with paracompact unit space. Using the family W we endow each G-space with a uniform structure. The uniformities of the G-spaces allow us to define various notions of amenability for the G-equivariant maps. As in [C. Anantharaman-Delaroche and J. Renault, Amenable Groupoids. Monographie de L'Enseignement Mathematique No 36, Geneve, 2000], the amenability of the groupoid G is defined as the amenability of its range map. If the groupoid G is a group, all notions of amenability that we introduce coincide with the classical notion of amenability for topological (not necessarily locally-compact groups.

  8. Endodontic treatment completion following emergency pulpectomy.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Lynch, C D

    2010-06-01

    Emergency pulpectomy is frequently performed to relieve pain experienced by patients following acute episodes of endodontic pain, or to limit the risks of infection or possible root resorption following traumatic pulpal exposures. The aim of this study was to examine subsequent patient attendance for completion of root canal treatment following pulpectomy procedures in a dental emergency unit.

  9. [Pathophysiology and treatment of orofacial pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shinoda, Masamichi; Noma, Noboru

    "Pain" is one of body defense mechanisms and crucial for the life support. However, orofacial pain such as myofascial pain syndrome, burning mouth syndrome and trigeminal neuralgia plays no part in body defense mechanisms and requires therapeutic intervention. Recent studies have indicated that plastic changes in the activities of trigeminal neurons, satellite glial cells in trigeminal ganglion, secondary neurons, microglia and astrocytes in trigeminal spinal subnucleus following orofacial inflammation and trigeminal nerve injury are responsible for orofacial pain mechanisms. Clinically, it is well known that the etiologic differential diagnosis which consists of careful history-taking and physical examination is essential for therapeutic decision in patients with orofacial pain. This report outlines the current knowledge on the pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment of orofacial pain.

  10. Guidelines in the management of diabetic nerve pain clinical utility of pregabalin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vinik AI

    2013-02-01

    , painful diabetic neuropathy and pain in diabetes. In addition, recent reviews addressing this issue were adopted as necessary. In particular, reports from the American Academy of Neurology and the Toronto Consensus Panel on Diabetic Neuropathy were included. Unfortunately, the results of evidence-based studies do not necessarily take into account the presence of comorbidities, the cost of treatment, or the role of third-party payers in decision-making. Thus, this review attempts to give a more balanced view of the management of pain in the diabetic patient with neuropathy and in particular the role of pregabalin. Keywords: diabetes mellitus, painful neuropathy, pain, treatment, pregabalin

  11. Low pressure pain thresholds are associated with, but does not predispose for, low back pain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    O'Neill, Søren; Kjær, Per; Graven-Nielsen, Thomas

    2011-01-01

    Chronic pain is often associated with hyperalgesia in cross-sectional studies. In the present study, a random cohort of 40-year-old individuals (n = 264) from the general population was assessed for low back pain (LBP) status and pressure pain threshold (PPT), with follow-up assessment 4 and 8......-lasting LBP, those with a low PPT at baseline (lower 10% percentile) had no increased risk of developing LBP (p > 0.05). The findings indicate that PPT decreases as a consequence of long-lasting pain, whereas a low PPT seems not to constitute a separate risk factor for the development of LBP....

  12. Chronic pain in multiple sclerosis: A 10-year longitudinal study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, Jamie; Amatya, Bhasker; Galea, Mary P; Khan, Fary

    2017-07-01

    as it could be'. Pain types were similar to 7-years follow-up but remained higher than baseline. There was a significant deterioration in quality of life in those with more severe CPG over time. Almost half of the participants 31 (44%) required care either from a private carer, institution or from a family member. Although fear of taking medications and side effects were common barriers to treatment for pain, there was an increase in the use of pharmacological treatment over time and an increase in the use of healthcare services, mainly neurologists and general practitioners. The pain measures reported by the participants were similar to those at the 7-year follow-up except there was a greater representation of bilateral pain locations (limb, trunk and facial pain) compared to baseline and 7-year follow-up. At 10-year follow-up, more participants used medications compared to 7-year follow-up and there was an increase in the use of health professionals at the 10-year follow-up. At the 10-year follow up QoL of the participants deteriorated significantly and more participants had progressed to higher CPG III and CPG IV. This study demonstrates that chronic pain is a significant issue over time in MS, with clinical and health implications, impact on quality of life, disability and healthcare utilization. Greater awareness of chronic pain in pwMS, cognitive classifications and an interdisciplinary approach is required to improve long-term patient outcomes and well-being. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Central poststroke pain: somatosensory abnormalities and the presence of associated myofascial pain syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    de Oliveira Rogério Adas

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Central post-stroke pain (CPSP is a neuropathic pain syndrome associated with somatosensory abnormalities due to central nervous system lesion following a cerebrovascular insult. Post-stroke pain (PSP refers to a broader range of clinical conditions leading to pain after stroke, but not restricted to CPSP, including other types of pain such as myofascial pain syndrome (MPS, painful shoulder, lumbar and dorsal pain, complex regional pain syndrome, and spasticity-related pain. Despite its recognition as part of the general PSP diagnostic possibilities, the prevalence of MPS has never been characterized in patients with CPSP patients. We performed a cross-sectional standardized clinical and radiological evaluation of patients with definite CPSP in order to assess the presence of other non-neuropathic pain syndromes, and in particular, the role of myofascial pain syndrome in these patients. Methods CPSP patients underwent a standardized sensory and motor neurological evaluation, and were classified according to stroke mechanism, neurological deficits, presence and profile of MPS. The Visual Analogic Scale (VAS, McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ, and Beck Depression Scale (BDS were filled out by all participants. Results Forty CPSP patients were included. Thirty-six (90.0% had one single ischemic stroke. Pain presented during the first three months after stroke in 75.0%. Median pain intensity was 10 (5 to 10. There was no difference in pain intensity among the different lesion site groups. Neuropathic pain was continuous-ongoing in 34 (85.0% patients and intermittent in the remainder. Burning was the most common descriptor (70%. Main aggravating factors were contact to cold (62.5%. Thermo-sensory abnormalities were universal. MPS was diagnosed in 27 (67.5% patients and was more common in the supratentorial extra-thalamic group (P Conclusions The presence of MPS is not an exception after stroke and may present in association with CPSP

  14. International guidelines for prevention and management of post-operative chronic pain following inguinal hernia surgery

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Alfieri, S; Amid, P K; Campanelli, G

    2011-01-01

    To provide uniform terminology and definition of post-herniorrhaphy groin chronic pain. To give guidelines to the scientific community concerning the prevention and the treatment of chronic groin and testicular pain....

  15. Change Narratives That Elude Quantification: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of How People with Chronic Pain Perceive Pain Rehabilitation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Timothy H. Wideman

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Chronic pain negatively impacts health, well-being, and social participation. Effective rehabilitation often hinges on long-term changes in pain-related perceptions and behaviors. However, there are important gaps in understanding how patients perceive these changes. The present pilot study addresses this gap by using qualitative and quantitative methodologies to explore how patients perceive and experience changes in function, participation, and pain-related factors following a chronic pain rehabilitation program. A mixed-method design was used in which the core method was qualitative. Descriptive quantitative data was used to further characterize the sample. Semistructured interviews were conducted 1–6 months following treatment completion. Questionnaires were administered before and after treatment and at follow-up. Interview data was analyzed thematically. Participants’ individual descriptive data was compared to established cut-scores and criteria for change. A major theme of personal growth emerged in the qualitative analysis. Participants also discussed the factors that facilitated personal growth and the ongoing challenges to this growth. The quantitative data revealed limited improvement on measures of pain, disability, catastrophizing, and depression. These findings suggest that, despite limited improvement on treatment-related questionnaires, patients can experience an important and enduring sense of personal growth. Clinical and theoretical implications are discussed.

  16. A new T2 lesion in a patient with the clinically isolated syndrome does not necessarily imply a conversion to multiple sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Capone, Fioravante; Puthenparampil, Marco; Mallio, Carlo Augusto; Celia, Alessandra Ida; Florio, Lucia; Gallo, Paolo; Di Lazzaro, Vincenzo

    2018-01-01

    In the follow-up of patients with the clinically isolated syndrome, both clinical and MRI findings should be carefully evaluated by clinicians to avoid misinterpretation and inappropriate diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. We describe a case of a patient with a previous diagnosis of clinically isolated syndrome who developed a new asymptomatic brain lesion at the MRI follow-up. The careful evaluation of clinical history and radiological findings allowed the correct diagnosis of cocaine-associated ischemic stroke. Our case highlights that, in patients with the clinically isolated syndrome, the appearance of a new lesion on MRI does not necessarily imply a conversion to multiple sclerosis. Among "better explanations", ischemic lesions are of relevance and, in patients without typical risk factors for stroke, rarer causes such as cocaine assumption should be considered. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Perioperative Ketamine Administration for Thoracotomy Pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moyse, Daniel W; Kaye, Alan D; Diaz, James H; Qadri, Muhammad Y; Lindsay, David; Pyati, Srinivas

    2017-03-01

    epidural ketamine. However currently, the evidence for a role of ketamine as a preventative agent for chronic post-thoracotomy pain is insufficient due to the heterogeneity of the studies reviewed with regard to the route of administration, dosage, and outcome measures. The evidence for a role of ketamine as a preventative agent for chronic post-thoracotomy pain is insufficient due to the heterogeneity of the studies reviewed. The majority of randomized controlled trials reviewed show no role for ketamine in attenuating or preventing post-thoracotomy pain syndrome at variable follow-up lengths. Therefore, additional research is warranted with consideration of risk factors and long-term follow-up for chronic post-thoracotomy pain though the evidence for benefit appears clear for acute post-thoracotomy pain.Key words: Ketamine, postoperative, thoracotomy pain, post thoracotomy pain syndrome, neuropathic pain.

  18. Comparative effectiveness of coronary CT angiography vs stress cardiac imaging in patients following hospital admission for chest pain work-up: The Prospective First Evaluation in Chest Pain (PERFECT) Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uretsky, Seth; Argulian, Edgar; Supariwala, Azhar; Agarwal, Shiv K; El-Hayek, Georges; Chavez, Patricia; Awan, Hira; Jagarlamudi, Ashadevi; Puppala, Siva P; Cohen, Randy; Rozanski, Alan

    2017-08-01

    Because the frequency of cardiac event rates is low among chest pain patients following either performance of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) or stress testing, there is a need to better assess how these tests influence the central management decisions that follow from cardiac testing. The present study was performed to assess the relative impact of CCTA vs stress testing on medical therapies and downstream resource utilization among patients admitted for the work-up of chest pain. The admitted patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either cardiac imaging stress test or CCTA. Primary outcomes were time to discharge, change in medication usage, and frequency of downstream testing, cardiac interventions, and cardiovascular re-hospitalizations. We randomized 411 patients, 205 to stress testing, and 206 to CCTA. There were no differences in time to discharge or initiation of new cardiac medications at discharge. At 1 year follow-up, there was no difference in the number of patients who underwent cardiovascular downstream tests in the CCTA vs stress test patients (21% vs 15%, P = .1) or cardiovascular hospitalizations (14% vs 16%, P = .5). However, there was a higher frequency of invasive angiography in the CCTA group (11% vs 2%, P = .001) and percutaneous coronary interventions (6% vs 0%, P work-up to either CCTA or to stress testing resulted in similar discharge times, change in medical therapies at discharge, frequency of downstream noninvasive testing, and repeat hospitalizations. However, a higher frequency of invasive coronary angiography and revascularization procedures were performed in the CCTA arm. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01604655.).

  19. Foot pain

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... that you were born with or develops later Injury Shoes that fit poorly or do not have much cushioning Too much walking or other sports activity Trauma The following can cause foot pain: Arthritis and gout . Common in the big toe, which becomes red, swollen, ...

  20. Trigeminal pain and quantitative sensory testing in painful peripheral diabetic neuropathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arap, Astrid; Siqueira, Silvia R D T; Silva, Claudomiro B; Teixeira, Manoel J; Siqueira, José T T

    2010-07-01

    To evaluate patients with Diabetes Mellitus type 2 and painful peripheral neuropathy in order to investigate oral complaints and facial somatosensory findings. Case-control study; 29 patients (12 women, mean age 57.86 yo) with Diabetes Mellitus type 2 and 31 age-gender-matched controls were evaluated with a standardized protocol for general characteristics, orofacial pain, research diagnostic criteria for temporomandibular disorders, visual analogue scale and McGill Pain questionnaire, and a systematic protocol of quantitative sensory testing for bilateral facial sensitivity at the areas innervated by the trigeminal branches, which included the thermal detection by ThermoSensi 2, tactile evaluation with vonFrey filaments, and superficial pain thresholds with a superficial algometer (Micromar). Statistical analysis was performed with Wilcoxon, chi-square, confidence intervals and Spearman (ppain was reported by 55.2% of patients, and the most common descriptor was fatigue (50%); 17.2% had burning mouth. Myofascial temporomandibular disorders were diagnosed in 9 (31%) patients. The study group showed higher sensory thresholds of pain at the right maxillary branch (p=0.017) but sensorial differences were not associated with pain (p=0.608). Glycemia and HbA(1c) were positively correlated with the quantitative sensory testing results of pain (ppain thresholds were correlated with higher glycemia and glycated hemoglobin (p=0.027 and p=0.026). There was a high prevalence of orofacial pain and burning mouth was the most common complaint. The association of loss of pain sensation and higher glycemia and glycated hemoglobin can be of clinical use for the follow-up of DM complications. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome and Exercise Therapy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    R. van Linschoten (Robbart)

    2012-01-01

    textabstractPatellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS) can be considered as a clinical entity evolving during adolescence and young adult age.Though the complaints may be self-limiting and follow a benign course there are claims that exercise therapy may be beneficial for patients with patellofemoral pain

  2. Laparoscopic Adhesiolysis and Relief of Chronic Pelvic Pain

    OpenAIRE

    Nezhat, Farr R.; Crystal, Ruth Ann; Nezhat, Ceana H.; Nezhat, Camran R.

    2000-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the short- and long-term results of laparoscopic enterolysis in patients with chronic pelvic pain following hysterectomy. Methods: Forty-eight patients were evaluated at time intervals from 2 weeks to 5 years after laparoscopic enterolysis. Patients were asked to rate postoperative relief of their pelvic pain as complete/near complete relief (80-100% pain relief), significant relief (50-80% pain relief), or less than 50% or no pain relief. Results: We found that after 2...

  3. Is it a (fe)male pain? Portuguese nurses' and laypeople's gendered representations of common pains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernardes, S F; Silva, S A; Carvalho, H; Costa, M; Pereira, S

    2014-04-01

    Although many studies have explored gender role expectations of pain behaviours in different cultures, only a few authors have tried to explore whether certain pains are more associated with the typical man or woman. Hence, this study aimed at exploring, among Portuguese laypeople and nurses, patterns of common pains more strongly associated with the typical man or woman, and their relationship with health-care training and personal pain experiences. A total of 68 nurses (76% women) and 55 laypeople (62% women) were asked to identify, through free association, the most frequent common pains that people in general associate with the typical man and woman, respectively, and also to report their personal past pain experiences. A content analysis was used to categorize and quantify participants' responses. A multiple correspondence analysis was performed to identify gendered patterns of common pains, followed by a cluster analysis to classify participants according to their endorsed patterns. Findings showed that while 'back and musculoskeletal pains' was the only pattern associated with the typical man, more differentiated patterns of pains were associated with the typical woman, namely (1) headaches; (2) abdominal, back and musculoskeletal pains; and (3) pains due to hormonal cycles, labour/puerperium and from the urinary/reproductive system. These representations were shared by laypeople and nurses and were only significantly associated with personal experiences of pains from the urinary/reproductive system. This study identified different gendered patterns of common pains, which may have important implications for (wo)men's pain experiences and how these are interpreted by others. © 2013 European Pain Federation - EFIC®

  4. Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Chronic Pain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    la Cour, Peter; Petersen, Marian

    2015-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: This randomized controlled clinical trial investigated the effects of mindfulness meditation on chronic pain. DESIGN: A total of 109 patients with nonspecific chronic pain were randomized to either a standardized mindfulness meditation program (mindfulness-based stress reduction [MBSR...... randomized patients completed the mindfulness program, while 47 remained in the control group. Data were compared at three time points: at baseline, after completion of the course/waiting period, and at the 6-month follow-up. RESULTS: Significant effect (Cohen's d = 0.39) was found on the primary outcome...... (nonsignificant) effect sizes were found for pain measures. There were no significant differences in the measures just after the intervention vs the 6-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: A standardized mindfulness program (MBSR) contributes positively to pain management and can exert clinically relevant effects...

  5. Sex Differences in Patients with Chronic Pain Following Whiplash Injury: The Role of Depression, Fear, Somatization, Social Support, and Personality Traits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malfliet, Anneleen; De Kooning, Margot; Inghelbrecht, Els; Hachimi-Idrissi, Said; Willems, Bert; Bernheim, Jan; Nijs, Jo

    2015-11-01

    Chronic whiplash-associated disorders (chronic WAD) cover a large variety of clinical manifestations that can occur after a whiplash injury. Women have an increased risk of developing chronic WAD, and it is suggested that psychosocial factors are related to long-term pain and functioning following whiplash injury and persistence of chronic pain. This leads to the question whether there are sex differences in psychosocial factors in chronic WAD. This study included 117 subjects who had experienced a whiplash injury at least 3 months before the start of the study (mean duration of pain: 67.29 ± 63.86 months, range: 297 months). They were selected as chronically symptomatic, by excluding those who had recovered from their whiplash injury. Psychosocial aspects (including depression, fear, somatization, social support, and personality traits) were assessed by validated questionnaires, and sex differences were tested using a univariate analysis of variance (ANCOVA), with age and time from whiplash injury as covariates. No differences in depression, fear, somatization, discrepancy in social support personality trait, Neck Disability Index scores, physical functioning, bodily pain, or general health were present between women and men with chronic WAD. Women with chronic WAD reported higher levels of emotional support in problem situations and social companionship. Except for emotional support in problem situations and social companionship, psychosocial factors do not differ between men and women with chronic WAD. These findings imply little to no risk for sex bias in studies investigating psychosocial issues in patients with chronic WAD. © 2014 World Institute of Pain.

  6. Joint pain epidemiology and analgesic usage in Madagascar.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samison, Luc Hervé; Randriatsarafara, Fidiniaina Mamy; Ralandison, Stéphane

    2017-01-01

    To describe the epidemiology of joint pains and document analgesics usage in an African context. Patients suffering from joint pain were recruited from nine sites located in Antananarivo, Madagascar, including 6 hospital services and 3 clinics. Doctors collected information on the etiology and characteristics of the patients' pain. Analgesics prescribed by these doctors were also documented. In total, 400 patients were enrolled in the study (52.5% women, mean age of 42.34 years ± 17.7 [4-86]). Pain of mechanical type was found in 260 participants, 65%; 95% CI [60.1% to 69.6%] and inflammatory type pains in 128 cases 32%; 95% CI [27.5% to 36.9%]. Mixed pains were found in 12 patients (3%). The median duration of pain prior to the consultation was 6.5 days. The average pain intensity was 57.9 ± 19.9 mm of a total of 100 mm maximum on a visual analogue scale, VAS. The etiologies of mechanical type pains were dominated by fracture, common low back pain and tendonitis. Arthrosis was the dominant cause of inflammatory type pain, followed by rheumatoid arthritis and gout. NSAIDs (74.5%) were the most frequently prescribed analgesics followed by paracetamol (49.5%), weak opioids (23%) and corticosteroids (12.25%). Two-thirds of medical prescriptions (65.3%) were of combined analgesics. These findings demonstrated that mechanical type pains were the main reason for consultations for joint pain in these situations in Antananarivo, Madagascar. The most frequently prescribed pain-relieving medications were NSAIDs, paracetamol, weak opioids and corticosteroids. This descriptive study may be a useful starting point for further epidemiological studies of pain in the African context.

