The Clinical journal of pain
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Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is the fear of anxiety-related sensations and its perceived harmful consequences. AS is associated with enhanced pain and worsened pain outcomes, suggesting it is a contributing factor in acute and chronic pain. However, the mechanisms that mediate the relationship between AS and pain are currently unknown. This study assessed the relationship between AS and 2 measures of spinal nociceptive processes (ie, nociceptive flexion reflex and temporal summation of nociceptive flexion reflex) and measures of subjective pain. This allowed us to determine whether AS engages descending cerebrospinal processes to facilitate pain signaling at spinal levels. ⋯ Given that AS was not significantly associated with measures of spinal nociception, these results suggest that AS may exert its influence on pain processing at the supraspinal, rather than the spinal level.
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The fear-avoidance (FA) model of chronic pain describes how individuals experiencing acute pain may become trapped into a vicious circle of chronic disability and suffering. We propose to extend the FA model by adopting a motivational perspective on chronic pain and disability. ⋯ To address these 3 key challenges, we argue that the next generation of the FA model needs to more explicitly adopt a motivational perspective, one that is built around the organizing powers of goals and self-regulatory processes. Using this framework, the FA model is recast as capturing the persistent but futile attempts to solve pain-related problems to protect and restore life goals.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Is botulinum toxin A effective for the treatment of plantar fasciitis?
Botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) is used as an alternative treatment for chronic orthopedic conditions. This study was conducted to investigate the efficacy and safety of BoNT-A on pain and functional outcome in patients with chronic plantar fasciitis. ⋯ There is a need for larger, prospective, long-term, placebo-controlled studies to fully establish the role of BoNT-A for the treatment of plantar fasciitis.
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Emerging research suggests that perceptions of injustice after musculoskeletal injury can have a significant impact on a number of pain-related outcomes. ⋯ Perceived injustice appears to be associated with problematic health and mental health recovery trajectories after the onset of a pain condition. Future directions for research and treatment are addressed.
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Review Meta Analysis
Systematic review of the quality and generalizability of studies on the effects of opioids on driving and cognitive/psychomotor performance.
The effect of opioids on driving performance has been much debated. Driving is a complex task requiring integration of psychomotor, cognitive, motor and decision-making skills, visual-spatial abilities, divided attention, and behavioral and emotional control. The objective of this systematic review was to assess the quality of studies and to revisit the concept that patients on stable opioids are safe to drive as it applies to everyday practice. ⋯ The commonly held concept that "chronic pain patients on stable opioids are safe to drive" cannot be generalized to all such patients in everyday practice, but may be applicable only to a subset who meet certain criteria.