The Clinical journal of pain
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Comparative Study
Reproducibility indices applied to cervical pressure pain threshold measurements in healthy subjects.
To apply various statistical indices for reproducibility analysis of pressure pain threshold measurements and to derive a preferred pressure pain threshold measurement protocol based on these indices. ⋯ The two protocols yielded very similar results. However, on the grounds of patient's comfort and compliance as well as facility of application, protocol B stands out as the more preferred between the two.
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Comparative Study
Validity of the brief pain inventory for use in documenting the outcomes of patients with noncancer pain.
The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) is a short, self-administered questionnaire that was developed for use in cancer patients. While most empirical research with the BPI has been in pain of that etiology, the questionnaire is increasingly evident in published studies of patients with non-cancer pain. The current research addresses the need for formal evaluation of the reliability and validity of the BPI for use in non-cancer pain patients. ⋯ Results support the validity of the BPI as a measure of pain in patients without cancer and, in particular, as a measure of pain for arthritis and LBP patients.
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Comparative Study
Personality factors in the explanation of sex differences in pain catastrophizing and response to experimental pain.
To examine the effects of personality and pain catastrophizing upon pain tolerance and pain ratings and to examine the impact of an experimental pain induction on subsequent ratings of catastrophizing. ⋯ The results suggest that sex differences in catastrophizing and pain responsivity are partially accounted for by the dispositional tendency to describe oneself as emotionally vulnerable. The findings also suggest that pain catastrophizing may be situational as well as dispositional.
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The objective of this study is to determine the effect of oral ketamine on pain and allodynia associated with multiple sclerosis. A 60-year-old woman with multiple sclerosis was referred to our clinic because of severe pain and allodynia. Oral ketamine was started at a dose of 20 mg once a day and increased to twice a day. Oral ketamine was effective in the treatment of the pain and allodynia associated with multiple sclerosis.
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A 39-year-old male presented with penile pain related to ejaculation. No urogenital, infectious, or neurologic diseases were associated with the symptoms. The pain was refractory to conventional analgesics and several neuropathic pain therapies. Oral topiramate was titrated to 75 mg daily, and within a month, the patient's pain improved from 8 to 1 out of 10, which has been maintained for 6 months.