  7. A 7-year follow-up of multidisciplinary rehabilitation among chronic neck and back pain patients. Is sick leave outcome dependent on psychologically derived patient groups?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bergström, Gunnar; Bergström, Cecilia; Hagberg, Jan; Bodin, Lennart; Jensen, Irene

    2010-04-01

    A valid method for classifying chronic pain patients into more homogenous groups could be useful for treatment planning, that is, which treatment is effective for which patient, and as a marker when evaluating treatment outcome. One instrument that has been used to derive subgroups of patients is the Multidimensional Pain Inventory (MPI). The primary aim of this study was to evaluate a classification method based on the Swedish version of the MPI, the MPI-S, to predict sick leave among chronic neck and back pain patients for a period of 7 years after vocational rehabilitation. As hypothesized, dysfunctional patients (DYS), according to the MPI-S, showed a higher amount of sickness absence and disability pension expressed in days than adaptive copers (AC) during the 7-years follow-up period, even when adjusting for sickness absence prior to rehabilitation (355.8days, 95% confidence interval, 71.7; 639.9). Forty percent of DYS patients and 26.7% of AC patients received disability pension during the follow-up period. However, this difference was not statistically significant. Further analyses showed that the difference between patient groups was most pronounced among patients with more than 60days of sickness absence prior to rehabilitation. Cost-effectiveness calculations indicated that the DYS patients showed an increase in production loss compared to AC patients. The present study yields support for the prognostic value of this subgroup classification method concerning long-term outcome on sick leave following this type of vocational rehabilitation. Copyright (c) 2009 European Federation of International Association for the Study of Pain Chapters. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Postamputation pain: studies on mechanisms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nikolajsen, Lone

    2012-10-01

    Amputation is followed by both painful and non-painful phantom phenomena in a large number of amputees. Non-painful phantom sensations rarely pose any clinical problem, but 60-80% of all amputees also experience painful sensations (i.e. phantom pain) located to the missing limb. The severity of phantom pain usually decreases with time, but severe pain persists in 5-10% of patients. Pain in the residual limb (i.e. stump pain) is another consequence of amputation. Both stump and phantom pain can be very difficult to treat. Treatment guidelines used for other neuropathic pain conditions are probably the best approximation, especially for the treatment of stump pain. The aim of the present doctoral thesis was to explore some of the mechanisms underlying pain after amputation. Ten studies were carried out (I-X). My PhD thesis from 1998 dealt with pain before the amputation and showed that preamputation pain increases the risk of phantom pain after amputation (I). A perioperative epidural blockade, however, did not reduce the incidence of pain or abnormal sensory phenomena after amputation (II, III). The importance of sensitization before amputation for the subsequent development of pain is supported by study IV, in which pressure pain thresholds obtained at the limb before amputation were inversely related to stump and phantom pain after 1 week. Afferent input from the periphery is likely to contribute to postamputation pain as sodium channels were upregulated in human neuromas (VI), although neuroma removal did not always alleviate phantom pain (V). Sensitization of neurons in the spinal cord also seems to be involved in pain after amputation as phantom pain was reduced by ketamine, an NMDA-receptor antagonist. Another NMDA-receptor antagonist, memantine, and gabapentin, a drug working by binding to the δ2α-subunit of voltage-gated calcium channels, had no effect on phantom pain (VII-IX). Supraspinal factors are also important for pain after amputation as

  9. Experimental pain ratings and reactivity of cortisol and soluble tumor necrosis factor-α receptor II following a trial of hypnosis: Results of a randomized controlled pilot study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodin, Burel R.; Quinn, Noel B.; Kronfli, Tarek; King, Christopher D.; Page, Gayle G.; Haythornthwaite, Jennifer A.; Edwards, Robert R.; Stapleton, Laura M.; McGuire, Lynanne

    2011-01-01

    Objective Current evidence supports the efficacy of hypnosis for reducing the pain associated with experimental stimulation and various acute and chronic conditions; however, the mechanisms explaining how hypnosis exerts its effects remain less clear. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and pro-inflammatory cytokines represent potential targets for investigation given their purported roles in the perpetuation of painful conditions; yet, no clinical trials have thus far examined the influence of hypnosis on these mechanisms. Design Healthy participants, highly susceptible to the effects of hypnosis, were randomized to either a hypnosis intervention or a no-intervention control. Using a cold pressor task, assessments of pain intensity and pain unpleasantness were collected prior to the intervention (Pre) and following the intervention (Post) along with pain-provoked changes in salivary cortisol and the soluble receptor of tumor necrosis factor-α (sTNFαRII). Results Compared to the no-intervention control, data analyses revealed that hypnosis significantly reduced pain intensity and pain unpleasantness. Hypnosis was not significantly associated with suppression of cortisol or sTNFαRII reactivity to acute pain from Pre to Post; however, the effect sizes for these associations were medium-sized. Conclusions Overall, the findings from this randomized controlled pilot study support the importance of a future large-scale study on the effects of hypnosis for modulating pain-related changes of the HPA axis and pro-inflammatory cytokines. PMID:22233394

  10. Chronic Pain in Children: A Look at the Referral Process to a Pediatric Pain Clinic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giovanni Cucchiaro

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available We reviewed the referral pattern of children with chronic pain to a specialized pediatric pain clinic. Data were obtained from referring physicians and medical records and during an interview with patients and their parents by physicians and a psychologist. We analyzed the following: referral diagnosis, demographics, duration of symptoms, number of physicians previously consulted, school attendance, sports activities, presence of psychological disorders, final team diagnosis, and outcomes. Children had been experiencing pain for 34±55 months. Patients had consulted on average 3 physicians in addition to their pediatrician. 32% of the patients had missed at least 10 days of school in a calendar year, and 47% had stopped playing sports. 15% had an operation because of pain that had been unsuccessful. The most common missed diagnosis was anxiety (25% and depression (13%. 69% of the patients were back to school and/or playing sports within 4 months from our initial consultation. 32% of the patients did not make any progress during the follow-up period. The most common reasons for failure to improve were no compliance with the recommended treatments and poorly controlled major mood disorder. The time to refer children with chronic pain for specialized care could be extremely long causing significant social and psychological consequence.

  11. A Model-Based Approach for Joint Analysis of Pain Intensity and Opioid Consumption in Postoperative Pain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Juul, Rasmus V; Knøsgaard, Katrine R; Olesen, Anne E

    2016-01-01

    Joint analysis of pain intensity and opioid consumption is encouraged in trials of postoperative pain. However, previous approaches have not appropriately addressed the complexity of their interrelation in time. In this study, we applied a non-linear mixed effects model to simultaneously study pain...... intensity and opioid consumption in a 4-h postoperative period for 44 patients undergoing percutaneous kidney stone surgery. Analysis was based on 748 Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) scores of pain intensity and 51 observed morphine and oxycodone dosing events. A joint model was developed to describe...... the recurrent pattern of four key phases determining the development of pain intensity and opioid consumption in time; (A) Distribution of pain intensity scores which followed a truncated Poisson distribution with time-dependent mean score ranging from 0.93 to 2.45; (B) Probability of transition to threshold...

  12. Efficient conditioned pain modulation despite pain persistence in painful diabetic neuropathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Granovsky, Yelena; Nahman-Averbuch, Hadas; Khamaisi, Mogher; Granot, Michal

    2017-05-01

    Alleviation of pain, by either medical or surgical therapy, is accompanied by transition from less efficient, or pro-nociceptive, to efficient conditioned pain modulation (CPM). Spontaneous decrease or resolution of pain with disease progression is reported for some patients with painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN). To explore whether CPM changes similarly in parallel to spontaneous resolution of pain in PDN patients. In this cross-sectional study, thirty-three patients with PDN underwent psychophysical assessment of pain modulation on the forearm, remote from the clinical pain. Pain duration was not correlated with neuropathic pain intensity, yet, it correlated with CPM efficiency; patients with longer pain duration had same pain level, but more efficient CPM than those with short-pain duration (ρ = -0.417; P = 0.025, Spearman correlation). Patients with pain more than 2 years (median split) expressed efficient CPM that was not different from that of healthy controls. These patients also had lower temporal summation of pain than the short-pain duration patients group ( P < 0.05). The 2 patient groups did not differ in clinical pain characteristics or use of analgesics. Pro-nociception, expressed by less efficient CPM and high temporal summation that usually accompanies clinical painful conditions, seems to "normalize" with chronicity of the pain syndrome. This is despite continuing pain, suggesting that pro-nociceptivity in pain syndromes is multifactorial. Because the pain modulation profile affects success of therapy, this suggests that different drugs might express different efficacy pending on duration of the pain in patients with PDN.

  13. Pain Disorder, Hysteria or Somatization?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harold Merskey

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Pain used to be a simple issue. It was caused by physical injury or disease and the sufferer had to rest and take opium. That was about two hundred years ago. A few scattered commentators from Jeremiah (Lamentations I:12-13 to Montaigne (1 had the idea that emotion could cause pain or influence it. The development of anatomical knowledge, closely followed by physiology and then pathology, produced a dilemma. There were many pains that could not be explained by the most modern physical methods of the nineteenth century. Hodgkiss (2 has tersely labelled the problem as "pain without lesion". The nineteenth century solution lay in a diagnosis of hysteria.

  14. Treatment of Neuropathic Pain and Functional Limitations Associated With Multiple Sclerosis Using an MRI-Compatible Spinal Cord Stimulator: A Case Report With Two Year Follow-Up and Literature Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Provenzano, David A; Williams, Joseph R; Jarzabek, Gaye; DeRiggi, Leonard A; Scott, Thomas F

    2016-06-01

    To report a case with two years follow-up of neuropathic pain and functional limitations associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) effectively treated with an MRI conditional spinal cord stimulator (SCS) system that allowed for spinal imaging. To present a comprehensive literature review of spinal cord stimulator utilization in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. Case report and literature review. Treatment was a spinal cord stimulation implant after successful trial. Pain scores, medication utilization, and functional outcomes were reviewed. Pre- and post-SCS implant MRI spine images were obtained. At 24 months follow-up, the patient has had a 77% reduction in pain and a 99% reduction in opioid use. Furthermore, he had improvement in reported tactile sensation, spasticity levels, and ambulation. Post-SCS implant, MRI images at 18 months follow-up provided the ability to review the spinal cord with minimal artifact. No new MS documented plaques occurred during this time period. A literature review demonstrated 33 published reports including a total of 496 trialed and 744 implanted patients. Only 3 of the reports occurred after the year 2000. We report the successful treatment of MS-associated pain and functional limitations with an MRI conditional spinal cord stimulator system. The ability to obtain post-implant MRI imaging of not only the brain but also the spinal cord in MS patients allows for the continued need to document and follow disease progression, especially with the advancements in pharmacological therapy. © 2016 International Neuromodulation Society.

  15. Work and back pain: a prospective study of psychological, social and mechanical predictors of back pain severity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christensen, J O; Knardahl, S

    2012-07-01

    Studies relating occupational psychological and social factors to back pain have traditionally investigated a small number of exposure factors. The current study explored longitudinally a comprehensive set of specific psychological/social and mechanical work factors as predictors of back pain severity (defined as the product of back pain intensity and duration). Employees from 28 organizations in Norway, representing a wide variety of occupations, were surveyed with a follow-up period of 2 years. Several designs were tested: (1) cross-sectional analyses at baseline and follow-up; (2) prospective analyses with baseline exposure; (3) prospective analyses with average exposure over time [(T1+T2)/2]; and (4) prospective analyses with measures of change in exposure from T1 to T2. A total of 2808 employees responded at both time points. Fourteen psychological/social and two mechanical exposures were measured. Odds ratios (ORs) were computed by ordinal logistic regressions. Several psychological/social factors predicted back pain severity. After adjustment for age, sex, skill level, back pain severity at T1 and other exposure factors estimated to be potential confounders, the most consistent predictors of back pain were the protective factors decision control [lowest OR 0.68; 99% confidence interval (CI): 0.49-0.95], empowering leadership (lowest OR 0.59; 99% CI: 0.38-0.91) and fair leadership (lowest OR 0.54; 99% CI: 0.34-0.87). Some of the most important predictors included in this study were factors that have previously received little attention in back pain research. This emphasizes the importance of extending the list of factors possibly contributing to back pain. © 2011 National Institute of Occupational Health, Norway European Journal of Pain © 2011 European Federation of International Association for the Study of Pain Chapters.

  16. Impaired behavioural pain responses in hph-1 mice with inherited deficiency in GTP cyclohydrolase 1 in models of inflammatory pain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nasser, A.; Bjerrum, Ole Jannik; Heegaard, A.-M.

    2013-01-01

    following intraplantar injection of CFA, formalin and capsaicin; whereas decreased basal level of GTP-CH1 activity had no influence in naïve hph-1 mice on acute mechanical and heat pain thresholds. Moreover, the hph-1 mice showed no signs of motor impairment or dystonia-like symptoms......Background: GTP cyclohydrolase 1 (GTP-CH1), the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), encoded by the GCH1 gene, has been implicated in the development and maintenance of inflammatory pain in rats. In humans, homozygous carriers of a " pain-protective" (PP) haplotype...... of the GCH1 gene have been identified exhibiting lower pain sensitivity, but only following pain sensitisation. Ex vivo, the PP GCH1 haplotype is associated with decreased induction of GCH1 after stimulation, whereas the baseline BH4 production is not affected. Contrary, loss of function mutations in the GCH...

  17. Musical Agency during Physical Exercise Decreases Pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fritz, Thomas H; Bowling, Daniel L; Contier, Oliver; Grant, Joshua; Schneider, Lydia; Lederer, Annette; Höer, Felicia; Busch, Eric; Villringer, Arno

    2017-01-01

    Objectives: When physical exercise is systematically coupled to music production, exercisers experience improvements in mood, reductions in perceived effort, and enhanced muscular efficiency. The physiology underlying these positive effects remains unknown. Here we approached the investigation of how such musical agency may stimulate the release of endogenous opioids indirectly with a pain threshold paradigm. Design: In a cross-over design we tested the opioid-hypothesis with an indirect measure, comparing the pain tolerance of 22 participants following exercise with or without musical agency. Method: Physical exercise was coupled to music by integrating weight-training machines with sensors that control music-synthesis in real time. Pain tolerance was measured as withdrawal time in a cold pressor test. Results: On average, participants tolerated cold pain for ~5 s longer following exercise sessions with musical agency. Musical agency explained 25% of the variance in cold pressor test withdrawal times after factoring out individual differences in general pain sensitivity. Conclusions: This result demonstrates a substantial pain reducing effect of musical agency in combination with physical exercise, probably due to stimulation of endogenous opioid mechanisms. This has implications for exercise endurance, both in sports and a multitude of rehabilitative therapies in which physical exercise is effective but painful.

  18. Musical Agency during Physical Exercise Decreases Pain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas H. Fritz

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: When physical exercise is systematically coupled to music production, exercisers experience improvements in mood, reductions in perceived effort, and enhanced muscular efficiency. The physiology underlying these positive effects remains unknown. Here we approached the investigation of how such musical agency may stimulate the release of endogenous opioids indirectly with a pain threshold paradigm.Design: In a cross-over design we tested the opioid-hypothesis with an indirect measure, comparing the pain tolerance of 22 participants following exercise with or without musical agency.Method: Physical exercise was coupled to music by integrating weight-training machines with sensors that control music-synthesis in real time. Pain tolerance was measured as withdrawal time in a cold pressor test.Results: On average, participants tolerated cold pain for ~5 s longer following exercise sessions with musical agency. Musical agency explained 25% of the variance in cold pressor test withdrawal times after factoring out individual differences in general pain sensitivity.Conclusions: This result demonstrates a substantial pain reducing effect of musical agency in combination with physical exercise, probably due to stimulation of endogenous opioid mechanisms. This has implications for exercise endurance, both in sports and a multitude of rehabilitative therapies in which physical exercise is effective but painful.

  19. Radiotherapy for pain management of bone metastases

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rezende Junior, Ismar de; Mattos, Marcos Duarte de; Nakamura, Ricardo; Lemes Junior, Joaquim; Vanzelli, Talita Lozano, E-mail: rezende.med@terra.com.br [Radioterapia do Hospital de Cancer de Barretos, SP (Brazil)

    2011-07-01

    Purpose: This is the first Brazilian study intended to evaluate the response of pain relief with radiotherapy in three different fractionation and the clinical differences in managing pain in patients with painful bone metastases. Methods: Prospective study of patients with painful bone metastases referred to the Radiotherapy Sector of the Hospital de Cancer de Barretos for pain-relieving radiotherapy between March and December 2010. It is known that radiotherapy seems to alter the activation of osteoclast-mediated bone resorption, relieving pain in cases of painful bone metastases. Patients were assessed in relation to the status of pain intensity before and after the initiation of radiotherapy. Either a single fraction of 8Gy, five fractions of 4Gy or ten fractions of 3Gy were given. A visual analog scale (VAS) was applied by doctors, nurses and nursing technicians to assess pain intensity at each session of radiotherapy, and follow-up at 8, 30 and 90 days from the end of treatment. Results: We evaluated 92 consecutive patients, 48 male and 44 female, with a median age of 58 years. We found that 14% of patients referred from the Palliative Care or Clinical Oncology sectors need better pharmacological analgesia due to severe pain, compared with 40.5% of patients from the other sectors (p = 0.004). We also found that the onset of pain relief to patients receiving 10 fractions of 300cGy analgesia without changing the pre-radiotherapy analgesia occurred with significance after the fifth fraction. Improvement in pain experienced within 90 days of follow-up was found in eighty percent of patients, independent of fractionated radiotherapy, site of metastases and the clinical condition of the patient. Discussion/Conclusion: The Palliative Care and Clinical Oncology sectors expressed greater concern in regards to analgesia for the patient with painful bone metastases. Radiotherapy is an effective pain-relieving treatment in different fractionation studied, even though the

  20. Radiotherapy for pain management of bone metastases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rezende Junior, Ismar de; Mattos, Marcos Duarte de; Nakamura, Ricardo; Lemes Junior, Joaquim; Vanzelli, Talita Lozano

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: This is the first Brazilian study intended to evaluate the response of pain relief with radiotherapy in three different fractionation and the clinical differences in managing pain in patients with painful bone metastases. Methods: Prospective study of patients with painful bone metastases referred to the Radiotherapy Sector of the Hospital de Cancer de Barretos for pain-relieving radiotherapy between March and December 2010. It is known that radiotherapy seems to alter the activation of osteoclast-mediated bone resorption, relieving pain in cases of painful bone metastases. Patients were assessed in relation to the status of pain intensity before and after the initiation of radiotherapy. Either a single fraction of 8Gy, five fractions of 4Gy or ten fractions of 3Gy were given. A visual analog scale (VAS) was applied by doctors, nurses and nursing technicians to assess pain intensity at each session of radiotherapy, and follow-up at 8, 30 and 90 days from the end of treatment. Results: We evaluated 92 consecutive patients, 48 male and 44 female, with a median age of 58 years. We found that 14% of patients referred from the Palliative Care or Clinical Oncology sectors need better pharmacological analgesia due to severe pain, compared with 40.5% of patients from the other sectors (p = 0.004). We also found that the onset of pain relief to patients receiving 10 fractions of 300cGy analgesia without changing the pre-radiotherapy analgesia occurred with significance after the fifth fraction. Improvement in pain experienced within 90 days of follow-up was found in eighty percent of patients, independent of fractionated radiotherapy, site of metastases and the clinical condition of the patient. Discussion/Conclusion: The Palliative Care and Clinical Oncology sectors expressed greater concern in regards to analgesia for the patient with painful bone metastases. Radiotherapy is an effective pain-relieving treatment in different fractionation studied, even though the

  1. Effects of a Pain Catastrophizing Induction on Sensory Testing in Women with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Pilot Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chloe J. Taub

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Pain catastrophizing, a pattern of negative cognitive-emotional responses to actual or anticipated pain, maintains chronic pain and undermines response to treatments. Currently, precisely how pain catastrophizing influences pain processing is not well understood. In experimental settings, pain catastrophizing has been associated with amplified pain processing. This study sought to clarify pain processing mechanisms via experimental induction of pain catastrophizing. Forty women with chronic low back pain were assigned in blocks to an experimental condition, either a psychologist-led 10-minute pain catastrophizing induction or a control (10-minute rest period. All participants underwent a baseline round of several quantitative sensory testing (QST tasks, followed by the pain catastrophizing induction or the rest period, and then a second round of the same QST tasks. The catastrophizing induction appeared to increase state pain catastrophizing levels. Changes in QST pain were detected for two of the QST tasks administered, weighted pin pain and mechanical allodynia. Although there is a need to replicate our preliminary results with a larger sample, study findings suggest a potential relationship between induced pain catastrophizing and central sensitization of pain. Clarification of the mechanisms through which catastrophizing affects pain modulatory systems may yield useful clinical insights into the treatment of chronic pain.

  2. Effects of a Pain Catastrophizing Induction on Sensory Testing in Women with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Pilot Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taub, Chloe J; Sturgeon, John A; Johnson, Kevin A; Mackey, Sean C; Darnall, Beth D

    2017-01-01

    Pain catastrophizing, a pattern of negative cognitive-emotional responses to actual or anticipated pain, maintains chronic pain and undermines response to treatments. Currently, precisely how pain catastrophizing influences pain processing is not well understood. In experimental settings, pain catastrophizing has been associated with amplified pain processing. This study sought to clarify pain processing mechanisms via experimental induction of pain catastrophizing. Forty women with chronic low back pain were assigned in blocks to an experimental condition, either a psychologist-led 10-minute pain catastrophizing induction or a control (10-minute rest period). All participants underwent a baseline round of several quantitative sensory testing (QST) tasks, followed by the pain catastrophizing induction or the rest period, and then a second round of the same QST tasks. The catastrophizing induction appeared to increase state pain catastrophizing levels. Changes in QST pain were detected for two of the QST tasks administered, weighted pin pain and mechanical allodynia. Although there is a need to replicate our preliminary results with a larger sample, study findings suggest a potential relationship between induced pain catastrophizing and central sensitization of pain. Clarification of the mechanisms through which catastrophizing affects pain modulatory systems may yield useful clinical insights into the treatment of chronic pain.

