The Clinical journal of pain
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There is mounting evidence that cortical maps are disrupted in chronic limb pain and that these disruptions may contribute to the problem and be a viable target for treatment. Little is known as to whether this is also the case for the most common and costly chronic pain-back pain. ⋯ Trunk motor imagery performance is reduced in people with a history of back pain when they are in a current episode. This is consistent with disruption of cortical proprioceptive representation of the trunk in this group. On the basis of this result, we propose a conceptual model speculating a role of this measure in understanding the development of chronic back pain, a model that can be tested in future studies.
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The buprenorphine transdermal delivery system (BTDS) is indicated for reduction of pain in moderate to severe chronic low back pain (CLBP), which can affect patients' ability to perform routine activities of daily living (ADLs). This post hoc analysis of clinical trial data examines the impact of BTDS treatment on CLBP patients' ability to perform ADLs that relate to functioning with low back pain. ⋯ These results suggest that for patients with moderate to severe CLBP, 12 weeks use of BTDS improves the ability to carry out certain ADLs related to sleeping, lifting, bending, and working.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The Effect of Adding Dexmedetomidine to Levobupivacaine for Interscalene Block for Postoperative Pain Management After Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery.
Arthroscopic subacromial decompression may cause substantial postoperative pain. We undertook a randomized controlled trial to examine whether adding dexmedetomidine to the local anesthetic in an interscalene brachial plexus block and subsequent patient-controlled interscalene analgesia (PCIA) regime improved postoperative pain scores, patient satisfaction, rescue analgesic requirement, and local anesthetic consumption. ⋯ Addition of dexmedetomidine to levobupivacaine for interscalene brachial plexus block decreases pain scores and increases patient satisfaction after arthroscopic subacromial decompression.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Cognitive Mediators of Treatment Outcomes in Pediatric Functional Abdominal Pain.
Cognitive-behavioral (CB) interventions improve outcomes for many pediatric health conditions, but little is known about which mechanisms mediate these outcomes. The goal of this study was to identify whether changes in targeted process variables from baseline to 1 week posttreatment mediate improvement in outcomes in a randomized controlled trial of a brief CB intervention for idiopathic childhood abdominal pain. ⋯ Results suggest that reductions in reports of children's pain and GI symptoms after a social learning and CB intervention were mediated at least in part by decreasing maladaptive parent and child cognitions.
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Pain is a complex common health problem, with important implications for quality of life and with huge economic consequences. Pain can be elicited due to tissue damage, as well as other multiple factors such as inflammation and oxidative stress. Can there be 1 therapeutic pathway that may target multiple etiologic factors in pain? ⋯ In this article, we show evidence for the relationships between vagal nerve activity and pain, and between vagal nerve activity and 5 factors that are etiologic to pain. Given the evidence and effects of the vagus nerve activation in pain, people involved in pain therapy may need to seriously consider activation of this nerve.