PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation
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Chronic pain can develop from numerous conditions and is one of the most widespread and disabling health problems today. Unfortunately, the pathophysiology of chronic pain in most of these conditions, along with consistently effective treatments, remain elusive. However, recent advances in neuroimaging and neurophysiology are rapidly expanding our understanding of these pain syndromes. ⋯ It is hoped that this knowledge will lead to more effective treatments or even new preventative measures. The purpose of this article is to review recent advances in the understanding of the CNS changes associated with chronic pain in a number of clinical entities encountered in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation. These clinical entities include nonspecific low back pain, fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome, postamputation phantom pain, and chronic pain after spinal cord injury.
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To measure the impact of a standardized risk assessment tool and specialty-specific, risk-adjusted venous thromboembolism (VTE) order sets on compliance with American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) guidelines and the number of symptomatic VTE as assessed by administrative data. ⋯ Implementation of a standardized VTE risk assessment tool and prophylaxis order set resulted in a substantial improvement in compliance with ACCP guidelines for VTE prophylaxis and was associated with a 6-fold reduction in the number of symptomatic VTEs in a hospital-based rehabilitation unit.