  3. Effects of a Pain Catastrophizing Induction on Sensory Testing in Women with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Pilot Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sturgeon, John A.; Johnson, Kevin A.

    2017-01-01

    Pain catastrophizing, a pattern of negative cognitive-emotional responses to actual or anticipated pain, maintains chronic pain and undermines response to treatments. Currently, precisely how pain catastrophizing influences pain processing is not well understood. In experimental settings, pain catastrophizing has been associated with amplified pain processing. This study sought to clarify pain processing mechanisms via experimental induction of pain catastrophizing. Forty women with chronic low back pain were assigned in blocks to an experimental condition, either a psychologist-led 10-minute pain catastrophizing induction or a control (10-minute rest period). All participants underwent a baseline round of several quantitative sensory testing (QST) tasks, followed by the pain catastrophizing induction or the rest period, and then a second round of the same QST tasks. The catastrophizing induction appeared to increase state pain catastrophizing levels. Changes in QST pain were detected for two of the QST tasks administered, weighted pin pain and mechanical allodynia. Although there is a need to replicate our preliminary results with a larger sample, study findings suggest a potential relationship between induced pain catastrophizing and central sensitization of pain. Clarification of the mechanisms through which catastrophizing affects pain modulatory systems may yield useful clinical insights into the treatment of chronic pain. PMID:28348505

  4. Does Immediate Pain Relief After an Injection into the Sacroiliac Joint with Anesthetic and Corticosteroid Predict Subsequent Pain Relief?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneider, Byron J; Huynh, Lisa; Levin, Josh; Rinkaekan, Pranathip; Kordi, Ramin; Kennedy, David J

    2018-02-01

    To determine if immediate pain response following an injection with local anesthetic and corticosteroid predicts subsequent relief. Prospective observational cohort. An institutional review board-approved prospective study from a single academic medical center. Patients with clinical diagnosis of sacroiliac (SIJ) pain and referred for SIJ injection were enrolled; 1 cc of 2% lidocaine and 1 cc of triamcinolone 40 mg/mL were injected into the SIJ. Pain score on 0-10 numeric rating scale (NRS) during provocation maneuvers was recorded immediately before injection, immediately after injection, and at two and four weeks of follow-up. Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was also recorded. Various cutoffs were identified to establish positive anesthetic response and successful outcomes at follow-up. These were used to calculated likelihood ratios. Of those with 100% anesthetic response, six of 11 (54.5%, 95% confidence interval [CI]+/-29.4%, +LR 2.6, 95% CI = 1.1-5.9) demonstrated 50% or greater pain relief at follow-up, and four of 11 (36.5%, 95% CI+/-28.4%, +LR 3.00, 95% CI = 1.4-5.1) had 100% relief at two to four weeks. Fourteen of 14 (100%, 95% CI+/-21.5%, -LR 0.0, 95% CI = 0.0-2.1) with an initial negative block failed to achieve 100% relief at follow-up. Patients who fail to achieve initial relief after SIJ injection with anesthetic and steroid are very unlikely to achieve significant pain relief at follow-up; negative likelihood ratios (LR) in this study, based on how success is defined, range between 0 and 0.9. Clinically significant positive likelihood ratios of anesthetic response to SIJ injection are more limited and less robust, but are valuable in predicting 50% relief or 100% relief at two to four weeks. © 2017 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

  5. The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, the European Society of Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy, and the Asian Australasian Federation of Pain Societies Joint Committee recommendations for education and training in ultrasound-guided interventional pain procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narouze, Samer N; Provenzano, David; Peng, Philip; Eichenberger, Urs; Lee, Sang Chul; Nicholls, Barry; Moriggl, Bernhard

    2012-01-01

    The use of ultrasound in pain medicine for interventional axial, nonaxial, and musculoskeletal pain procedures is rapidly evolving and growing. Because of the lack of specialty-specific guidelines for ultrasonography in pain medicine, an international collaborative effort consisting of members of the Special Interest Group on Ultrasonography in Pain Medicine from the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, the European Society of Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy, and the Asian Australasian Federation of Pain Societies developed the following recommendations for education and training in ultrasound-guided interventional pain procedures. The purpose of these recommendations is to define the required skills for performing ultrasound-guided pain procedures, the processes for appropriate education, and training and quality improvement. Training algorithms are outlined for practice- and fellowship-based pathways. The previously published American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine and European Society of Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Therapy education and teaching recommendations for ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia served as a foundation for the pain medicine recommendations. Although the decision to grant ultrasound privileges occurs at the institutional level, the committee recommends that the training guidelines outlined in this document serve as the foundation for educational training and the advancement of the practice of ultrasonography in pain medicine.

  6. Association between knee alignment and knee pain in patients surgically treated for medial knee osteoarthritis by high tibial osteotomy. A one year follow-up study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    W-Dahl, Annette; Toksvig-Larsen, Sören; Roos, Ewa

    2009-01-01

    on for knee OA by high tibial osteotomy. METHODS: 182 patients (68% men) mean age 53 years (34 - 69) with varus alignment having tibial osteotomy by the hemicallotasis technique for medial knee OA were consecutively included. Knee alignment was assessed by the Hip-Knee-Ankle (HKA) angle from radiographs...... including the hip and ankle joints. Knee pain was measured by the subscale pain (0 - 100, worst to best scale) of the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) preoperatively and at one year follow-up. To estimate the association between knee alignment and knee pain multivariate regression...... with every degree of HKA angle, adjusted analysis 0.3 points (95% CI -1.3 - 0.6).The mean postoperative knee alignment was 184 degrees (171 - 185). The mean change in knee alignment was 13 degrees (0 - 30). The mean change in KOOS pain was 32 (-16 - 83). There was neither any association between change...

  7. Sustainability of Evidence-Based Acute Pain Management Practices for Hospitalized Older Adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shuman, Clayton J; Xie, Xian-Jin; Herr, Keela A; Titler, Marita G

    2017-11-01

    Little is known regarding sustainability of evidence-based practices (EBPs) following implementation. This article reports sustainability of evidence-based acute pain management practices in hospitalized older adults following testing of a multifaceted Translating Research Into Practice (TRIP) implementation intervention. A cluster randomized trial with follow-up period was conducted in 12 Midwest U.S. hospitals (six experimental, six comparison). Use of evidence-based acute pain management practices and mean pain intensity were analyzed using generalized estimating equations across two time points (following implementation and 18 months later) to determine sustainability of TRIP intervention effects. Summative Index scores and six of seven practices were sustained. Experimental and comparison group differences for mean pain intensity over 72 hours following admission were sustained. Results revealed most evidence-based acute pain management practices were sustained for 18 months following implementation. Further work is needed to identify factors affecting sustainability of EBPs to guide development and testing of sustainability strategies.

  8. Learned helplessness and responses to nerve blocks in chronic low back pain patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chapman, S L; Brena, S F

    1982-01-01

    In a double-blind study, 67 chronic low back pain patients received 4 lumbar sympathetic nerve blocks, two given with bupivacaine and two given with saline. It was hypothesized that patients showing evidence of 'learned helplessness,' as measured by dependence on habit-forming medications for the pain, low activity levels, and elevated MMPI scores on Hypochondriasis, Depression and Hysteria would show the least reduction in subjective pain intensity following injections with both bupivacaine and saline. It also was hypothesized that placebo responses would be greatest in patients who had a high educational level, were divorced, and had no pending disability claims. Responses 30 min following nerve blocks failed to correlate with these variables. However, decreases in subjective pain intensity 24 h following both types of nerve blocks were greater in patients who showed low levels of pain behavior, who were divorced, and who had no pending disability claims. Decreased pain 24 h following saline injections was significantly related to low scores on the Lie, Defensiveness, Hypochondriasis, and Hysteria scales of the MMPI and to reduced subjective pain intensity following a 6 week comprehensive outpatient pain rehabilitation program. It was concluded that chronic pain patients who are fixed in their focus on pain, high in pain-related behaviors, and low in responsibilities are less likely to respond favorably to nerve blocks and that medical treatment for them needs to be paired with therapies designed to reduce their helplessness.

  9. Current advances in orthodontic pain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Long, Hu; Wang, Yan; Jian, Fan; Liao, Li-Na; Yang, Xin; Lai, Wen-Li

    2016-01-01

    Orthodontic pain is an inflammatory pain that is initiated by orthodontic force-induced vascular occlusion followed by a cascade of inflammatory responses, including vascular changes, the recruitment of inflammatory and immune cells, and the release of neurogenic and pro-inflammatory mediators. Ultimately, endogenous analgesic mechanisms check the inflammatory response and the sensation of pain subsides. The orthodontic pain signal, once received by periodontal sensory endings, reaches the sensory cortex for pain perception through three-order neurons: the trigeminal neuron at the trigeminal ganglia, the trigeminal nucleus caudalis at the medulla oblongata and the ventroposterior nucleus at the thalamus. Many brain areas participate in the emotion, cognition and memory of orthodontic pain, including the insular cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, locus coeruleus and hypothalamus. A built-in analgesic neural pathway—periaqueductal grey and dorsal raphe—has an important role in alleviating orthodontic pain. Currently, several treatment modalities have been applied for the relief of orthodontic pain, including pharmacological, mechanical and behavioural approaches and low-level laser therapy. The effectiveness of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for pain relief has been validated, but its effects on tooth movement are controversial. However, more studies are needed to verify the effectiveness of other modalities. Furthermore, gene therapy is a novel, viable and promising modality for alleviating orthodontic pain in the future. PMID:27341389

  10. Pulsed Dose Radiofrequency Before Ablation of Medial Branch of the Lumbar Dorsal Ramus for Zygapophyseal Joint Pain Reduces Post-procedural Pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arsanious, David; Gage, Emmanuel; Koning, Jonathon; Sarhan, Mazin; Chaiban, Gassan; Almualim, Mohammed; Atallah, Joseph

    2016-01-01

    One of the potential side effects with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) includes painful cutaneous dysesthesias and increased pain due to neuritis or neurogenic inflammation. This pain may require the prescription of opioids or non-opioid analgesics to control post-procedural pain and discomfort. The goal of this study is to compare post-procedural pain scores and post-procedural oral analgesic use in patients receiving continuous thermal radiofrequency ablation versus patients receiving pulsed dose radiofrequency immediately followed by continuous thermal radiofrequency ablation for zygopophaseal joint disease. This is a prospective, double-blinded, randomized, controlled trial. Patients who met all the inclusion criteria and were not subject to any of the exclusion criteria were required to have two positive diagnostic medial branch blocks prior to undergoing randomization, intervention, and analysis. University hospital. Eligible patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either receive thermal radiofrequency ablation alone (standard group) or pulsed dose radiofrequency (PDRF) immediately followed by thermal radiofrequency ablation (investigational group), all of which were performed by a single Board Certified Pain Medicine physician. Post-procedural pain levels between the two groups were assessed using the numerical pain Scale (NPS), and patients were contacted by phone on post-procedural days 1 and 2 in the morning and afternoon regarding the amount of oral analgesic medications used in the first 48 hours following the procedure. Patients who received pulsed dose radiofrequency followed by continuous radiofrequency neurotomy reported statistically significantly lower post-procedural pain scores in the first 24 hours compared to patients who received thermal radiofrequency neurotomy alone. These patients also used less oral analgesic medication in the post-procedural period. These interventions were carried out by one board accredited pain physician at one

  11. Effect of Radiofrequency Denervation on Pain Intensity Among Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain: The Mint Randomized Clinical Trials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juch, Johan N S; Maas, Esther T; Ostelo, Raymond W J G; Groeneweg, J George; Kallewaard, Jan-Willem; Koes, Bart W; Verhagen, Arianne P; van Dongen, Johanna M; Huygen, Frank J P M; van Tulder, Maurits W

    2017-07-04

    Radiofrequency denervation is a commonly used treatment for chronic low back pain, but high-quality evidence for its effectiveness is lacking. To evaluate the effectiveness of radiofrequency denervation added to a standardized exercise program for patients with chronic low back pain. Three pragmatic multicenter, nonblinded randomized clinical trials on the effectiveness of minimal interventional treatments for participants with chronic low back pain (Mint study) were conducted in 16 multidisciplinary pain clinics in the Netherlands. Eligible participants were included between January 1, 2013, and October 24, 2014, and had chronic low back pain, a positive diagnostic block at the facet joints (facet joint trial, 251 participants), sacroiliac joints (sacroiliac joint trial, 228 participants), or a combination of facet joints, sacroiliac joints, or intervertebral disks (combination trial, 202 participants) and were unresponsive to conservative care. All participants received a 3-month standardized exercise program and psychological support if needed. Participants in the intervention group received radiofrequency denervation as well. This is usually a 1-time procedure, but the maximum number of treatments in the trial was 3. The primary outcome was pain intensity (numeric rating scale, 0-10; whereby 0 indicated no pain and 10 indicated worst pain imaginable) measured 3 months after the intervention. The prespecified minimal clinically important difference was defined as 2 points or more. Final follow-up was at 12 months, ending October 2015. Among 681 participants who were randomized (mean age, 52.2 years; 421 women [61.8%], mean baseline pain intensity, 7.1), 599 (88%) completed the 3-month follow-up, and 521 (77%) completed the 12-month follow-up. The mean difference in pain intensity between the radiofrequency denervation and control groups at 3 months was -0.18 (95% CI, -0.76 to 0.40) in the facet joint trial; -0.71 (95% CI, -1.35 to -0.06) in the sacroiliac joint

  12. Sex differences in the relationship between maternal fear of pain and children's conditioned pain modulation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Evans S

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Subhadra Evans, Laura C Seidman, Kirsten C Lung, Lonnie K Zeltzer, Jennie C TsaoPediatric Pain Program, Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USABackground: Parental behaviors, emotions, and cognitions are known to influence children's response to pain. However, prior work has not tested the association between maternal psychological factors and children's responses to a conditioned pain modulation (CPM task. CPM refers to the reduction in perceived pain intensity for a test stimulus following application of a conditioning stimulus to a remote area of the body, and is thought to reflect the descending inhibition of nociceptive signals.Methods: The present study examined sex differences in the association between maternal anxiety about pain and children's CPM responses in 133 healthy children aged 8–17 years. Maternal pain anxiety was assessed using the Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale-20. In addition to the magnitude of CPM, children's anticipatory anxiety and pain-related fear of the CPM task were measured.Results: Sequential multiple linear regression revealed that even after controlling for child age and general maternal psychological distress, greater maternal pain anxiety was significantly related to greater CPM anticipatory anxiety and pain-related fear in girls, and to less CPM (ie, less pain inhibition in boys.Conclusion: The findings indicate sex-specific relationships between maternal pain anxiety and children's responses to a CPM task over and above that accounted for by the age of the child and the mother's general psychological distress.Keywords: diffuse noxious inhibitory controls, pediatric pain, mother-child relationship, cold pressor, pressure pain, laboratory pain

  13. Following the Rules.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katz, Anne

    2016-05-01

    I am getting better at following the rules as I grow older, although I still bristle at many of them. I was a typical rebellious teenager; no one understood me, David Bowie was my idol, and, one day, my generation was going to change the world. Now I really want people to understand me: David Bowie remains one of my favorite singers and, yes, my generation has changed the world, and not necessarily for the better. Growing up means that you have to make the rules, not just follow those set by others, and, at times, having rules makes a lot of sense.
.

  14. Pain physiology education improves health status and endogenous pain inhibition in fibromyalgia: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Oosterwijck, Jessica; Meeus, Mira; Paul, Lorna; De Schryver, Mieke; Pascal, Aurelie; Lambrecht, Luc; Nijs, Jo

    2013-10-01

    There is evidence that education on pain physiology can have positive effects on pain, disability, and catastrophization in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain disorders. A double-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) was performed to examine whether intensive pain physiology education is also effective in fibromyalgia (FM) patients, and whether it is able to influence the impaired endogenous pain inhibition of these patients. Thirty FM patients were randomly allocated to either the experimental (receiving pain physiology education) or the control group (receiving pacing self-management education). The primary outcome was the efficacy of the pain inhibitory mechanisms, which was evaluated by spatially accumulating thermal nociceptive stimuli. Secondary outcome measures included pressure pain threshold measurements and questionnaires assessing pain cognitions, behavior, and health status. Assessments were performed at baseline, 2 weeks, and 3 months follow-up. Repeated measures ANOVAS were used to reveal possible therapy effects and effect sizes were calculated. After the intervention the experimental group had improved knowledge of pain neurophysiology (Pphysiology. Pain physiology education seems to be a useful component in the treatment of FM patients as it improves health status and endogenous pain inhibition in the long term.

  15. Pain Resolution After Hallux Valgus Surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Jerry Yongqiang; Ang, Benjamin Fu Hong; Jiang, Lei; Yeo, Nicholas Eng Meng; Koo, Kevin; Singh Rikhraj, Inderjeet

    2016-10-01

    Although more than 1500 publications on hallux valgus can be found in the current literature, none of them have reported on the course of pain resolution after hallux valgus surgery. Thus, this study aimed to investigate pain resolution after hallux valgus surgery and to identify predictive factors associated with residual pain at 6 months after surgery. We prospectively followed up 308 patients who underwent hallux valgus surgery at a tertiary hospital at 6 months and 2 years after surgery. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the risk factors associated with residual pain after surgery. Ninety-four patients (31%) had some degree of residual pain at 6 months after surgery. After excluding 4 patients who developed osteoarthritis of the first metatarsophalangeal joint over the next 18 months, 73 of the remaining 90 (81%) experienced improvement in visual analog scale (VAS) by the 2-years follow-up. Their median VAS improved from 4 (interquartile range [IQR] 3, 5) at 6 months to 0 (IQR 0, 3) at 2 years (P < .001). A higher preoperative VAS increased the risk of having persistent pain at 6 months after sugery (odds ratio [OR] 1.388, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.092, 1.764, P = .007), whereas a higher preoperative Mental Component Score of SF-36 (MCS) reduced this risk (OR 0.952, 95% CI 0.919, 0.987, P = .007). As much as 31% of patients will have residual pain at 6 months after surgery. Preoperative VAS and MCS are predictors for residual pain. However, these patients will continue to improve over the next 18 months, with 71% of them being pain free at 2 years after surgery. Level II, prospective comparative study. © The Author(s) 2016.

  16. Variables Affecting the Reporting of Pain Following an Acute Myocardial Infarction

    Science.gov (United States)

    1991-05-01

    via the spinothalamic pathway, and stimulate somatic motor neurons on the anterior horn, or preganglionic neurons of the autonomic nervous system in the...pain to the Eysenck Personality Inventory, Cornell Medical Index and Whiteley Index of Hypochondriasis . British journal of Psychiatry. 119. 671-678. Bond

  17. Increased wind-up to heat pain in women with a childhood history of functional abdominal pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dengler-Crish, Christine M; Bruehl, Stephen; Walker, Lynn S

    2011-04-01

    Idiopathic or functional abdominal pain (FAP) is common in school-age children and typically reflects a functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID). FGIDs in adults have been distinguished by enhanced responses of the central nervous system to pain stimuli, known as central sensitization. This study investigated whether adolescents and young adults with a history of pediatric FAP (n=144), compared with well control subjects (n=78), showed enhanced central sensitization demonstrated by greater temporal summation (wind-up) to brief, repetitive heat pulses. We also assessed the role of gender and trait anxiety in wind-up to heat pain. Women with a history of FAP showed greater wind-up to heat pain than men with a history of FAP (Ppain was ongoing at follow-up and those whose pain had resolved. Although anxiety was significantly higher in the FAP group compared with control subjects (Ppain associated with enhanced central nervous system responses to pain stimuli. Young women with a childhood history of functional abdominal pain may have a long-term vulnerability to pain that is associated with enhanced responses of the central nervous system to pain stimuli. Copyright © 2010 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Concurrent Peripheral Pathologies and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type 1 as Contributors to Acute Post-Stroke Shoulder Pain: A Case Report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seyed Majid Akhavan Hejazi

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Post-stroke shoulder pain is associated with either a peripheral or central pathology. However, most of the time, it is challenging to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between the suggested pathology and shoulder pain reported. We report a 66 year-old man who developed a right hemiplegic shoulder pain two months post stroke with initial investigations suggestive of peripheral pathologies. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment did not improve his shoulder pain. Later he developed complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS of the right hand and the initial shoulder pain subsequently relieved following resolution of the CRPS.

