Pain
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Treatment of myofascial trigger-points with ultrasound combined with massage and exercise--a randomised controlled trial.
The effect of treatment with ultrasound, massage and exercises on myofascial trigger-points (MTrP) in the neck and shoulder was assessed in a randomised controlled trial. The outcome measures were pain at rest and on daily function (Visual Analogue Scale, VAS), analgesic usage, global preference and index of MTrP. Long-term effect for treatment and control groups was assessed after 6 months using a questionnaire. ⋯ No difference between groups given ultrasound or sham ultrasound were found. It is concluded that US give no pain reduction, but apparently massage and exercise reduces the number and intensity of MTrP. The impact of this reduction on neck and shoulder pain is weak.
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Perceptions of control over pain and specific pain coping strategies are associated with a number of positive outcomes in patients with chronic pain conditions. Transactional models of stress have emphasized coping as a process that is both determined by, and influences appraisals of control. While perceptions of control and coping efforts are associated with better adjustment, little is known about the specific coping strategies that contribute to perceptions that pain is controllable. ⋯ Since the existing coping literature largely identifies maladaptive pain coping strategies, it is especially critical to establish which pain coping strategies are adaptive. Specific cognitive strategies, particularly coping self statements, are important components for cognitive-behavioral interventions for chronic pain management. Future research will need to determine whether other adaptive cognitive strategies such as reinterpreting pain sensations can be increased with cognitive interventions, since this strategy is infrequently used.
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For years, physical therapists have been utilizing a variety of modalities, including transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), in an attempt to manage pain associated with inflammation. However, the data on clinical effectiveness is conflicting and the neurophysiological mechanism of action is not known. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of high and low frequency TENS on the secondary hyperalgesia that occurs after joint inflammation. ⋯ There was no effect of TENS on spontaneous pain behaviors or joint swelling when compared to controls. Thus, TENS appears to be more effective in reducing referred pain (or secondary hyperalgesia) without affecting guarding or splinting of the affected limb. Thus, clinically, the choice to use TENS may depend on patient symptoms; specifically TENS should be effective in reducing referred or radiating pain.
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The present study examined the effects of intrathecal (i.t.) treatment (twice-daily injections on post-operative (PO) days 0-8) with the metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) compound, (S)-4-carboxyphenylglycine ((S)-4CPG), or the non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist, dizocilipine maleate (MK-801), on mechanical allodynia and cold hyperalgesia associated with chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve in rats. Also, the effects of early (twice-daily injections on days 0-3) or late (twice-daily injections on days 8-11) (S)-4CPG treatment on the injury-related mechanical allodynia and cold hyperalgesia were assessed in CCI rats. ⋯ However, late treatment with (S)-4CPG did not reduce the nociceptive behaviours in either behavioural task. These data not only confirm that the NMDA receptor plays a role in chronic nociception, but also suggest that Group I mGluRs are more critically involved in the development, and not the maintenance, of mechanical allodynia and cold hyperalgesia associated with CCI in rats.