The Clinical journal of pain
-
An emerging concept in the chronic pain literature, high-impact chronic pain (HICP), refers to pain that occurs very frequently and results in major disruption of daily life. Previous epidemiologic investigations have noted that lower educational attainment, age, and race appear to be associated with the frequency of HICP, but condition-specific investigations of HICP have been less common. ⋯ These findings suggest that HICP affects more than 1 out of 5 UCPPS patients, with significant associated morbidity. Demographic and clinical characteristics associated with HICP may be useful for identifying at-risk UCPPS patients.
-
Complex regional pain syndrome remains a challenging condition characterized by severe, persistent pain and a variety of inflammatory and trophic symptoms. This study aimed to analyze the current literature to evaluate hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)'s efficacy in treating complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), focusing on both sympathetically-maintained pain (SMP) and sympathetically-independent pain (SIP) subtypes. ⋯ This review of the current literature suggests that HBOT may offer significant symptom relief, regardless of CRPS subtype or disease duration. HBOT's anti-inflammatory and neuroplasticity promoting properties make it a valuable non-invasive option for CRPS patients, potentially improving outcomes when combined with other therapeutic modalities. Further research is necessary to refine patient selection and optimize treatment protocols.
-
After cesarean, optimal analgesia is important for early mobilization, mitigating thromboembolic risks, and mother-infant communication. Our study aims to compare the postoperative analgesic effects of intrathecal morphine (ITM) and Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) in elective cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. ⋯ Patients undergoing cesarean section under spinal anesthesia, intrathecal morphine reduced opioid consumption more effectively than ESPB. ESPB is not recommended as a primary analgesic option for cesarean sections.
-
Historically in medicine and beyond, the understanding of and treatment of pain is based on finding tissue injury. The fact that for chronic pain, there often is no (longer) any traceable tissue injury, in combination with the fact that pain essentially is a private experience, poses a challenge for clinical communication. This paper therefore examines how pain is linguistically and interactionally constructed as invisible. ⋯ The discussion explores how on these three levels, notions of the abnormal or deviant body come into play, in which patients and health professionals complexly construct pain both as not normal (i.e. not a neutral or desirable state of being), while, at the same time, the lack of traceable tissue injury is constructed as medically normal for chronic pain. This also shows how patients and healthcare providers often orient to the stigma around chronic pain.
-
Chronic pain is a leading cause of morbidity in children and adolescents globally but can be managed with a combination of traditional Western medicine and integrative medicine (IM) practices. This combination has improved various critical health outcomes, such as quality-of-life, sleep, pain, anxiety, and healthcare utilization. These IM practices include acupuncture, yoga, biofeedback, massage, mindfulness, or any combination of these modalities. The current manuscript developed a budget impact model to estimate the institutional costs of implementing these practices among adolescents. ⋯ IM leads to improved pain relief when combined with traditional medicine and yields significant cost-savings, thus supporting the routine implementation of IM alongside traditional medicine in healthcare settings.