  19. Management of chronic visceral pain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olesen, Anne E; Farmer, Adam D; Olesen, Søren S

    2016-01-01

    Despite marked differences in underlying pathophysiology, the current management of visceral pain largely follows the guidelines derived from the somatic pain literature. The effective management of patients with chronic visceral pain should be multifaceted, including both pharmacological...... and psychological interventions, thereby providing a mechanism-orientated approach to treatment. Patients can frequently become disenfranchised, and subsequently disengaged, with healthcare providers leading to repeated consultations. Thus, a key aspect of management is to break this cycle by validating patients......' symptoms, adopting an empathic approach and taking time to educate patients. To optimize treatment and outcomes in chronic visceral pain we need to move away from approaches exclusively based on dealing with peripheral nociceptive input toward more holistic strategies, taking into account alterations...

  20. Facilitated pronociceptive pain mechanisms in radiating back pain compared with localized back pain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vaegter, Henrik Bjarke; Palsson, Thorvaldur Skuli; Graven-Nielsen, Thomas

    2017-01-01

    Facilitated pain mechanisms and impaired pain inhibition are often found in chronic pain patients. This study compared clinical pain profiles, pain sensitivity, as well as pro-nociceptive and anti-nociceptive mechanisms in patients with localized low back pain (n=18), localized neck pain (n=17......), low back and radiating leg pain (n=18), or neck and radiating arm pain (n=17). It was hypothesized that patients with radiating pain had facilitated pain mechanisms and impaired pain inhibition compared with localized pain patients. Cuff algometry was performed on the non-painful lower leg to assess...... threshold (HPT) at the non-painful hand were also assessed. Clinical pain intensity, psychological distress, and disability were assessed with questionnaires. TSP was increased in patients with radiating back pain compared with localized back pain (Ppain or localized low...

  1. Post-treatment pain in teeth with primary infections

    OpenAIRE

    Jesus Djalma Pécora; Cynthia Rodrigues de Araújo Estrela; Orlando Aguirre Guedes; Aldo Brugnera Junior; Carlos Estrela

    2008-01-01

    Objective: The purpose of this assay was to evaluate longitudinal studies about the pain after endodontic treatment, with primary infection, using a systematic review. Methods: A MEDLINE search strategy was developed to identify articles using the following uniterms: endodontic(s) and pulpal pain, endodontic(s) and periapical pain, endodontic(s) and symptom, endodontic(s) and flare-ups, endodontic(s) pain and post-treatment, endodontic(s) and inter-appointment/interappointment. The search inc...

  2. Dyadic analysis of child and parent trait and state pain catastrophizing in the process of children's pain communication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Birnie, Kathryn A; Chambers, Christine T; Chorney, Jill; Fernandez, Conrad V; McGrath, Patrick J

    2016-04-01

    When explored separately, child and parent catastrophic thoughts about child pain show robust negative relations with child pain. The objective of this study was to conduct a dyadic analysis to elucidate intrapersonal and interpersonal influences of child and parent pain catastrophizing on aspects of pain communication, including observed behaviours and perceptions of child pain. A community sample of 171 dyads including children aged 8 to 12 years (89 girls) and parents (135 mothers) rated pain catastrophizing (trait and state versions) and child pain intensity and unpleasantness following a cold pressor task. Child pain tolerance was also assessed. Parent-child interactions during the cold pressor task were coded for parent attending, nonattending, and other talk, and child symptom complaints and other talk. Data were analyzed using the actor-partner interdependence model and hierarchical multiple regressions. Children reporting higher state pain catastrophizing had greater symptom complaints regardless of level of parent state pain catastrophizing. Children reporting low state pain catastrophizing had similar high levels of symptom complaints, but only when parents reported high state pain catastrophizing. Higher child and parent state and/or trait pain catastrophizing predicted their own ratings of higher child pain intensity and unpleasantness, with child state pain catastrophizing additionally predicting parent ratings. Higher pain tolerance was predicted by older child age and lower child state pain catastrophizing. These newly identified interpersonal effects highlight the relevance of the social context to children's pain expressions and parent perceptions of child pain. Both child and parent pain catastrophizing warrant consideration when managing child pain.

  3. Long-term pain prevalence and health-related quality of life outcomes for patients enrolled in a ketamine versus morphine for prehospital traumatic pain randomised controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jennings, Paul A; Cameron, Peter; Bernard, Stephen; Walker, Tony; Jolley, Damien; Fitzgerald, Mark; Masci, Kevin

    2014-10-01

    Improved early pain control may affect the longer-term prevalence of persistent pain. In a previous randomised, controlled trial, we found that the administration of ketamine on hospital arrival decreased pain scores to a greater extent than morphine alone in patients with prehospital traumatic pain. In this follow-up study, we sought to determine the prevalence of persistent pain and whether there were differences in patients who received ketamine or morphine. This study was a long-term follow-up study of the prehospital, prospective, randomised, controlled, open-label study comparing ketamine with morphine in patients with trauma and a verbal pain score of >5 after 5 mg intravenous morphine. Patients were followed-up by telephone 6-12 months after enrollment, and a questionnaire including the SF-36 (V.2) health-related quality of life survey and the Verbal Numerical Rating Scale for pain was administered. A total of 97/135 (72%) patients were able to be followed-up 6-12 months after enrollment between July 2008 and July 2010. Overall, 44/97 (45%) participants reported persistent pain related to their injury, with 3/97 (3%) reporting persistent severe pain. The prevalence of persistent pain was the same between study groups (22/50 (44%) for the ketamine group vs 22/47 (46%) for the morphine group). There was no difference in the SF-36 scores between study arms. There is a high incidence of persistent pain after traumatic injury, even in patients with relatively minor severity of injury. Although decreased pain scores at hospital arrival are achieved with ketamine compared with morphine, this difference does not affect the prevalence of persistent pain or health-related quality of life 6 months after injury. Further larger studies are required to confirm this finding. Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12607000441415). Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go

  4. [Pain in humans: experimental facts and hypotheses].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cesaro, P

    1994-09-15

    The description of painful phenomena in humans has to take into account its different components: sensory component (relevant to nociception), affective and emotional components. Nociceptor's (physiology is best understood with electrophysiological and neurochemical methods allowing a clear description of hyperalgesia, with its peripheral and spinal mechanisms. A functional model is partly available to explain allodynia, spontaneous burning pain and lightning pain, the three main consequences following deafferentation. At the thalamo-cortical level, one can describe nociceptive pathways and other pathways or neuronal networks involved in the affective and emotional components of pain.

  5. Enhanced presurgical pain temporal summation response predicts post-thoracotomy pain intensity during the acute postoperative phase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weissman-Fogel, Irit; Granovsky, Yelena; Crispel, Yonathan; Ben-Nun, Alon; Best, Lael Anson; Yarnitsky, David; Granot, Michal

    2009-06-01

    Recent evidence points to an association between experimental pain measures obtained preoperatively and acute postoperative pain (POP). We hypothesized that pain temporal summation (TS) might be an additional predictor for POP insofar as it represents the neuroplastic changes that occur in the central nervous system following surgery. Therefore, a wide range of psychophysical tests (TS to heat and mechanical repetitive stimuli, pain threshold, and suprathreshold pain estimation) and personality tests (pain catastrophizing and anxiety levels) were administered prior to thoracotomy in 84 patients. POP ratings were evaluated on the 2nd and 5th days after surgery at rest (spontaneous pain) and in response to activity (provoked pain). Linear regression models revealed that among all assessed variables, enhanced TS and higher pain scores for mechanical stimulation were significantly associated with greater provoked POP intensity (overall r2 = 0.225, P = .008). Patients who did not demonstrate TS to both modalities reported lower scores of provoked POP as compared with patients who demonstrated TS in response to at least 1 modality (F = 4.59 P = .013). Despite the moderate association between pain catastrophizing and rest POP, none of the variables predicted the spontaneous POP intensity. These findings suggest that individual susceptibility toward a greater summation response may characterize patients who are potentially vulnerable to augmented POP. This study proposed the role of pain temporal summation assessed preoperatively as a significant psychophysical predictor for acute postoperative pain intensity. The individual profile of enhanced pain summation is associated with the greater likelihood of higher postoperative pain scores.

  6. Neuropathic orofacial pain: Facts and fiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baad-Hansen, Lene; Benoliel, Rafael

    2017-06-01

    Definition and taxonomy This review deals with neuropathic pain of traumatic origin affecting the trigeminal nerve, i.e. painful post-traumatic trigeminal neuropathy (PTTN). Symptomatology The clinical characteristics of PTTN vary considerably, partly due to the type and extent of injury. Symptoms involve combinations of spontaneous and evoked pain and of positive and negative somatosensory signs. These patients are at risk of going through unnecessary dental/surgical procedures in the attempt to eradicate the cause of the pain, due to the fact that most dentists only rarely encounter PTTN. Epidemiology Overall, approximately 3% of patients with trigeminal nerve injuries develop PTTN. Patients are most often female above the age of 45 years, and both physical and psychological comorbidities are common. Pathophysiology PTTN shares many pathophysiological mechanisms with other peripheral neuropathic pain conditions. Diagnostic considerations PTTN may be confused with one of the regional neuralgias or other orofacial pain conditions. For intraoral PTTN, early stages are often misdiagnosed as odontogenic pain. Pain management Management of PTTN generally follows recommendations for peripheral neuropathic pain. Expert opinion International consensus on classification and taxonomy is urgently needed in order to advance the field related to this condition.

  7. Prognostic Factor Analysis for Management of Chronic Neck Pain: Can We Predict the Severity of Neck Pain with Lateral Cervical Curvature?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seong, Han Yu; Lee, Moon Kyu; Jeon, Sang Ryong; Roh, Sung Woo; Rhim, Seung Chul; Park, Jin Hoon

    2017-07-01

    Although little is known about its origins, neck pain may be related to several associated anatomical pathologies. We aimed to characterize the incidence and features of chronic neck pain and analyze the relationship between neck pain severity and its affecting factors. Between March 2012 and July 2013, we studied 216 patients with chronic neck pain. Initially, combined tramadol (37.5 mg) plus acetaminophen (325 mg) was administered orally twice daily (b.i.d.) to all patients over a 2-week period. After two weeks, patients were evaluated for neck pain during an outpatient clinic visit. If the numeric rating scale of the patient had not decreased to 5 or lower, a cervical medial branch block (MBB) was recommended after double-dosed previous medication trial. We classified all patients into two groups (mild vs. severe neck pain group), based on medication efficacy. Logistic regression tests were used to evaluate the factors associated with neck pain severity. A total of 198 patients were included in the analyses, due to follow-up loss in 18 patients. While medication was successful in reducing pain in 68.2% patients with chronic neck pain, the remaining patients required cervical MBB. Lateral cervical curvature, such as a straight or sigmoid type curve, was found to be significantly associated with the severity of neck pain. We managed chronic neck pain with a simple pharmacological management protocol followed by MBB. We should keep in mind that it may be difficult to manage the patient with straight or sigmoid lateral curvature only with oral medication.

  8. Port site endometrioma: a rare cause of abdominal wall pain following laparoscopic surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siddiqui, Zohaib A; Husain, Fahd; Siddiqui, Zain; Siddiqui, Midhat

    2017-06-18

    Endometriomas are a rare cause of abdominal wall pain. We report a case of a port site endometrioma presenting with an umbilical swelling. The patient underwent a laparoscopy for pelvic endometriosis 6 months previously and presented with a swelling around her umbilical port site scar associated with cyclical pain during menses. Ultrasound scan reported a well-defined lesion in the umbilicus and MRI scanning excluded other pathology. As she was symptomatic, she underwent an exploration of the scar and excision of the endometrioma with resolution of her symptoms. Precautions should be taken to reduce the risk of endometrial seeding during laparoscopic surgery. All tissues should be removed in an appropriate retrieval bag and the pneumoperitoneum should be deflated completely before removing ports to reduce the chimney effect of tissue being forced through the port site. The diagnosis should be considered in all women of reproductive age presenting with a painful port site scar. © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  9. Biopsychosocial characteristics of patients with neuropathic pain following spinal cord trauma injury. Case reports

    OpenAIRE

    Silva,Viviana Gonçalves; Jesus,Cristine Alves Costa de

    2015-01-01

    ABSTRACTBACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:Spinal cord injury is a change in spinal canal structures and may induce motor, sensory, autonomic and psychoaffective changes. Trauma injury is the most prevalent. Neuropathic pain is more frequent in people with spinal cord injury and may be disabling. Pain development mechanism is poorly known being its management difficult for both patients and health professionals. This study aimed at identifying biopsychosocial characteristics associated to neuropathic ...

  10. Comparison of Postoperative Pain Following Laser-assisted Subepithelial Keratectomy and Transepithelial Photorefrac-tive Keratectomy:a Prospective,Random Paired Bilateral Eye Study

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Dongmei Wang; Guangsheng Chen; Liusong Tang; Qiaoling Li

    2014-01-01

    Purpose:.To compare postoperative pain following laser-as-sisted subepithelial keratectomy (LASEK) and transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (T-PRK, two-step surgery) and alleviate postoperative subjective pain.Methods:.Thirty patients (60 eyes) with myopia or myopic astigmatism were consecutively recruited into this prospective, randomized paired study..Patients underwent LASEK in one eye,and T-PRK in the other. The degree of pain was rated on a scale of 0-10 on postoperative days 1,2 and 3..Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) and subepithelial corneal haze were as-sessed at postoperative 1 and 3 months.Results:.The pain was relieved on the 4th postoperative day in all patients,.healing of corneal epithelium was observed at 4-5 days after surgery and contact lenses were removed promptly.At postoperative 1 day,.the mean subjective pain score in the LASEK group was 3.2±1.88 and 4.43±1.61 in T-PRK group (P=0.008).No significant difference was found be-tween two groups on postoperative 2 and 3 days. At postoper-ative 3 months, the percentage of UCVA ≥0.8 in the LASEK group was 100% and 96.7% in the T-PRK group. (P=0.24), 93.3% of patients in the LASEK with UCVA ≥1.0 and 90%in the T-PRK group(P=0.64). In the LASEK group, the value of corneal haze was 0.26±0.21 and 0.27±0.25 in the T-PRK group(P=0.877).Conclusion:.Good visual acuity was obtained in both groups at postoperative 3 months. Compared with those in the T-PRK group, patients undergoing had less discomfort in the LASEK group, which may be associated with corneal epithelial activ-ity. The changing curve of subjective pain in the T-PRK group was relatively flat and stable at postoperative 3 days. (Eye Science 2014; 29:155-159)

  11. Women with provoked vestibulodynia experience clinically significant reductions in pain regardless of treatment: results from a 2-year follow-up study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Seth N P; Bergeron, Sophie; Binik, Yitzchak M; Lambert, Bernard

    2013-12-01

    Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a prevalent genital pain syndrome that has been assumed to be chronic, with little spontaneous remission. Despite this assumption, there is a dearth of empirical evidence regarding the progression of PVD in a natural setting. Although many treatments are available, there is no single treatment that has demonstrated efficacy above others. The aims of this secondary analysis of a prospective study were to (i) assess changes over a 2-year period in pain, depressive symptoms, and sexual outcomes in women with PVD; and (ii) examine changes based on treatment(s) type. Participants completed questionnaire packages at Time 1 and a follow-up package 2 years later. Visual analog scale of genital pain, Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction, Female Sexual Function Index, Beck Depression Inventory, Dyadic Adjustment Scale, and sexual intercourse attempts over the past month. Two hundred thirty-nine women with PVD completed both time one and two questionnaires. For the sample as a whole, there was significant improvement over 2 years on pain ratings, sexual satisfaction, sexual function, and depressive symptoms. The most commonly received treatments were physical therapy, sex/psychotherapy, and medical treatment, although 41.0% did not undergo any treatment. Women receiving no treatment also improved significantly on pain ratings. No single treatment type predicted better outcome for any variable except depressive symptoms, in which women who underwent surgery were more likely to improve. These results suggest that PVD may significantly reduce in severity over time. Participants demonstrated clinically significant pain improvement, even when they did not receive treatment. Furthermore, the only single treatment type predicting better outcomes was surgery, and only for depressive symptoms, accounting for only 2.3% of the variance. These data do not demonstrate the superiority of any one treatment and underscore the need to have control groups in

  12. Pain management in primary care – current perspectives

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    vances in pain medicine and continue to follow the biomedical approach, which regards a specific pathway as ... factors, present and past psychological ... patients where no peripheral abnormal- ..... chronic pain: An integrative model for the.

  13. Rational pain management in complex regional pain syndrome 1 (CRPS 1)--a network meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wertli, Maria M; Kessels, Alphons G H; Perez, Roberto S G M; Bachmann, Lucas M; Brunner, Florian

    2014-09-01

    Guidelines for complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) 1 advocate several substance classes to reduce pain and support physical rehabilitation, but guidance about which agent should be prioritized when designing a therapeutic regimen is not provided. Using a network meta-analytic approach, we examined the efficacy of all agent classes investigated in randomized clinical trials of CRPS 1 and provide a rank order of various substances stratified by length of illness duration. In this study a network meta-analysis was conducted. The participants of this study were patients with CRPS 1. Searches in electronic, previous systematic reviews, conference abstracts, book chapters, and the reference lists of relevant articles were performed. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials comparing at least one analgesic agent with placebo or with another analgesic and reporting efficacy in reducing pain. Summary efficacy stratified by symptom duration and length of follow-up was computed across all substance classes. Two authors independently extracted data. In total, 16 studies were included in the analysis. Bisphosphonates appear to be the treatment of choice in early stages of CRPS 1. The effects of calcitonin surpass that of bisphosphonates and other substances as a short-term medication in more chronic stages of the illness. While most medications showed some efficacy on short-term follow-up, only bisphosphonates, NMDA analogs, and vasodilators showed better long-term pain reduction than placebo. For some drug classes, only a few studies were available and many studies included a small group of patients. Insufficient data were available to analyze efficacy on disability. This network meta-analysis indicates that a rational pharmacological treatment strategy of pain management should consider bisphosphonates in early CRPS 1 and a short-term course of calcitonin in later stages. While most medications showed some efficacy on short-term follow-up, only bisphosphonates

  14. Pain and pain behavior in burning mouth syndrome: a pain diary study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forssell, Heli; Teerijoki-Oksa, Tuija; Kotiranta, Ulla; Kantola, Rosita; Bäck, Marjaliina; Vuorjoki-Ranta, Tiina-Riitta; Siponen, Maria; Leino, Ari; Puukka, Pauli; Estlander, Ann-Mari

    2012-01-01

    To characterize pain related to primary burning mouth syndrome (BMS) in terms of intensity, interference, and distress caused by the pain, as well as factors influencing the pain across a period of 2 weeks, and to study the use of coping and management strategies on a daily basis. Fifty-two female patients with primary BMS completed a 2-week pain diary. Pain intensity, interference, distress, and mood on a 0 to 10 numeric rating scale (NRS), as well as pain amplifying and alleviating factors, were recorded three times a day. The use of treatments (medication or other means) and coping strategies were recorded at the end of each day. Coefficient of variation, repeated measures analysis of variance, and correlative methods were used to assess the between- and within-subject variation, pain patterns, and associations between various pain scores. The overall mean pain intensity score of the 14 diary days was 3.1 (SD: 1.7); there was considerable variation in pain intensity between patients. Most patients experienced intermittent pain. On average, pain intensity increased from the morning to the evening. Intercorrelations between pain intensity, interference, distress, and mood were high, varying between rs = .75 and rs = .93 (P < .001). Pungent or hot food or beverages, stress, and tiredness were the most frequently mentioned pain-amplifying factors. The corresponding pain-alleviating factors were eating, sucking pastilles, drinking cold beverages, and relaxation. Thirty (58%) patients used pain medication and 35% reported using other means to alleviate their BMS pain. There was large variation in the use of coping strategies -between subjects. There were considerable differences in pain, in factors influencing the pain, and in pain behavior across BMS patients. This indicates that patient information and education as well as treatment of BMS pain should be individualized.

