The Clinical journal of pain
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Comparative Study
A comparison of various risk screening methods in predicting discharge from opioid treatment.
Risk assessment and stratification has become an important aspect of the prescribing of opioids to patients with chronic pain. There is little empirical data available on the sensitivity and specificity of commonly used risk assessment tools. This paper describes 2 studies that compare the prediction capabilities of various risk assessment tools. ⋯ Overall, these studies indicate that not all risk assessment tools are equal in their ability to accurately predict future aberrant drug-related behavior. It may be that written risk assessment tools that use more subtle items are better suited to certain patient populations.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Rapid local anesthesia in humans using minimally invasive microneedles.
This study tested the hypothesis that minimally invasive microneedles cause less pain during injection of lidocaine, but induce local anesthesia in humans with the same rapid onset and efficacy as intradermal lidocaine injection using hypodermic needles. ⋯ This study demonstrates for the first time that microneedle-based lidocaine injection is as rapid and as effective as hypodermic injection in inducing local anesthesia while resulting in significantly less pain during injection.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
EMG assessment of analgesia in treatment of posttonsillectomy pain: random allocation, preliminary report.
Surface electromyographic (sEMG) study of posttonsillectomy swallow-evoked muscular reactions was performed to assess validity of EMG in evaluation of analgesic drugs. ⋯ sEMG might be used for quantitative evaluation of analgesic drugs by assessment of muscular reactions to pain and to analgesia. This method might add quantitative justification to the information obtained by VAS pain testing and clinical data.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effectiveness of a multidimensional physical therapy program on pain, pressure hypersensitivity, and trigger points in breast cancer survivors: a randomized controlled clinical trial.
To evaluate the effects of an 8-week multidimensional physical therapy program, including strengthening exercises and recovery massage, on neck and shoulder pain, pressure hypersensitivity, and the presence of active trigger points (TrPs) in breast cancer survivors. ⋯ An 8-week multidimensional program including strengthening exercises, and massage as major components was effective for improving neck and shoulder pain and reducing widespread pressure hyperalgesia in breast cancer survivors compared with usual care treatment.
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Review Case Reports
Meningitis after invasive treatment of the trigeminal ganglion: two case reports and a review of the literature.
The objective of this case is to report the rare complication of a meningitis after an invasive treatment of the trigeminal ganglion. ⋯ This complication should be recognized as early as possible to prevent deterioration of the situation. Meningitis must be suspected when a patient reports headache and fever within days after an invasive treatment of the trigeminal ganglion.