The Clinical journal of pain
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To determine the presence of widespread pressure hyperalgesia in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with and without pain and its association with pain and fatigue. ⋯ Our study found widespread pressure pain hyperalgesia in individuals with MS as compared with pain-free controls. No differences existed between MS patients with pain and those without pain in the presence of widespread pressure sensitivity. Current results suggest that MS is associated with sensory hyperexcitability of the central nervous system or dysfunction in endogenous pain modulatory systems.
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Multicenter Study
The Role of Illness Perceptions in Predicting Outcome Following Acute Whiplash Trauma - A Multicenter 12-month Follow-up Study.
To examine (1) whether the patients' perceptions of their symptoms immediately after the accident and at 3-month follow-up predict working ability and neck pain at 12-month follow-up and (2) the possible changes in patients' illness perceptions during the follow-up period. ⋯ The findings are in line with the common-sense model of illness and previous research demonstrating that patient's expectations for recovery and illness perceptions might influence the course after whiplash injury. Illness perceptions and expectations may provide a useful starting point for future interventions and be targeted in the prevention of chronicity.
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Predictors of outcome in lateral epicondylalgia, which is mainly characterized as a mechanical hyperalgesia, are largely limited to sociodemographic and symptomatic factors. Quantitative sensory testing is used to study altered pain processing in various chronic pain conditions and may be of prognostic relevance. ⋯ Early assessment of cold pain threshold could be a useful clinical tool to help identify patients at risk of poorer outcomes and might provide direction for future research into mechanism-based treatment approaches for these patients.
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In a 12-month observational study, we evaluated the effect of opioid use on the outcomes in 1700 adult patients with fibromyalgia. ⋯ Although pain severity was reduced over time in all cohorts, opioid users showed less improvement in pain-related interference with daily living, functioning, depression, and insomnia. Overall, the findings show little support for the long-term use of opioid medications in patients with fibromyalgia given the poorer outcomes across multiple assessment domains associated with this cohort.
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We evaluated the stability of the comorbidity between vulvodynia and orofacial pain (OFP) and its associated clinical characteristics over a 2-year follow-up period. ⋯ OFP is a common comorbidity among women with vestibulodynia, although the presence of OFP can vary over time. The comorbidity between vestibulodynia and OFP suggests that common underlying mechanisms may mediate both conditions.