  15. Long-term trajectories of patients with neck pain and low back pain presenting to chiropractic care: A latent class growth analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ailliet, L; Rubinstein, S M; Hoekstra, T; van Tulder, M W; de Vet, H C W

    2018-01-01

    Information on the course of neck pain (NP) and low back pain (LBP) typically relies on data collected at few time intervals during a period of up to 1 year. In this prospective, multicentre practice-based cohort study, patients consulting a chiropractor responded weekly for 52 weeks to text messages on their cell phones. Data from 448 patients (153 NP, 295 LBP) who had returned at least one set of answers in the first 26 weeks were used. Outcome measures were pain intensity (VAS) and functional outcome, assessed using four different questions: pain intensity, limitation in activities of daily living (ADL), number of days with pain in the previous week and number of days limited in ADL. Distinct patterns of pain were analysed with quadratic latent class growth analysis. The final model was a 4-class model for NP and LBP. The 'recovering from mild baseline pain' is most common (76.3% of NP patients/58.3% of LBP patients) followed by the 'recovering from severe baseline pain' class (16.3% NP/29.8% LBP). They follow similar trajectories when considered over a period of 6 months. Pain at baseline, duration of complaints, functional status, limitations in ADL and the score on psychosocial scales were the variables that most contributed to distinguish between groups. Most patients with NP or LBP presenting in chiropractic care show a trajectory of symptoms characterized by persistent or fluctuating pain of low or medium intensity. Only a minority either experience a rapid complete recovery or develop chronic severe pain. Ninety percentage of patients with neck pain or low back pain presenting to chiropractors have a 30% improvement within 6 weeks and then show a trajectory of symptoms characterized by persistent or fluctuating pain of low or medium intensity. Only a minority either experience a rapid complete recovery or develop chronic severe pain. © 2017 European Pain Federation - EFIC®.

  16. Relationship between self-reported pain sensitivity and pain after total knee arthroplasty: a prospective study of 71 patients 8 weeks after a standardized fast-track

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valeberg BT

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Berit T Valeberg,1 Lise H Høvik,2 Kari H Gjeilo3–6 1Faculty of Nursing, Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences, Oslo, 2Clinic of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, 3Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, 4Department of Cardiology, 5National Competence Centre for Complex Symptom Disorders, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, 6Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway Background and purpose: This was a prospective cohort study assessing data from 71 adult patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA following a standardized fast-track program between January and July 2013. The objective was to examine the relationship between self-rated pain sensitivity, as measured by the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire (PSQ, and postoperative pain after TKA. Methods: The baseline questionnaires, PSQ and Brief Pain Inventory, were given to the patients for self-administration at the presurgical evaluation (1–2 weeks prior to surgery. The follow-up questionnaire, Brief Pain Inventory, was administered at the first follow-up, 8 weeks after surgery. Results: A statistically significant association was found between average preoperative pain and average pain 8 weeks after surgery (P=0.001. The PSQ-minor was statistically significantly associated with average pain only for patients younger than 70 years (P=0.03. Interpretation: This is the first study to examine the relationship between pain sensitivity measured by PSQ and postoperative pain in patients after TKA. We found that a lower score on the PSQ-minor was statistically significantly associated with patients’ pain 8 weeks after TKA surgery, but only for younger patients. Further research is needed to explore whether the PSQ could be a useful screening tool for patients’ pain sensitivity in clinical settings. Keywords

  17. [Study on the area of pain and numbness in cases with lumbosacral radiculopathy].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuraishi, Keita; Hanakita, Junya; Takahashi, Toshiyuki; Minami, Manabu; Watanabe, Mizuki; Uesaka, Toshio; Honda, Fumiaki

    2012-10-01

    In the clinical diagnosis of lumbosacral radicular symptoms, dermatome maps are commonly used, by which the segmental location of the affected nerve can be determined. However, the diagnosis is often difficult because the pattern of sensory disturbance does not necessarily match the patterns of classical dermatomes, and there are many dermatome maps made by different methods. The author examined the area of pain and numbness in cases of lumbosacral radiculopathy. Clinical features of pain and numbness in consecutive seventy three cases of lumbosacral radiculopathy were investigated (L3: n=13, L4-S1: n=20). Patients of L3 radiculopathy showed symptoms at the upper buttock and ventral surface of the thighs, knees and upper ventral surface of the legs. Patients of L4 radiculopathy showed symptoms at the ventro-lateral surfaces of the thigh and leg. The distinctive region, defined as the region having 100% superimposition, of L4 radiculopathy was the lateral part of the shin. Patients of L5 radiculopathy showed symptoms at the lateral surfaces of the thigh and leg. The distinctive region was the upper buttock. Patients of S1 radiculopathy showed symptoms at the lower buttock, dorso-lateral part of the leg and lateral part of the foot. The distinctive region was the lateral part of the calf. It was found that the regions of pain and numbness formed a continuous band-like zone from thigh to leg in 8% of L3, 45% of L4 and L5, and 35% of S1 radiculopathy. Using a visual analogue scale, the degree of leg pain was more severe than low back pain in 68% of the patients, but in 5% of patients, low back pain was more severe.

  18. Do work-related factors affect care-seeking in general practice for back pain or upper extremity pain?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Jens Christian; Haahr, Jens Peder; Frost, Poul

    2013-01-01

    's decision to seek care could be important in order to give more well-founded advice to our patients. The objective of this study was to elucidate the effects of workloads on care-seeking for back pain or upper extremity pain during an eighteen-month follow-up period. METHODS: This is a prospective study...

  19. A Simple and Effective Daily Pain Management Method for Patients Receiving Radiation Therapy for Painful Bone Metastases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andrade, Regiane S.; Proctor, Julian W.; Slack, Robert; Marlowe, Ursula; Ashby, Karlotta R.; Schenken, Larry L.

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: The incidence of painful bone metastases increases with longer survival times. Although external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) is an effective palliative treatment, it often requires several days from the start of treatment to produce a measurable reduction in pain scores and a qualitative amelioration of patient pain levels. Meanwhile, the use of analgesics remains the best approach early on in the treatment course. We investigated the role of radiation therapists as key personnel for collecting daily pain scores to supplement assessments by physician and oncology nursing staff and manage pain more effectively during radiation treatment. Methods and Materials: Daily pain scores were obtained by the radiation therapists for 89 patients undertaking a total of 124 courses of EBRT for bone metastases and compared with pretreatment pain scores. The majority of patients (71%) were treated to 30 Gy (range, 20-37.5) in 10 fractions (range, 8-15 fractions). Results: One hundred nineteen treatment courses (96%) were completed. Pain scores declined rapidly to 37.5%, 50%, and 75% of the pretreatment levels by Days 2, 4, and 10, respectively. Pain was improved in 91% of patients with only 4% of worse pain at the end of treatment. Improved pain scores were maintained in 83% of patients at 1-month follow-up, but in 35% of them, the pain was worse than at the end of treatment. Conclusions: Collection of daily pain scores by radiation therapists was associated with an effective reduction in pain scores early on during EBRT of painful osseous metastases.

  20. COMPARING THE EFFECT OF INTRAMUSCULAR INJETION OF PETHIDINE AND DICLOFENAC SUPPOSITORY IN RELIEF OF PAIN FOLLOWING LAMINECTOMY SURGERY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. R Emamhadi

    2008-08-01

    Full Text Available "nPain, particularly after surgery, can create a variety of side effects including delay in wound healing. Different drugs such as pethidine and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used for relieving patient's pain after surgery. The purpose of this research was to compare effect of pethidine vs. diclofenac (D suppository in relief of pain after laminectomy. A total of 100 patients who underwent laminectomy entered this study. They were divided into pethidine and diclofenac groups. The patients' pain score was measured with visual analog scale (VAS method. The mean pain score 24 hours after surgery was 2.8 ± 2.0 in pethidine group and 4.46 ± 2.30 in diclofenac group. There was a significant statistical difference between pain score after surgery in two groups (P < 0.05. Nausea was the most common side effect observed in pethidine group (20% and epigastric pain was the most common one in diclofenac group (18%. There wasn't any statistical significant difference between side effects in these two groups. It seems that pethidine injection is more effective than diclofenac suppository in relieving pain after laminectomy.

  1. Effect of a high-dose target-controlled naloxone infusion on pain and hyperalgesia in patients following groin hernia repair: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pereira, Manuel Pedro; Utke Werner, Mads; Berg Dahl, Joergen

    2015-01-01

    no volunteer developed significant secondary hyperalgesia after the placebo infusion. In order to consistently demonstrate latent sensitization in humans, a pain model inducing deep tissue inflammation, as used in animal studies, might be necessary. The aim of the present study is to examine whether a high......-dose target-controlled naloxone infusion can reinstate pain and hyperalgesia following recovery from open groin hernia repair and thus consistently demonstrate opioid-mediated latent sensitization in humans. METHODS/DESIGN: Patients submitted to unilateral, primary, open groin hernia repair will be included...

  2. Meta-analysis: exercise therapy for nonspecific low back pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayden, Jill A; van Tulder, Maurits W; Malmivaara, Antti V; Koes, Bart W

    2005-05-03

    Exercise therapy is widely used as an intervention in low back pain. To evaluate the effectiveness of exercise therapy in adult nonspecific acute, subacute, and chronic low back pain versus no treatment and other conservative treatments. MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychInfo, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library databases to October 2004; citation searches and bibliographic reviews of previous systematic reviews. Randomized, controlled trials evaluating exercise therapy for adult nonspecific low back pain and measuring pain, function, return to work or absenteeism, and global improvement outcomes. Two reviewers independently selected studies and extracted data on study characteristics, quality, and outcomes at short-, intermediate-, and long-term follow-up. 61 randomized, controlled trials (6390 participants) met inclusion criteria: acute (11 trials), subacute (6 trials), and chronic (43 trials) low back pain (1 trial was unclear). Evidence suggests that exercise therapy is effective in chronic back pain relative to comparisons at all follow-up periods. Pooled mean improvement (of 100 points) was 7.3 points (95% CI, 3.7 to 10.9 points) for pain and 2.5 points (CI, 1.0 to 3.9 points) for function at earliest follow-up. In studies investigating patients (people seeking care for back pain), mean improvement was 13.3 points (CI, 5.5 to 21.1 points) for pain and 6.9 points (CI, 2.2 to 11.7 points) for function, compared with studies where some participants had been recruited from a general population (for example, with advertisements). Some evidence suggests effectiveness of a graded-activity exercise program in subacute low back pain in occupational settings, although the evidence for other types of exercise therapy in other populations is inconsistent. In acute low back pain, exercise therapy and other programs were equally effective (pain, 0.03 point [CI, -1.3 to 1.4 points]). Limitations of the literature, including low-quality studies with heterogeneous outcome measures inconsistent

  3. Pain-relevant anxiety affects desire for pain relief, but not pain perception

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adriana Banozic

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Pain context plays a significant role in the perception of pain. Despite recent interest in vicarious learning and anxiety in pain modulation, there have been no attempts to explore pain modulation by specific environmental cues. Aims: Therefore, the present study evaluated pain responses in the condition that was attributed as either anxiety relevant (AR or anxiety irrelevant. Materials and Methods: Participants were exposed to both conditions through social observational learning. Pain perception was assessed by means of a visual analog scale ranging from 0 = no pain to 10 = maximum imaginable pain. State anxiety, empathy, expectancy, and desire for pain relief were also measured at both neutral and emotionally inducing conditions. Results: No effect of relevancy of anxiety for the pain context on any of the pain-related constructs was found. However, participants in the AR condition reported an increased desire for pain relief. Maximizing similarities between observed and experienced pain context did not enhance observational learning effects in the emotionally inducing condition regardless of its relevance, but significant changes were found in comparison to the affectively neutral group. Conclusions: These results could have potentially significant clinical implications suggesting that even though observing painful procedures does not increase pain it could affect medication usage.

  4. The effects of positive or negative words when assessing postoperative pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chooi, C S L; Nerlekar, R; Raju, A; Cyna, A M

    2011-01-01

    Negative or harsh words such as 'pain' and 'sting' used to describe sensations prior to potentially painful procedures have been shown to increase pain. We aimed to determine whether the reporting of pain and its severity is affected by the way it is assessed during anaesthesia follow-up after caesarean section. Following caesarean section, 232 women were randomised prior to post-anaesthesia review. Group N participants were asked questions containing the negative word 'pain, "Do you have any pain?" and then asked to rate it on a 0 to 10 point Verbal Numerical Rating Scale. Group P participants were asked questions using more positive words, "How are you feeling?" and "Are you comfortable?". Data are presented as median, interquartile range. In Group N, 63 participants (54.3%) reported pain compared with only 28 participants (24.1%) in Group P (P positive words, decreases its incidence but does not affect its severity when measured by pain scores. Words that focus the patient on pain during its assessment may lead some to interpret sensations as pain which they might not do otherwise. These findings may have important implications when assessing and researching postoperative pain.

  5. Efficient conditioned pain modulation despite pain persistence in painful diabetic neuropathy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yelena Granovsky

    2017-06-01

    Conclusion:. Pro-nociception, expressed by less efficient CPM and high temporal summation that usually accompanies clinical painful conditions, seems to “normalize” with chronicity of the pain syndrome. This is despite continuing pain, suggesting that pro-nociceptivity in pain syndromes is multifactorial. Because the pain modulation profile affects success of therapy, this suggests that different drugs might express different efficacy pending on duration of the pain in patients with PDN.

  6. Effects of Functional Fascial Taping on pain and function in patients with non-specific low back pain: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Shu-Mei; Alexander, Ron; Lo, Sing Kai; Cook, Jill

    2012-10-01

    To compare the short-term and medium-term effect of Functional Fascial Taping to placebo taping on pain and function in people with non-specific low back pain. A pilot randomized controlled trial with a 2-week intervention, and 2-, 6- and 12-week follow-up. Individuals with non-specific low back pain recruited from local communities. Forty-three participants with non-specific low back pain for more than 6 weeks were randomized into either Functional Fascial Taping group (n = 21) or placebo group (n = 22). The intervention group was treated with Functional Fascial Taping while the control group was treated with placebo taping. Both groups received four treatments over 2 weeks. Worst and average pain and function were assessed at baseline, after the 2-week intervention, and at 6 and 12 weeks follow-up. The Functional Fascial Taping group demonstrated significantly greater reduction in worst pain compared to placebo group after the 2-week intervention (P = 0.02, effect size = 0.74; 95% confidence interval 0.11-1.34). A higher proportion of participants in Functional Fascial Taping group attained the minimal clinically important difference in worst pain (P = 0.007) and function (P = 0.007) than those in placebo group after the 2-week intervention. There were no significant differences in either group's disability rating or clinically important difference in average pain at any time. Functional Fascial Taping reduced worst pain in patients with non-acute non-specific low back pain during the treatment phase. No medium-term differences in pain or function were observed.

  7. Chronic neck pain and masticatory dysfunction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Catanzariti, Jean-François; Debuse, Thierry; Duquesnoy, Bernard

    2005-12-01

    Chronic nonspecific neck pain is a common problem in rheumatology and may resist conventional treatment. Pathophysiological links exist between the cervical spine and masticatory system. Occlusal disorders may cause neck pain and may respond to dental treatment. The estimated prevalence of occlusal disorders is about 45%, with half the cases being due to functional factors. Minor repeated masticatory dysfunction (MD) with craniocervical asymmetry is the most common clinical picture. The pain is usually located in the suboccipital region and refractory to conventional treatment. The time pattern may be suggestive, with nocturnal arousals or triggering by temporomandibular movements. MD should be strongly suspected in patients with at least two of the following: history of treated or untreated MD, unilateral temporomandibular joint pain and clicking, lateral deviation during mouth opening, and limitation of mouth opening (less than three fingerbreadths). Rheumatologists should consider MD among causes of neck pain, most notably in patients with abnormal craniocervical posture, signs linking the neck pain to mastication, and clinical manifestations of MD. Evidence suggesting that MD may cause neck pain has been published. However, studies are needed to determine whether treatment of MD can relieve neck pain.

  8. Pregabalin reduces acute inflammatory and persistent pain associated with nerve injury and cancer in rat models of orofacial pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hummig, Wagner; Kopruszinski, Caroline Machado; Chichorro, Juliana Geremias

    2014-01-01

    To assess the analgesic effect of pregabalin in orofacial models of acute inflammatory pain and of persistent pain associated with nerve injury and cancer, and so determine its effectiveness in controlling orofacial pains having different underlying mechanisms. Orofacial capsaicin and formalin tests were employed in male Wistar rats to assess the influence of pregabalin (or vehicle) pretreatment in acute pain models, and the results from these experiments were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Newman Keuls post-hoc test. Pregabalin (or vehicle) treatment was also tested on the facial heat hyperalgesia that was evaluated in rats receiving injection of the inflammatory irritant carrageenan into the upper lip, as well as after constriction of the infraorbital nerve (a model of trigeminal neuropathic pain), or after inoculation of tumor cells into the facial vibrissal pad; two-way repeated measures ANOVA followed by Newman-Keuls post-hoc test was used to analyze data from these experiments. Facial grooming induced by capsaicin was abolished by pretreatment with pregabalin at 10 and 30 mg/kg. However, pregabalin failed to modify the first phase of the formalin response, but reduced the second phase at both doses (10 and 30 mg/kg). In addition, treatment of rats with pregabalin reduced the heat hyperalgesia induced by carrageenan, as well as by nerve injury and facial cancer. Pregabalin produced a marked antinociceptive effect in rat models of facial inflammatory pain as well as in facial neuropathic and cancer pain models, suggesting that it may represent an important agent for the clinical control of orofacial pain.

  9. Gabapentin reverses central pain sensitization following a collagenase-induced intrathalamic hemorrhage in rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Castel A

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Aude Castel, Pascal VachonFaculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Biomedicine, University of Montreal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, CanadaPurpose: The treatment of central neuropathic pain remains amongst the biggest challenges for pain specialists. The main objective of this study was to assess gabapentin (GBP, amitriptyline (AMI, and carbamazepine (CARBA for the treatment of a rodent central neuropathic pain model.Methods: Male Sprague Dawley rats were trained on the rotarod, Hargreaves, Von Frey and acetone behavioral tests, and baseline values were obtained prior to surgery. A stereotaxic injection of either a collagenase solution or saline was made in the right ventral posterolateral thalamic nucleus. The rats were tested on days 2, 4, 8, and 11 postsurgery. They were retested at regular intervals from day 15 to day 25 postsurgery, after oral administration of either the vehicle (n=7 and n=8 rats with intracerebral injections of collagenase and saline, respectively or the different drugs (GBP [60 mg/kg], AMI [10 mg/kg], CARBA [100 mg/kg]; n=8 rats/drug.Results: A significant decrease in the mechanical thresholds and no change in heat threshold were observed in both hind limbs in the collagenase group, as we had previously shown elsewhere. Reversal of the mechanical hypersensitivity was achieved only with GBP (P<0.05. AMI and CARBA, at the dosages used, failed to show any effect on mechanical thresholds. Transient cold allodynia was observed in some collagenase-injected rats but failed to be statistically significant.Conclusion: Intrathalamic hemorrhaging in the ventrolateral thalamic nucleus induced a bilateral mechanical allodynia, which was reversed by GBP but not AMI or CARBA.Keywords: central pain, thalamus, amitriptyline, carbamazepine

  10. Spinal cord stimulation for treatment of pain in a patient with post thoracotomy pain syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graybill, Jordan; Conermann, Till; Kabazie, Abraham J; Chandy, Sunil

    2011-01-01

    Post Thoracotomy Pain Syndrome (PTPS) is defined as pain that occurs or persists in the area of the thoracotomy incision for at least 2 months following the initial procedure.  The true incidence of PTPS is hard to define as literature reports a wide range of occurrence from 5% to 90%.  Thoracotomy is associated with a high risk of severe chronic postoperative pain.  Presenting symptoms include both neuropathic pain in the area of the incision, as well as myofascial pain commonly in the ipsilateral scapula and shoulder.  Pain management can be challenging in these patients.  Multiple treatments have been described including conservative treatments with oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); topically applied, peripherally acting drugs; neuromodulating agents; physical therapy; transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation as well as more invasive treatments including intercostal nerve blocks, trigger point steroid injections, epidural steroid injections, radiofrequency nerve ablation, cryoablation, and one case report of spinal cord stimulation.  Unfortunately, a portion of these patients will have persistent pain in spite of multiple treatment modalities, and in some cases will experience worsening of pain. This case report describes the novel utility and complete resolution of symptoms with spinal cord stimulation (SCS) in treatment of a patient with persistent PTPS. In the operating room, a percutaneous octet electrode lead was placed using sterile technique under fluoroscopic guidance and loss-of-resistance technique.  The octet electrode lead was subsequently advanced with the aid of fluoroscopy to the level of the T3 superior endplate just right of midline.  The patient's pain distribution was captured optimally with stimulation at this level.  With the assistance of a neurosurgeon, the lead was anchored, tunneled, and connected to a generator, which was implanted over the right iliac crest.  The patient tolerated the procedure well with

  11. Musculoskeletal pain in overweight and obese children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, S M; Sumar, B; Dixon, K A

    2014-01-01

    This review seeks to provide a current overview of musculoskeletal pain in overweight and obese children. Databases searched were Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, Medline, Proquest Health and Medical Complete, Scopus, Google Scholar, SPORTDiscuss and Trove for studies published between 1 January 2000 and 30 December 2012. We used a broad definition of children within a 3- to 18-year age range. The search strategy included the following terms: obesity, morbid obesity, overweight, pain, musculoskeletal pain, child, adolescent, chronic pain, back pain, lower back pain, knee pain, hip pain, foot pain and pelvic pain. Two authors independently assessed each record, and any disagreement was resolved by the third author. Data were analysed using a narrative thematic approach owing to the heterogeneity of reported outcome measures. Ninety-seven records were initially identified using a variety of terms associated with children, obesity and musculoskeletal pain. Ten studies were included for thematic analysis when predetermined inclusion criteria were applied. Bone deformity and dysfunction, pain reporting and the impact of children being overweight or obese on physical activity, exercise and quality of life were the three themes identified from the literature. Chronic pain, obesity and a reduction in physical functioning and activity may contribute to a cycle of weight gain that affects a child's quality of life. Future studies are required to examine the sequela of overweight and obese children experiencing chronic musculoskeletal pain. PMID:24077005

  12. Improvement in Anxiety and Pain After Whole Body Whirlpool Hydrotherapy Among Patients With Myofascial Pain Syndrome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Im, Sang Hee

    2013-01-01

    Objective To evaluate the effect of the Whirlpool hydrotherapy on pain and anxiety in chronic myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) patients, compared to the conventional hydrocollator pack therapy. Methods Forty-one subjects who have MPS in the upper trapezius muscles without depression were recruited. The patients were randomly assigned into two groups: the whirlpool therapy group whose bodies were immersed in a whirlpool bath at 34℃-36℃ for 30 minutes; the hydrocollator group who took a 30-minute application of a standard hot hydrocollator pack. Patients in both groups received therapy three days a week for 2 weeks and underwent several evaluations at baseline and after treatment. The variables we analyzed during evaluations were as follows: the primary outcome we considered was pain severity using a visual analogue scale. And the secondary outcomes examined included anxiety using the Korean version of the Beck Anxiety Inventory and quality of life (QoL) using the Korean version of the World Health Organization QoL Assessment, Brief Form. All follow-up values were compared with the baseline values. Results The baseline parameters did not show significant differences between two groups. And after 2-week treatment, both groups revealed significant improvement in anxiety levels and QoL, as well as in pain. However, the improvement on pain (p=0.002) and anxiety (p=0.010) was significantly greater in the whirlpool group, compared to the hydrocollator group. Conclusion The whirlpool hydrotherapy can be used as a more effective therapeutic method to reduce pain and anxiety in chronic MPS patients without depression. PMID:24020034

  13. Persistent myalgia following whiplash.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dommerholt, Jan

    2005-10-01

    Persistent myalgia following whiplash is commonly considered the result of poor psychosocial status, illness behavior, or failing coping skills. However, there is much evidence that persistent myalgia may be due to neurophysiologic mechanisms involving peripheral and central sensitization. Myofascial trigger points may play a crucial role in maintaining sensitization. Recent research suggests that the chemical environment of myofascial trigger points is an important factor. Several consequences are reviewed when central pain mechanisms and myofascial trigger points are included in the differential diagnosis and in the management of patients with persistent pain following whiplash.

  14. Conditioned pain modulation in patients with nonspecific chronic back pain with chronic local pain, chronic widespread pain, and fibromyalgia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerhardt, Andreas; Eich, Wolfgang; Treede, Rolf-Detlef; Tesarz, Jonas

    2017-03-01

    Findings considering conditioned pain modulation (CPM) in chronic back pain (CBP) are contradictory. This might be because many patients with CBP report pain in further areas of the body, and altered CPM might influence spatial extent of pain rather than CBP per se. Therefore, we compared CPM in patients with CBP with different pain extent. Patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), for whom CPM impairment is reported most consistently, were measured for comparison. Based on clinical evaluation and pain drawings, patients were categorized into chronic local back pain (CLP; n = 53), chronic widespread back pain (CWP; n = 32), and FMS (n = 92). Conditioned pain modulation was measured by the difference in pressure pain threshold (test stimuli) at the lower back before and after tonic heat pain (conditioning stimulus). We also measured psychosocial variables. Pressure pain threshold was significantly increased in CLP patients after tonic heat pain (P pain modulation in CLP was significantly higher than that in CWP and FMS (P painful areas (0-10) were associated with lower CPM (r = 0.346, P = 0.001) in CBP but not in FMS (r = -0.013, P = 0.903). Anxiety and depression were more pronounced in FMS than in CLP or CWP (P values pain inhibition seem to be more indicated the higher the pain extent.

  15. Borderline Personality Disorder Features Are Associated with Concurrent Pain-Related Disability in a Chronic Pain Sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reynolds, Caleb J; Tragesser, Sarah L

    2018-04-03

    To determine whether core features of borderline personality disorder are associated with increased rates of being on disability benefits due to chronic pain conditions. A total of 147 patients currently in treatment for chronic pain at a multimodal chronic pain clinic. We tested for a concurrent relationship between borderline personality disorder features and employment status using self-report measures. Borderline personality disorder features were associated with increased likelihood of currently being on disability due to pain conditions (odds ratio [OR] = 23.13, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.68-318.73), on disability due to other conditions (OR = 33.65, 95% CI = 2.15-526.13), and unemployed (OR = 20.14, 95% CI = 1.38-294.93), even while controlling for pain severity and interference, depression, and trait anxiety. A follow-up analysis revealed that these associations were due to the negative relationships facet of borderline personality disorder features. Borderline personality disorder features, particularly negative relationships, are associated with increased rates of pain disability, general disability, and unemployment in a chronic pain sample. Future research should examine mechanisms by which the maladaptive interpersonal behaviors and cognitions of borderline personality disorder might result in worse long-term employment outcomes of chronic pain.

  16. A selective role for α3 subunit glycine receptors in inflammatory pain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Victoria L Harvey

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available GlyR α3 has previously been found to play a critical role in pain hypersensitivity following spinal PGE2 injection, complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA and zymosan induced peripheral inflammation. In this study, although all models displayed typical phenotypic behaviours, no significant differences were observed when comparing the pain behaviours of Glra3-/- and wild-type littermates following the injection of capsaicin, carrageenan, kaolin/ carrageenan or monosodium iodoacetate, models of rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, respectively. However, clear differences were observed following CFA injection (p < 0.01. No significant differences were observed in the pain behaviours of Glra3-/- and wild-type littermates following experimentally induced neuropathic pain (partial sciatic nerve ligation. Similarly, Glra3-/- and wild-type littermates displayed indistinguishable visceromotor responses to colorectal distension (a model of visceral pain and in vivo spinal cord dorsal horn electrophysiology revealed no differences in responses to multimodal suprathreshold stimuli, intensities which equate to higher pain scores such as those reported in the clinic. These data suggest that apart from its clear role in CFA- and zymosan-induced pain sensitisation, hypersensitivity associated with other models of inflammation, neuropathy and visceral disturbances involves mechanisms other than the EP2 receptor - GlyR α3 pathway.

  17. Prevalence of Chronic Disabling Noncancer Pain and Associated Demographic and Medical Variables: A Cross-Sectional Survey in the General German Population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Häuser, Winfried; Schmutzer, Gabriele; Hilbert, Anja; Brähler, Elmar; Henningsen, Peter

    2015-10-01

    In population surveys, up to 30% of participants reported chronic pain. Reports of chronic pain do not necessarily imply disability associated with pain. We assessed the prevalence of chronic disabling noncancer pain and associated demographic and medical variables in a sample of the general German population. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 4360 people aged 14 years and above, who were representative of the German population. Measures were obtained for demographic variables, presence of chronic pain (based on the definition of the International Association for the Study of Pain), chronic pain stages (based on a chronic pain grade questionnaire), and disease load (based on the self-reported comorbidity questionnaire). Responses were received from 2508 people. The prevalence of chronic pain was 28.3% (95% [confidence interval] CI, 26.5%-30.1%). In all, 7.3% (95% CI, 5.9%-8.7%) of participants met the criteria of chronic disabling noncancer pain. Chronic disabling noncancer pain was associated with age above 65 years (odds ratios [OR]=4.81 [95% CI, 1.57-14.79]), low family income (OR=2.54 [95% CI, 1.36-4.74]), obesity (OR=3.58 [95% CI, 2.21-5.79]), heart disease (OR=2.23 [95% CI, 3.69-11.40]), stomach disease (OR=4.24 [95% CI, 2.12-8.49]), and rheumatic disease (OR=3.67 [95% CI, 2.16-6.23]) when compared with no chronic pain. Chronic disabling noncancer pain was associated with low family income (OR=2.29 [95% CI, 1.23-4.27]), obesity (OR=2.14 [95% CI, 1.30-3.52]), and depression (OR=3.26 [95% CI, 1.90-5.66]) when compared with chronic nondisabling noncancer pain. Prevalence rates of chronic disabling pain in the general population rather than prevalence rates of chronic pain might provide evidence in support of pain specialist care. The association of chronic disabling noncancer pain with mental disorders highlights the need for psychosocial services in chronic pain management.

  18. Efficacy and Tolerability of Intramuscular Dexketoprofen in Postoperative Pain Management following Hernia Repair Surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jamdade, P T; Porwal, A; Shinde, J V; Erram, S S; Kamat, V V; Karmarkar, P S; Bhagtani, K; Dhorepatil, S; Irpatgire, R; Bhagat, H; Kolte, S S; Shirure, P A

    2011-01-01

    Objective. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of intramuscular dexketoprofen for postoperative pain in patients undergoing hernia surgery. Methodology. Total 202 patients received single intramuscular injection of dexketoprofen 50 mg or diclofenac 50 mg postoperatively. The pain intensity (PI) was self-evaluated by patients on VAS at baseline 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 hours. The efficacy parameters were number of responders, difference in PI (PID) at 8 hours, sum of analogue of pain intensity differences (SAPID), and onset and duration of analgesia. Tolerability assessment was done by global evaluation and adverse events in each group. Results. Dexketoprofen showed superior efficacy in terms of number of responders (P = .007), PID at 8 hours (P = .02), and SAPID( 0-8 hours ) (P dexketoprofen trometamol 50 mg given intramuscularly provided faster, better, and longer duration of analgesia in postoperative patients of hernia repair surgery than diclofenac 50 mg, with comparable safety.

  19. Clinical and radiological follow-up examinations following fractures of the Collum mandibulae

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guss, K.

    1981-01-01

    All patients presented a fracture of the collum mandibulae, which had occurred between 1 and 10 years before treatment. The patients were exclusively treated conservatively. 57 of 67 patients did not indicate any subjective pain. 10 patients complained about pain and restricted movability. In only 22 cases no pathologic findings were obtained in the clinical follow-up examinations. In 33 patients the roentgenologic follow-up examination led to pathologic findings. Severe complications as disturbance of growth and formation of ankyloses, occurred only in one single case, due to a fracture of the mandibular joint in childhood. (orig./MG) [de

  20. Differential effects of painful and non-painful stimulation on tactile processing in fibromyalgia syndrome and subjects with masochistic behaviour.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bettina Pollok

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: In healthy subjects repeated tactile stimulation in a conditioning test stimulation paradigm yields attenuation of primary (S1 and secondary (S2 somatosensory cortical activation, whereas a preceding painful stimulus results in facilitation. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Since previous data suggest that cognitive processes might affect somatosensory processing in S1, the present study aims at investigating to what extent cortical reactivity is altered by the subjective estimation of pain. To this end, the effect of painful and tactile stimulation on processing of subsequently applied tactile stimuli was investigated in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS and in subjects with masochistic behaviour (MB by means of a 122-channel whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG system. Ten patients fulfilling the criteria for the diagnosis of FMS, 10 subjects with MB and 20 control subjects matched with respect to age, gender and handedness participated in the present study. Tactile or brief painful cutaneous laser stimuli were applied as conditioning stimulus (CS followed by a tactile test stimulus (TS 500 ms later. While in FMS patients significant attenuation following conditioning tactile stimulation was evident, no facilitation following painful stimulation was found. By contrast, in subjects with MB no attenuation but significant facilitation occurred. Attenuation as well as facilitation applied to cortical responses occurring at about 70 ms but not to early S1 or S2 responses. Additionally, in FMS patients the amount of attenuation was inversely correlated with catastrophizing tendency. CONCLUSION: The present results imply altered cortical reactivity of the primary somatosensory cortex in FMS patients and MB possibly reflecting differences of individual pain experience.

  1. Pain management intervention targeting nursing staff and general practitioners: Pain intensity, consequences and clinical relevance for nursing home residents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dräger, Dagmar; Budnick, Andrea; Kuhnert, Ronny; Kalinowski, Sonja; Könner, Franziska; Kreutz, Reinhold

    2017-10-01

    Although chronic pain is common in older adults, its treatment is frequently inappropriate. This problem is particularly prevalent in nursing home residents. We therefore developed an intervention to optimize pain management and evaluated its effects on pain intensity and pain interference with function in nursing home residents in Germany. In a cluster-randomized controlled intervention, 195 residents of 12 Berlin nursing homes who were affected by pain were surveyed at three points of measurement. A modified German version of the Brief Pain Inventory was used to assess pain sites, pain intensity and pain interference with function in various domains of life. The intervention consisted of separate training measures for nursing staff and treating physicians. The primary objective of reducing the mean pain intensity by 2 points was not achieved, partly because the mean pain intensity at baseline was relatively low. However, marginal reductions in pain were observed in the longitudinal assessment at 6-month follow up. The intervention and control groups differed significantly in the intensity sum score and in the domain of walking. Furthermore, the proportion of respondents with pain scores >0 on three pain intensity items decreased significantly. Given the multifocal nature of the pain experienced by nursing home residents, improving the pain situation of this vulnerable group is a major challenge. To achieve meaningful effects not only in pain intensity, but especially in pain interference with function, training measures for nursing staff and physicians need to be intensified, and long-term implementation appears necessary. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1534-1543. © 2016 Japan Geriatrics Society.

  2. Postural balance in low back pain patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Maribo, Thomas; Schiøttz-Christensen, Berit; Jensen, Lone Donbæk

    2012-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: Altered postural control has been observed in low back pain (LBP) patients. They seem to be more dependent on vision when standing. The objective of the study was to determine concurrent and predictive validity of measures of postural stability in LBP patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS......: Centre of Pressure (CoP) measurements were tested against pain, fear of pain, and physical function. Velocity, anterior-posterior displacement, and the Romberg Ratio obtained on a portable force platform were used as measures of postural stability. RESULTS: Baseline and 12-week follow-up results of 97....... CONCLUSION: This first study of concurrent and predictive validity of postural balance in LBP patients revealed no association between CoP measures and pain, fear of pain, and physical function....

  3. Chronic stress, cortisol dysfunction, and pain: a psychoneuroendocrine rationale for stress management in pain rehabilitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hannibal, Kara E; Bishop, Mark D

    2014-12-01

    Pain is a primary symptom driving patients to seek physical therapy, and its attenuation commonly defines a successful outcome. A large body of evidence is dedicated to elucidating the relationship between chronic stress and pain; however, stress is rarely addressed in pain rehabilitation. A physiologic stress response may be evoked by fear or perceived threat to safety, status, or well-being and elicits the secretion of sympathetic catecholamines (epinephrine and norepinepherine) and neuroendocrine hormones (cortisol) to promote survival and motivate success. Cortisol is a potent anti-inflammatory that functions to mobilize glucose reserves for energy and modulate inflammation. Cortisol also may facilitate the consolidation of fear-based memories for future survival and avoidance of danger. Although short-term stress may be adaptive, maladaptive responses (eg, magnification, rumination, helplessness) to pain or non-pain-related stressors may intensify cortisol secretion and condition a sensitized physiologic stress response that is readily recruited. Ultimately, a prolonged or exaggerated stress response may perpetuate cortisol dysfunction, widespread inflammation, and pain. Stress may be unavoidable in life, and challenges are inherent to success; however, humans have the capability to modify what they perceive as stressful and how they respond to it. Exaggerated psychological responses (eg, catastrophizing) following maladaptive cognitive appraisals of potential stressors as threatening may exacerbate cortisol secretion and facilitate the consolidation of fear-based memories of pain or non-pain-related stressors; however, coping, cognitive reappraisal, or confrontation of stressors may minimize cortisol secretion and prevent chronic, recurrent pain. Given the parallel mechanisms underlying the physiologic effects of a maladaptive response to pain and non-pain-related stressors, physical therapists should consider screening for non-pain-related stress to

  4. Association of Leptin with Body Pain in Women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Younger, Jarred; Kapphahn, Kristopher; Brennan, Kathleen; Sullivan, Shannon D; Stefanick, Marcia L

    2016-07-01

    Leptin, an appetite-regulatory hormone, is also known to act as a proinflammatory adipokine. One of the effects of increased systemic leptin concentrations may be greater sensitivity to pain. We report the results of two studies examining the association between leptin and pain: a small pilot longitudinal study, followed by a large cross-sectional study. In Study 1, three women with physician-diagnosed fibromyalgia provided blood draws daily for 25 consecutive days, as well as daily self-reported musculoskeletal pain. Daily fluctuations in serum leptin were positively associated with pain across all three participants (F (1,63) = 12.8, p BMI) was also included as a predictor of pain. Both leptin and BMI were found to be independently associated with self-reported pain (p = 0.001 and p BMI each being associated with greater pain. Leptin appears to be a predictor of body pain both within- and between-individuals and may be a driver of generalized pain states such as fibromyalgia.

  5. Prospective double-blind preoperative pain clinic screening before microsurgical denervation of the spermatic cord in patients with testicular pain syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oomen, Robert J A; Witjens, Annemijke C; van Wijck, Albert J M; Grobbee, Diederik E; Lock, Tycho M T W

    2014-09-01

    Testicular pain syndrome (TPS), defined as an intermittent or constant pain in one or both testicles for at least 3 months, resulting in significant reduction of daily activities, is common. Microsurgical denervation of the spermatic cord (MDSC) has been suggested as an effective treatment option. The study population comprised 180 TPS patients admitted to our outpatient urology clinic between 1999 and 2011. On 3 different occasions, patients were offered a double-blind, placebo-controlled temporary blockade of the spermatic cord. A single blockade consisted of 10 mL 2% lidocaine, 10 mL 0.25% bupivacaine, or 10 mL 0.9% sodium chloride. If the results of these blockades were positive, MDSC was offered. All MDSCs were performed by a single urologist (M.T.W.T.L.) using an inguinal approach. Pain reduction was determined at prospective follow-up. This study evaluated 180 patients. Most patients (61.1%) had undergone a scrotal or inguinal procedure. Patients had complaints during sexual activities (51.7%), sitting (37.5%), and/or cycling (36.7%); 189 randomized blockades were offered to all patients. There was a positive response in 37% and a negative response in 51%. MDSC was performed on 58 testicular units, including 3 patients with a negative outcome of the blockades. At mean follow-up of 42.8 months, 86.2% had a ≥ 50% reduction of pain and 51.7% were completely pain free. MDSC is a valuable treatment option for TPS patients because in this study 86.2% experienced a ≥ 50% reduction of pain. To prevent superfluous diagnostics and treatment, it is mandatory to follow a systematic protocol in the treatment of TPS. Copyright © 2014 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Randomized multicenter follow-up trial on the effect of radiotherapy for plantar fasciitis (painful heels spur) depending on dose and fractionation – a study protocol

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holtmann, Henrik; Niewald, Marcus; Prokein, Benjamin; Graeber, Stefan; Ruebe, Christian

    2015-01-01

    An actual clinical trial showed the effect of low dose radiotherapy in painful heel spur (plantar fasciitis) with single doses of 1.0 Gy and total doses of 6.0 Gy applied twice weekly. Furthermore, a lot of animal experimental and in vitro data reveals the effect of lower single doses of 0.5 Gy which may be superior in order to ease pain and reduce inflammation in patients with painful heel spur. Our goal is therefore to transfer this experimentally found effect into a randomized multicenter trial. This was a controlled, prospective, two-arm phase III-multicenter trial. The standard arm consisted of single fractions of 1.0 Gy applied two times a week, for a total dose of 6.0 Gy (total therapy time: 3 weeks). The experimental arm consisted of single fractions of 0.5 Gy applied 3 times a week, for a total dose of 6.0 Gy (total therapy time: 4 weeks). Following a statistical power calculation, there were 120 patients for each investigation arm. The main inclusion criteria were: age > = 40 years, clinical and radiologically diagnosed painful heel spur (plantar fasciitis), and current symptoms for at least 6 months. The main exclusion criteria were: former local trauma, surgery or radiotherapy of the heel; pregnant or breastfeeding women; and a pre-existing severe psychiatric or psychosomatic disorder. After approving a written informed consent the patients are randomized by a statistician into one of the trial arms. After radiotherapy, the patients are seen after six weeks, after twelve weeks and then every twelve weeks up to 48 weeks. Additionally, they receive a questionnaire every six weeks after the follow-up examinations up to 48 weeks. The effect is measured using the visual analogue scale of pain (VAS), the calcaneodynia score according to Rowe and the SF-12 score. The primary endpoint is the pain relief three months after therapy. Patients of both therapy arms with an insufficient result are offered a second radiotherapy series applying the standard dose

  7. Painful Intercourse Is Significantly Associated with Evoked Pain Perception and Cognitive Aspects of Pain in Women with Pelvic Pain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meryl J. Alappattu, DPT, PhD

    2015-03-01

    Conclusions: Differences in local pain ratings suggest that women with pelvic pain perceive stimuli in this region as more painful than pain-free women although the magnitude of stimuli does not differ. Alappattu MJ, George SZ, Robinson ME, Fillingim RB, Moawad N, LeBrun EW, and Bishop MD. Painful intercourse is significantly associated with evoked pain perception and cognitive aspects of pain in women with pelvic pain. Sex Med 2015;3:14–23.

  8. Back and neck pain and function in females with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: A follow-up at least 23 years after conservative treatment with a Milwaukee brace.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ewa Misterska

    Full Text Available We aimed to explore the long-term outcomes of back and neck pain and functionality in adult females with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS, who had been treated with a Milwaukee brace, in a follow-up study a minimum of 23 years after the completion of the treatment, using radiological, clinical and socio-demographical data. Thirty AIS patients (scoliosis group-SG, were included in the study based on an extensive search of Pediatric Orthopedics and Traumatology Clinic charts. All treatments were successfully completed between 1974 and 1990. In all cases, scoliosis had not been detected before the age of 10 and was not combined with any major spinal deformities at the time when the brace treatment was implemented. In those patients, the Risser sign 4 and minimum two years post-menarche was defined as a maturity, after that time the brace treatment was completed. Patients were excluded from the study if they, at the time of the follow-up examinations, suffered from any other disease leading to trunk deformity. Forty patients met the criteria for inclusion, but due to change some personal details, not all of them were contacted. Finally, 30 women returned for a follow-up evaluation. Patients' follow-up period was mean 27.77 yrs. ± SD 3.30 (range 23-35. Curvature change from the end of the treatment until the present day was mean 9.1 degrees ± SD 7.64 (range 0-27. A control group of 42 healthy females (healthy controls group-HG matching the age profile of the patient group was randomly selected for comparative purposes.Both SG and HG completed the Polish versions of the Revised Oswestry Lower Back Pain Disability Index (RODI, the Rolland-Morris Questionnaire (RMQ, the Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale (QDS, the Neck Disability Index (NDI and the Copenhagen Neck Functional Disability Scale (CNFDS. Descriptive statistics were calculated for demographics and baseline questionnaire scores. To determine if the investigated sample sizes are equivalent

  9. Anaesthetic Bodies and the Absence of Feeling: Pain and Self-Mutilation in Later Nineteenth-Century Psychiatry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah Chaney

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper addresses the overlapping ways in which self-inflicted injury was understood in relation to an absence of pain during the long nineteenth century, arguing that a clear distinction between bodily and mental suffering cannot be made in this period. The medical view that self-infliction of injury must necessarily be pathological is shown to have emerged from earlier philosophical approaches to pain. This was cemented by the formation of a somatic model of self-mutilation, based on the concept of cutaneous anaesthesia, particularly in the work of Wilhelm Griesinger in Germany. In contrast, the words of asylum patients provide a much broader spectrum of ways in which injuries might have been understood. Nonetheless, the meanings attributed generally emphasize self-mutilation as a response to physical, rather than emotional, pain, indicating the widespread nature of physical aetiologies of insanity. Such a somatic approach also permeated psychological models of self-inflicted injury in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as shown through examination of Richard von Krafft-Ebing’s concept of ‘sexual anaesthesia’, William James’s association of anaesthesia with the absence of emotion, and self-mutilation and fixed ideas in the work of Pierre Janet. The study of self-mutilation thus provides an interesting angle from which to explore the complexity of notions of body and mind, in relation to concepts of pain.

  10. Detection of systemic inflammation in severely impaired chronic pain patients, and effects of a CBT-ACT-based multi-modal pain rehabilitation program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hysing, E-B; Smith, L; Thulin, M; Karlsten, R; Gordh, T

    2017-12-29

    Aims A few previous studies indicate an ongoing of low-grade systemic inflammation in chronic pain patients (CPP) [1, 2]. In the present study we investigated the plasma inflammatory profile in severely impaired chronic pain patients. In addition we studied if there were any alterations in inflammation patterns at one-year follow up, after the patients had taken part in a CBT-ACT based 4 weeks in-hospital pain rehabilitation program (PRP). Methods Blood samples were collected from 52 well characterized chronic pain patients. Plasma from matched healthy blood donors were used as controls. At one year after the treatment program, 28 of the patients were available for follow up. Instead of only analyzing single inflammation-related substances, we used a new multiplex panel enabling the simultaneous analysis of 92 inflammation-related proteins, mainly cytokines and chemokines (Proseek Inflammation, Olink, Uppsala, Sweden). Multivariate statistics were used for analysis. Results Clear signs of increased inflammatory activity were detected in the pain patients. Accepting a false discovery rate (FDR) of 5%, there were significant differences in 43 of the 92 inflammatory biomarkers. The expression of 8 biomarkers were 4 times higher in patients compared to controls. Three biomarkers, CXCL5, SIRT2, AXIN1 were more than 8 times higher. The conventional marker for inflammation, CRP, did not differ. Of the 28 patients available for follow up one year after the intervention, all showed lower levels of the inflammatory biomarker initially raised. Conclusions The results indicate that CPP suffer from a low grade of chronic systemic inflammation, not detectable by CRP analysis. This may have implications for the general pain hypersensitivity, and other symptoms, often described in this group of patients. We conclude that inflammatory plasma proteins may be measureable molecular markers to distinguishes CPP from pain free controls, and that a CBT-ACT pain rehab program seem to

  11. Improving School Nurse Pain Assessment Practices for Students With Intellectual Disability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quinn, Brenna L; Smolinski, Megan

    2017-01-01

    School nurses are afforded minimal resources related to assessing pain in students with intellectual disability (ID) and have called for continuing education. The purpose of this study was to measure the effectiveness of an education program regarding best practices for assessing pain in students with ID. Educational sessions were presented to 248 school nurses. Pre-, post-, and follow-up surveys measured (1) difficulty school nurses face when assessing pain, (2) knowledge and use of pain assessment methods, and (3) intent to change and actual changes to professional practices. Participants experienced less difficulty assessing pain following the educational program. Almost all participants intended to change pain assessment practices, but large caseloads limited new practice adoption. Policy makers must consider population size and acuity when determining school nurse staffing. Trainings and other resources should be made available to school nurses in order to make pain assessments for students with ID more thorough and efficient.

  12. Impaired behavioural pain responses in hph-1 mice with inherited deficiency in GTP cyclohydrolase 1 in models of inflammatory pain

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Background GTP cyclohydrolase 1 (GTP-CH1), the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), encoded by the GCH1 gene, has been implicated in the development and maintenance of inflammatory pain in rats. In humans, homozygous carriers of a “pain-protective” (PP) haplotype of the GCH1 gene have been identified exhibiting lower pain sensitivity, but only following pain sensitisation. Ex vivo, the PP GCH1 haplotype is associated with decreased induction of GCH1 after stimulation, whereas the baseline BH4 production is not affected. Contrary, loss of function mutations in the GCH1 gene results in decreased basal GCH1 expression, and is associated with DOPA-responsive dystonia (DRD). So far it is unknown if such mutations affect acute and inflammatory pain. Results In the current study, we examined the involvement of the GCH1 gene in pain models using the hyperphenylalaninemia 1 (hph-1) mouse, a genetic model for DRD, with only 10% basal GTP-CH1 activity compared to wild type mice. The study included assays for determination of acute nociception as well as models for pain after sensitisation. Pain behavioural analysis of the hph-1 mice showed reduced pain-like responses following intraplantar injection of CFA, formalin and capsaicin; whereas decreased basal level of GTP-CH1 activity had no influence in naïve hph-1 mice on acute mechanical and heat pain thresholds. Moreover, the hph-1 mice showed no signs of motor impairment or dystonia-like symptoms. Conclusions In this study, we demonstrate novel evidence that genetic mutations in the GCH1 gene modulate pain-like hypersensitivity. Together, the present data suggest that BH4 is not important for basal heat and mechanical pain, but they support the hypothesis that BH4 plays a role in inflammation-induced hypersensitivity. Our studies suggest that the BH4 pathway could be a therapeutic target for the treatment of inflammatory pain conditions. Moreover, the hph-1 mice provide a valid model to

  13. Pain and suffering as viewed by the Hindu religion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whitman, Sarah M

    2007-08-01

    Religion and spiritual practices are among the resources used by patients to cope with chronic pain. The major concepts of Hinduism that are related to pain and suffering are presented. Ways that Hindu traditions deal with pain and suffering are reviewed, including the concept of acceptance, which has been studied in the pain medicine literature. By becoming more familiar with Hindu views of pain and suffering, pain medicine practitioners can offer potentially helpful concepts to all patients and support Hindus' spirituality as it relates to pain and suffering. Religion or spirituality is often important to patients. This article will inform the pain medicine practitioner how pain and suffering are viewed in Hinduism, the third largest religion in the world. It is hoped that these concepts will prove helpful when treating not only followers of Hinduism but all patients.

  14. Epidemiology and incidence of acute and chronic Post-Surgical pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sansone, Pasquale; Pace, Maria Caterina; Passavanti, Maria Beatrice; Pota, Vincenzo; Colella, Umberto; Aurilio, Caterina

    2015-01-01

    Post Surgical Pain (PSP) treatment represents a significant aspect of management of surgical patients. Incidence of severe PSP, with significant functional deficit is estimated at 5-10%. Most studies include a limited number of patients and this is a factor which affects power of results. Aims of our prospective observational study was to evaluate the incidence and characteristics of acute and chronic PSP in patients undergoing surgery at the university hospital of second university of naples. After Ethics Committee approval and written informed consent, the PSP acute on first day (at least 6 hours after surgery) through the International Pain Outcomes questionnaire was rated. Subsequently, patients were followed-up at 6 and 12 months; data collection took place by e-mail or phone and the Brief Pain Inventory and the DN4 were administered. We enrolled 235 patients, 219 performed the follow-up to 6months, 195 even that to 12 The incidence of CPSP at 6 months was of 45.2% for mild pain, 15.9% for moderate pain and of 2.7% for severe pain while the incidence of CPSP at 12 months was 35.9%, 11.8% and 2.5% respectively for the pain mild, moderate and severe. Neuropathic pain occurred in 40.3% of patients who CPSP moderate at 12 months compared with 31.9% of the patients interviewed at 6 months. Incidence and characteristics of PSP varied, often considerably, depending on the type of surgery, gender, age of the patient and the presence of PSP severe in the 24 hours following surgery. The incidence of CPSP 12 months after surgery must be improved in the next future. Preoperative pain and the percentage of time with severe pain during the first 24 hours after surgery seem to be CPSP predictors.

  15. Reliability of four experimental mechanical pain tests in children

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Søe, Ann-Britt Langager; Thomsen, Lise L; Tornoe, Birte

    2013-01-01

    In order to study pain in children, it is necessary to determine whether pain measurement tools used in adults are reliable measurements in children. The aim of this study was to explore the intrasession reliability of pressure pain thresholds (PPT) in healthy children. Furthermore, the aim was a...... was also to study the intersession reliability of the following four tests: (1) Total Tenderness Score; (2) PPT; (3) Visual Analog Scale score at suprapressure pain threshold; and (4) area under the curve (stimulus-response functions for pressure versus pain).......In order to study pain in children, it is necessary to determine whether pain measurement tools used in adults are reliable measurements in children. The aim of this study was to explore the intrasession reliability of pressure pain thresholds (PPT) in healthy children. Furthermore, the aim...

  16. Nurses' responsibilities in postoperative pain management following total hip arthroplasty

    OpenAIRE

    Dumolard, Pierre; Gök, Mustafa; Le, Ngoc

    2017-01-01

    Total hip arthroplasty is the replacement of a hip joint that has been severely damaged. The operation is recommended if other treatments have not responded adequately. As the nurses are the professionals who spend the most time with patients after the surgery, they play an important role in the patient’s pain management. The aim of the thesis is to define the nurse’s responsibilities in the care of total hip arthroplasty. The purpose of the thesis is to analyze existing research, which may s...

  17. Neonatal nurses' perceptions of pain management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collados-Gómez, L; Camacho-Vicente, V; González-Villalba, M; Sanz-Prades, G; Bellón-Vaquerizo, B

    To describe the perceptions of nurses in neonatal units on pain management, meet the educational profile and describe the use of pain assessment tools and non-pharmacological management for treatment. Cross-sectional descriptive multicentre study, developed during the months of February to September 2015, in the neonatology services of three hospitals at the Community of Madrid, Spain. Data collection was performed through an ad hoc questionnaire on paper or electronically using Survey Monkey platform. The sample consisted of 142 professionals, with a response rate of 55%: 47.9% (68) confirmed they had received specific training in pain management; 39.5% (56) stated that pain is regularly assessed in the unit; only 43.6% reported using validated scales, the most used being the Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP). As for the non-pharmacological management, swaddling and non-nutritive sucking it is the most used, followed by sucrose. Intravenous cannulation was identified as the most painful procedure. Pain management is in the process of improvement, because of training and because there is little pain assessment using validated scales. The improvement in the use of non-pharmacological management for the relief of pain in minor procedures is noteworthy. Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Enfermería Intensiva y Unidades Coronarias (SEEIUC). Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  18. Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and Treatment Approaches

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Neslihan Gokcen

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Complex Regional Pain Syndrome is a symptom complex including severe pain which is disproportioned by the initiating event. Formerly, it was known as reflex sympathetic dystropy, Sudeck’s atrophy and algoneurodystrophy. There are two types of complex regional pain syndrome (CPRS. CRPS type 1 (Reflex sympathetic dystropy occurs after a minor trauma of the extremities, CRPS type 2 (Causalgia occurs following peripheral nevre injury. Diagnosis is made according to the history, symptoms and physical findings of the patients. Patient education, physical therapy and medical treatment are the most common treatment approaches of complex regional pain syndrome. The aim of this review is to revise the treatment options ofcomplex regional pain syndrome, as well as to overview the new treatment approaches and options for the refractory complex regional pain syndrome cases. [Archives Medical Review Journal 2013; 22(4.000: 514-531

  19. Patient-Controlled Oral Analgesia for Postoperative Pain Management Following Total Knee Replacement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patti Kastanias

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available PURPOSE: To investigate whether patient-controlled oral analgesia (PCOA used by individuals receiving a total knee replacement could reduce pain, increase patient satisfaction, reduce opioid use and/or reduce opioid side effects when compared with traditional nurse (RN-administered oral analgesia.

  20. The contribution of spinal glial cells to chronic pain behaviour in the monosodium iodoacetate model of osteoarthritic pain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sagar Devi

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Clinical studies of osteoarthritis (OA suggest central sensitization may contribute to the chronic pain experienced. This preclinical study used the monosodium iodoacetate (MIA model of OA joint pain to investigate the potential contribution of spinal sensitization, in particular spinal glial cell activation, to pain behaviour in this model. Experimental OA was induced in the rat by the intra-articular injection of MIA and pain behaviour (change in weight bearing and distal allodynia was assessed. Spinal cord microglia (Iba1 staining and astrocyte (GFAP immunofluorescence activation were measured at 7, 14 and 28 days post MIA-treatment. The effects of two known inhibitors of glial activation, nimesulide and minocycline, on pain behaviour and activation of microglia and astrocytes were assessed. Results Seven days following intra-articular injection of MIA, microglia in the ipsilateral spinal cord were activated (p Conclusions Here we provide evidence for a contribution of spinal glial cells to pain behaviour, in particular distal allodynia, in this model of osteoarthritic pain. Our data suggest there is a potential role of glial cells in the central sensitization associated with OA, which may provide a novel analgesic target for the treatment of OA pain.

  1. Neuropathic Pain Medication Use Does Not Alter Outcomes of Spinal Cord Stimulation for Lower Extremity Pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maher, Dermot P; Martins, Yuri Chaves; Doshi, Tina; Bicket, Mark; Zhang, Kui; Hanna, George; Ahmed, Shihab

    2018-01-01

    Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for the treatment of lower extremity pain is believed to the result of increased activity in the descending inhibitory and decreased activity in the ascending excitatory tracts. Evidence suggests that the analgesia afforded by SCS may be altered using certain neuropathic pain medications that also modulate neurotransmitters in these sensory tracts. We hypothesize that neuropathic pain medications may alter the response to SCS therapy. One hundred and fifteen subjects undergoing SCS therapy for lower extremity pain were retrospectively examined. The pharmacologic profile, including stable use of neuropathic and opioid medications, were recorded. Three separate logistic regression models examined the odds ratio of primary outcomes; a successful SCS trial, a 50% decrease in pain or a 50% reduction in opioid use one year after implant. Neither the use of opioids or neuropathic pain medications were associated with changes in the odds of a successful SCS trial or a 50% pain reduction. A higher dose of chronic opioids use prior to a trial was associated with greater odds of having a 50% reduction in opioid use following implant. OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.02, p-value neuropathic pain medications did not change the odds of either a successful SCS trial, or of experiencing a 50% reduction in pain at one year. The association between higher opioid doses and greater odds of a 50% reduction in opioid use may be the reflective of SCS's ability to reduce opioid reliance in chronic pain patients. © 2017 International Neuromodulation Society.

  2. Facing the experience of pain: A neuropsychological perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fabbro, Franco; Crescentini, Cristiano

    2014-09-01

    Pain is an experience that none of us would like to have but that each one of us is destined to experience in our lives. Despite its pervasiveness, the experience of pain remains problematic and complex in its depth. Pain is a multidimensional experience that involves nociception as well as emotional and cognitive aspects that can modulate its perception. Following a brief discussion of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying pain, the purpose of this review is to discuss the main psychological, neuropsychological, cultural, and existential aspects which are the basis of diverse forms of pain, like the pain of separation from caregivers or from ourselves (e.g., connected to the thought of our death), the suffering that we experience observing other people's pain, the pain of change and the existential pain connected to the temporal dimension of the mind. Finally, after a discussion of how the mind is able to not only create but also alleviate the pain, through mechanisms such as the expectation of the treatment and the hope of healing, we conclude by discussing neuropsychological research data and the attitude promoted by mindfulness meditation in relation to the pain. An attitude in which, instead to avoid and reject the pain, one learns to face mindfully the experience of pain.

  3. Use of Temporary Implantable Biomaterials to Reduce Leg Pain and Back Pain in Patients with Sciatica and Lumbar Disc Herniation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gere S. diZerega

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available The principle etiology of leg pain (sciatica from lumbar disc herniation is mechanical compression of the nerve root. Sciatica is reduced by decompression of the herniated disc, i.e., removing mechanical compression of the nerve root. Decompression surgery typically reduces sciatica more than lumbar back pain (LBP. Decompression surgery reduces mechanical compression of the nerve root. However, decompression surgery does not directly reduce sensitization of the sensory nerves in the epidural space and disc. In addition, sensory nerves in the annulus fibrosus and epidural space are not protected from topical interaction with pain mediators induced by decompression surgery. The secondary etiology of sciatica from lumbar disc herniation is sensitization of the nerve root. Sensitization of the nerve root results from a mechanical compression, b exposure to cellular pain mediators, and/or c exposure to biochemical pain mediators. Although decompression surgery reduces nerve root compression, sensory nerve sensitization often persists. These observations are consistent with continued exposure of tissue in the epidural space, including the nerve root, to increased cellular and biochemical pain mediators following surgery. A potential contributor to lumbar back pain (LBP is stimulation of sensory nerves in the annulus fibrosus by a cellular pain mediators and/or b biochemical pain mediators that accompany annular tears or disruption. Sensory fibers located in the outer one-third of the annulus fibrosus increase in number and depth as a result of disc herniation. The nucleus pulposus is comprised of material that can produce an autoimmune stimulation of the sensory nerves located in the annulus and epidural space leading to LBP. The sensory nerves of the annulus fibrosus and epidural space may be sensitized by topical exposure to cellular and biochemical pain mediators induced by lumbar surgery. Annulotomy or annular rupture allows the nucleus pulposus

  4. Pain relief is associated with decreasing postural sway in patients with non-specific low back pain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruhe, Alexander; Fejer, René; Walker, Bruce

    2012-03-21

    Increased postural sway is well documented in patients suffering from non-specific low back pain, whereby a linear relationship between higher pain intensities and increasing postural sway has been described. No investigation has been conducted to evaluate whether this relationship is maintained if pain levels change in adults with non-specific low back pain. Thirty-eight patients with non-specific low back pain and a matching number of healthy controls were enrolled. Postural sway was measured by three identical static bipedal standing tasks of 90 sec duration with eyes closed in narrow stance on a firm surface. The perceived pain intensity was assessed by a numeric rating scale (NRS-11). The patients received three manual interventions (e.g. manipulation, mobilization or soft tissue techniques) at 3-4 day intervals, postural sway measures were obtained at each occasion. A clinically relevant decrease of four NRS scores in associated with manual interventions correlated with a significant decrease in postural sway. In contrast, if no clinically relevant change in intensity occurred (≤ 1 level), postural sway remained similar compared to baseline. The postural sway measures obtained at follow-up sessions 2 and 3 associated with specific NRS level showed no significant differences compared to reference values for the same pain score. Alterations in self-reported pain intensities are closely related to changes in postural sway. The previously reported linear relationship between the two variables is maintained as pain levels change. Pain interference appears responsible for the altered sway in pain sufferers. This underlines the clinical use of sway measures as an objective monitoring tool during treatment or rehabilitation.

  5. Colorectal surgery patients' pain status, activities, satisfaction, and beliefs about pain and pain management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Carolyn; Constance, Kristel; Bédard, Denise; Purden, Margaret

    2013-12-01

    This study describes surgical colorectal cancer patients' pain levels, recovery activities, beliefs and expectations about pain, and satisfaction with pain management. A convenience sample of 50 adult inpatients who underwent colorectal surgery for cancer participated. Patients were administered the modified American Pain Society Patient Outcome Questionnaire on postoperative day 2 and asked to report on their status in the preceding 24 hours. Patients reported low current (mean 1.70) and average (mean 2.96) pain scores but had higher scores and greater variation for worst pain (mean 5.48). Worst pain occurred mainly while turning in bed or mobilizing, and 25% of patients experienced their worst pain at rest. Overall, patients expected to have pain after surgery and were very satisfied with pain management. Patients with worst pain scores >7 reported interference with recovery activities, mainly general activity (mean 5.67) and walking ability (mean 5.15). These patients were likely to believe that "people can get addicted to pain medication easily" (mean 3.39 out of 5) and that "pain medication should be saved for cases where pain gets worse" (mean 3.20 out of 5). These beliefs could deter patients from seeking pain relief and may need to be identified and addressed along with expectations about pain in the preoperative nursing assessment. Copyright © 2013 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Postoperative Pain Management after Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Surgical Treatment: Comparing Practice with Guidelines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Utrobičić, Ivan; Utrobičić, Frane; Prološčić, Ivona; Utrobičić, Toni; Jerić, Milka; Jeličić Kadić, Antonia; Puljak, Livia

    2017-09-01

    The management of postoperative pain after carpal tunnel syndrome surgical treatment at a tertiary hospital was analyzed and compared with the guidelines for perioperative pain management. This retrospective study included 579 patients operated on for carpal tunnel syndrome at the Split University Hospital Center in Split, Croatia. The following key data were collected from patient medical records: age, gender, type and dosage of premedication, type and dosage of anesthesia, type and dosage of postoperative analgesia per each postoperative day. The procedures related to perioperative pain were analyzed and compared with the current guidelines for perioperative acute pain management. Study results showed that 99.6% of patients with carpal tunnel syndrome were operated under local anesthesia, of which 2.9% also received sedation. Analgesics were prescribed to 45% of patients after surgery, and according to patient charts, 39% of patients actually received postoperative analgesic(s). Generally, postoperative pain was treated on the fi rst postoperative day, mostly with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Only two patients received weak opioids for postoperative pain. Many recommendations from the guidelines for perioperative acute pain management were not followed. In conclusion, the guidelines should be followed and appropriate interventions used to improve postoperative pain management.

  7. Getting Back to Living: Further Evidence for the Efficacy of an Interdisciplinary Pediatric Pain Treatment Program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruce, Barbara K; Ale, Chelsea M; Harrison, Tracy E; Bee, Susan; Luedtke, Connie; Geske, Jennifer; Weiss, Karen E

    2017-06-01

    This study examined key functional outcomes following a 3-week interdisciplinary pediatric pain rehabilitation program for adolescents with chronic pain. Maintenance of gains was evaluated at 3-month follow-up. Participants included 171 adolescents (12 to 18 y of age) with chronic pain who completed a hospital-based outpatient pediatric pain rehabilitation program. Participants completed measures of functional disability, depressive symptoms, pain catastrophizing, opioid use, school attendance, and pain severity at admission, discharge, and at 3-month follow-up. Similar to other interdisciplinary pediatric pain rehabilitation program outcome studies, significant improvements were observed at the end of the program. These improvements appeared to be maintained or further improved at 3-month follow-up. Nearly 14% of the patients were taking daily opioid medication at admission to the program. All adolescents were completely tapered off of these medications at the end of the 3-week program and remained abstinent at 3-month follow-up. This study adds to the available data supporting interdisciplinary pediatric pain rehabilitation as effective in improving functioning and psychological distress even when discontinuing opioids. Implications for future research and limitations of the study are discussed.

  8. [Implementationof a low FODMAP dietforfunctional abdominal pain].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baranguán Castro, María Luisa; Ros Arnal, Ignacio; García Romero, Ruth; Rodríguez Martínez, Gerardo; Ubalde Sainz, Eduardo

    2018-04-20

    The low FODMAP diet (fermentable oligosaccharides, monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polyols) has shown to be effective in adult patients with irritable bowel syndrome, but there are few studies on paediatric patients. The aim of this study is to assess the implementation and the outcomes of a low FODMAP diet in the treatment of functional abdominal pain in children from a Mediterranean area. A table was designed in which foods were classified according to their FODMAP content, as well as a 'Symptoms and Stools Diary'. A prospective study was conducted on children with functional abdominal pain in our Paediatric Gastroenterology Unit. A total of 22 patients were enrolled in the trial, and 20 completed it. Data were collected of the abdominal pain features over a period of 3 days, and then patients followed a two-week low FODMAP diet. Afterwards, information about abdominal pain features was collected again. After the diet, they showed fewer daily abdominal pain episodes compared to baseline (1.16 [IQR: 0.41-3.33] versus 2 [IQR: 1.33-6.33] daily episodes, P=.024), less pain severity compared to baseline (1.41cm [IQR: 0.32-5.23] versus 4.63cm [IQR: 2.51-6.39] measured by 10-cm Visual Analogue Scale, P=.035), less interference with daily activities, and less gastrointestinal symptoms. Only 15% of patients found it difficult to follow the diet. The implementation of a low FODMAP diet for 2 weeks in a Mediterranean paediatric population diagnosed with functional abdominal pain is possible with adapted diets. It was highly valued by patients, and they showed an improvement in abdominal pain symptoms assessed by objective methods. Copyright © 2018. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.

  9. Intradermal capsaicin as a neuropathic pain model in patients with unilateral sciatica

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aykanat, Verna; Gentgall, Melanie; Briggs, Nancy; Williams, Desmond; Yap, Sharon; Rolan, Paul

    2012-01-01

    AIM This study compared the responses between patients with unilateral sciatica and pain-free volunteers following administration of intradermal capsaicin. METHODS Fourteen patients with unilateral sciatica and 12 pain-free volunteers received one injection per hour over 4 h of 1 µg and 10 µg capsaicin, into each calf. For each dose, spontaneous pain (10 cm VAS), area of flare (cm2) and the sum of allodynia and hyperalgesia radii across eight axes (cm) were recorded pre-injection and at 5, 15, 30, 45 and 60 min post injection. RESULTS Sciatica subjects experienced higher spontaneous pain and hyperalgesia responses in both legs compared with pain-free volunteers. The largest mean difference in spontaneous pain was 2.8 cm (95% CI 1.6, 3.9) at 5 min in the unaffected leg following 10 µg. The largest mean difference in hyperalgesia was 19.7 cm (95% CI 12.4, 27.0) at 60 min in the unaffected leg following 10 µg. Allodynia was greater in patients than in controls with the largest mean difference of 2.9 cm (95% CI 1, 4.8) at 5 min following 10 µg in the affected leg. Allodynia was also higher in the affected leg compared with the unaffected leg in sciatica patients with the highest mean difference of 3.0 cm (95% CI 1.2, 4.7) at 5 min following 10 µg. CONCLUSIONS The responses to intradermal capsaicin are quantitatively and qualitatively different in unilateral sciatica patients compared with pain-free controls. PMID:21740458

  10. The most physically active Danish adolescents are at increased risk for developing spinal pain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aartun, Ellen; Boyle, Eleanor; Hartvigsen, Jan

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The overall aim of this study was to determine to what extent objectively measured physical activity in a school-based sample aged 11-13 years predicted incident cases of spinal pain (neck pain, mid back pain or low back pain) over the following 2 years. METHODS: Data were collected...... was defined as a report of pain in at least one spinal area at follow-up. Physical activity was measured objectively using the Actigraph GT3X Triaxial Activity Monitor for 1 week. RESULTS: Objectively measured sedentary activity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and vigorous physical activity were...... generally not predictive of the 2-year incidence of spinal pain. However, 10% of participants with the highest proportion of the day spent in vigorous physical activity were at increased risk of reporting spinal pain at follow-up with a relative risk (RR) of 1.44 (95% CI 1.09 to 1.91). For the overall...

  11. Manual therapy followed by specific active exercises versus a placebo followed by specific active exercises on the improvement of functional disability in patients with chronic non specific low back pain: a randomized controlled trial

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Balthazard Pierre

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Recent clinical recommendations still propose active exercises (AE for CNSLBP. However, acceptance of exercises by patients may be limited by pain-related manifestations. Current evidences suggest that manual therapy (MT induces an immediate analgesic effect through neurophysiologic mechanisms at peripheral, spinal and cortical levels. The aim of this pilot study was first, to assess whether MT has an immediate analgesic effect, and second, to compare the lasting effect on functional disability of MT plus AE to sham therapy (ST plus AE. Methods Forty-two CNSLBP patients without co-morbidities, randomly distributed into 2 treatment groups, received either spinal manipulation/mobilization (first intervention plus AE (MT group; n = 22, or detuned ultrasound (first intervention plus AE (ST group; n = 20. Eight therapeutic sessions were delivered over 4 to 8 weeks. Immediate analgesic effect was obtained by measuring pain intensity (Visual Analogue Scale before and immediately after the first intervention of each therapeutic session. Pain intensity, disability (Oswestry Disability Index, fear-avoidance beliefs (Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire, erector spinae and abdominal muscles endurance (Sorensen and Shirado tests were assessed before treatment, after the 8th therapeutic session, and at 3- and 6-month follow-ups. Results Thirty-seven subjects completed the study. MT intervention induced a better immediate analgesic effect that was independent from the therapeutic session (VAS mean difference between interventions: -0.8; 95% CI: -1.2 to −0.3. Independently from time after treatment, MT + AE induced lower disability (ODI mean group difference: -7.1; 95% CI: -12.8 to −1.5 and a trend to lower pain (VAS mean group difference: -1.2; 95% CI: -2.4 to −0.30. Six months after treatment, Shirado test was better for the ST group (Shirado mean group difference: -61.6; 95% CI: -117.5 to −5.7. Insufficient evidence for group

  12. Pain management in primary care – current perspectives | Meyer ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    According to a 1998 World Health Organization Survey of 26 000 primary care ... in pain medicine and continue to follow the biomedical approach, which ... The modern paradigm of pain management has moved from this biomedical to the ...

  13. Abdominal pain in long-term spinal cord injury

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Finnerup, Nanna Brix; Faaborg, Pia Møller; Krogh, Klaus

    2008-01-01

    Objectives:To describe the prevalence and character of chronic abdominal pain in a group of patients with long-term spinal cord injury (SCI) and to assess predictors of abdominal pain.Study design:Postal survey.Setting:Members of the Danish Paraplegic Association.Methods:We mailed a questionnaire...... to 284 members of the Danish Paraplegic Association who met the inclusion criteria (member for at least 10 years). The questionnaire contained questions about cause and level of spinal injury, colorectal function and pain/discomfort.Results:Seventy percent returned the questionnaire (133 men and 70 women....../discomfort. There was no relation of abdominal pain to other types of pain.Conclusion:Chronic pain located in the abdomen is frequent in patients with long-term SCI. The delayed onset following SCI and the relation to constipation suggest that constipation plays an important role for this type of pain in the spinal cord injured....

  14. Abdominal pain in long-term spinal cord injury

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Finnerup, Nanna Brix; Faaborg, Pia Møller; Krogh, Klaus

    2008-01-01

    Objectives:To describe the prevalence and character of chronic abdominal pain in a group of patients with long-term spinal cord injury (SCI) and to assess predictors of abdominal pain.Study design:Postal survey.Setting:Members of the Danish Paraplegic Association.Methods:We mailed a questionnaire....../discomfort. There was no relation of abdominal pain to other types of pain.Conclusion:Chronic pain located in the abdomen is frequent in patients with long-term SCI. The delayed onset following SCI and the relation to constipation suggest that constipation plays an important role for this type of pain in the spinal cord injured....... to 284 members of the Danish Paraplegic Association who met the inclusion criteria (member for at least 10 years). The questionnaire contained questions about cause and level of spinal injury, colorectal function and pain/discomfort.Results:Seventy percent returned the questionnaire (133 men and 70 women...

  15. Entropy of Masseter Muscle Pain Sensitivity: A New Technique for Pain Assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castrillon, Eduardo E; Exposto, Fernando G; Sato, Hitoshi; Tanosoto, Tomohiro; Arima, Taro; Baad-Hansen, Lene; Svensson, Peter

    2017-01-01

    To test whether manipulation of mechanical pain sensitivity (MPS) of the masseter muscle is reflected in quantitative measures of entropy. In a randomized, single-blinded, placebo-controlled design, 20 healthy volunteers had glutamate, lidocaine, and isotonic saline injected into the masseter muscle. Self-assessed pain intensity on a numeric rating scale (NRS) was evaluated up to 10 minutes following the injection, and MPS was evaluated after application (at 5 minutes and 30 minutes) of three different forces (0.5 kg, 1 kg, and 2 kg) to 15 different sites of the masseter muscle. Finally, the entropy and center of gravity (COG) of the pain sensitivity scores were calculated. Analysis of variance was used to test differences in means of tested outcomes and Tukey post hoc tests were used to adjust for multiple comparisons. The main findings were: (1) Compared with both lidocaine and isotonic saline, glutamate injections caused an increase in peak, duration, and area under the NRS pain curve (P entropy values (P entropy values when assessed with 0.5 kg and 1.0 kg but not with 2.0 kg of pressure; and (4) COG coordinates revealed differences between the x coordinates for time (P entropy measures. Entropy allows quantification of the diversity of MPS, which may be important in clinical assessment of pain states such as myofascial temporomandibular disorders.

  16. Lower limb gigantism, lymphedema, and painful varicosities following a thigh vascular access graft.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thompson, Michael; Mathuram Thiyagarajan, Umasankar; Akoh, Jacob A

    2014-07-01

    Prosthetic arteriovenous grafts (AVGs) are associated with greater morbidity than autogenous arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs), but their use is indicated when AVF formation is not possible. This report adds to the literature a case of lower limb gigantism, painful varicosities, and lymphedema following long-term use of AVG in the upper thigh. The patient's past medical history included renal transplantation on the same side well before the AVG was inserted and right leg deep vein thrombosis. Suspicion of AVG thrombosis was excluded by Doppler ultrasound, which demonstrated an access flow of 1700 mL/min. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen and pelvis did not identify the cause of her symptoms. Whereas functional incompetence of the iliac vein valve might be responsible for the varicosities, the extent of hypertrophy in this case raises the suspicion of lymphatic blockage possibly secondary to groin dissection undertaken at the time of graft insertion, in addition to the previous dissection at the time of transplantation. This case highlights the need for minimal groin dissection during AVG insertion, particularly in patients with a history of previous abdominopelvic surgery. © 2014 International Society for Hemodialysis.

  17. Dancing in pain: pain appraisal and coping in dancers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Ruth; Hanrahan, Stephanie J

    2008-01-01

    This study investigated the relationships between the type of pain experienced (performance pain and injury pain), the cognitive appraisal of pain and pain coping styles in dancers. Fifty-one professional ballet and contemporary dancers (17 males and 34 females), with the mean age of 25.9 years, completed a general pain questionnaire, the Pain Appraisal Inventory, the Survey of Pain Attitudes Control Subscale, and the Sports Inventory for Pain. Multivariate analyses of variance indicated that both the cognitive appraisal of the pain and pain coping styles did not differ according to the type of pain experienced or the pain severity. However, it was found that dancers with performance pain of either low or high severity were more likely to dance in pain than dancers experiencing injury pain. Multiple regression analyses indicated that the appraisal of pain as threatening was predictive of the use of avoidance and catastrophizing pain coping styles. Overall, results indicated that dancers may not differentiate between performance pain and injury pain, or modify their appraisal and coping strategies according to the characteristics of the pain experienced. The study highlighted an opportunity for increased education for dancers in recognizing the difference between pain considered to be a routine aspect of training and pain which is a signal of serious injury.

  18. Influence of the radiographer on the pain felt during mammography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goethem, M. van; Verslegers, I.; Biltjes, I.; De Schepper, A.; Mortelmans, D.; Bruyninckx, E.; Hove, E. Van

    2003-01-01

    Mammography is the only useful examination in screening for breast cancer. Mortality from breast cancer can be reduced if women go regularly for a screening mammography. Moreover, it is still the key examination in diagnosis of breast diseases and in the follow-up of patients treated for breast cancer. Pain with mammography can deter women from going for regular screening or follow-up; therefore, it is important to reduce pain experience or discomfort from mammography. In this study we evaluate the impact of the ''radiographer'' on the pain risk during mammography by analysing questionnaires filled in by women and radiographers. Study results reveal that the opinion of the radiographer, the information and communication during the examination and the number of years of experience are important factors in pain and discomfort experience. The attitude of the radiographer plays an important role in the pain experience. (orig.)

  19. Orofacial pain and quality of life in early adolescents in India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Sandeep; Badiyani, Bhumika K; Kumar, Amit; Dixit, Garima; Sharma, Prachi; Agrawal, Sugandha

    2016-08-18

    Orofacial pain may have an impact on quality of life. It may affect the overall well-being of an individual. To assess the prevalence of orofacial pain and its impact on quality of life in early adolescents in Indore city, India. This was a cross-sectional study which included a total of 800 children selected from various public and private schools located in Indore city, India. A questionnaire was developed which collected information on sociodemographic characteristics and previous dental visits. The severity of pain was assessed using Von Korff pain scale and quality of life using the General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12). The chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were performed. The overall prevalence of orofacial pain was found to be 17.9%. Toothache (10.1%) was found to be the most prevalent orofacial pain followed by temporomandibular joint pain (4.3%). The highest severity of pain (Grades 3 and 4) was reported for toothache followed by temporomandibular joint pain. The results of the logistic regression model showed that the prevalence of orofacial pain (odds ratio=7.18, p-valueorofacial pain has a negative influence on the quality of life of adolescents. Effective policies should be created to improve the quality of life of adolescents focusing on oral health education and prevention of oral diseases.

  20. Root Canal Therapy Reduces Multiple Dimensions of Pain: A National Dental PBRN Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Law, Alan S.; Nixdorf, Donald R.; Rabinowitz, Ira; Reams, Gregory J.; Smith, James A.; Torres, Anibal V.; Harris, D. Robert

    2014-01-01

    Background Initial orthograde root canal therapy (RCT) is used to treat dentoalveolar pathosis. The affect RCT has on pain intensity has been frequently reported, but the affect on other dimensions of pain has not. Also, the lack of large prospective studies involving diverse groups of patients and practitioners that are not involved in data collection suggest that there are multiple opportunities for bias to be introduced when this data is systematically aggregated. Method This prospective observational study assessed pain intensity, duration, and its interference with daily activities among RCT patients. Sixty-two practitioners (46 general dentists, 16 endodontists) in the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network enrolled patients requiring RCT. Patient reported data were collected before, immediately following, and one week after treatment using the Graded Chronic Pain Scale. Results Enrollment of 708 patients was completed over 6 months with 655 patients (93%) providing one-week follow-up data. Prior to treatment, patients reported a mean (±standard deviation) worst pain intensity of 5.3±3.8 (0-10 scale), 50% had “severe” pain (≥7), and mean days in pain and days pain interfered with activities were 3.6±2.7 and 0.5±1.2, respectively. Following treatment, patients reported a mean worst pain intensity of 3.0±3.2, 19% had “severe” pain, and mean days in pain and days with pain interference were 2.1±2.4 and 0.4±1.1, respectively. All changes were statistically significant (ppain, significantly reducing pain intensity, duration, and related interference. Further research is needed to reduce the proportion of patients reporting “severe” post-operative pain. PMID:25190605