The Clinical journal of pain
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Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Sex differences in delayed onset muscle pain.
In contrast to the research using typical experimental pain stimuli, there is no consensus that women are more sensitive to delayed onset muscle pain than men. The purpose of this study was to examine sex differences in delayed onset muscle pain with use of a quantified stimulus intensity and multidimensional and valid pain measures. ⋯ The absence of higher muscle pain ratings in women than men in this investigation resembles a review of the delayed onset muscle soreness and pain literature. However, the findings contradict a few other acute muscle pain investigations, in which actual muscle tissue damage was not induced by eccentric contractions. Additional research is required to identify the parameters that influence the detection of sex differences.
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Comparative Study
Prevalence of clinical hypertension in patients with chronic pain compared to nonpain general medical patients.
In healthy individuals, elevated blood pressure is associated with diminished acute pain sensitivity. These cardiovascular/pain regulatory system interactions appear altered in patients with chronic pain; elevated blood pressure is associated with increased acute and chronic pain responsiveness. If these alterations reflect failure of overlapping systems modulating pain and blood pressure, it was expected that prevalence of clinical hypertension would be increased in the chronic pain population. ⋯ These results suggest that chronic pain may be associated with increased risk of hypertension. Factors that may underlie this association are discussed.
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Topical morphine has been used on open wounds for pain management, but has a variable duration of action not suitable for palliative dressing changes. The objective of this study is to find an opioid and delivery method that would provide long-lasting pain relief between dressing changes. Methadone powder (100 mg) was mixed in Stomahesive powder (10 g) and sprinkled on the open wound once daily at the time of dressing change. ⋯ Exudative wounds with exposed tissue work best, whereas dry wounds with eschar show less response. Topical methadone powder can be effective for pain relief in open, exudative wounds with little eschar. Further research questions are raised.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Treatment expectancy affects the outcome of cognitive-behavioral interventions in chronic pain.
Patients' initial beliefs about the success of a given pain treatment are shown to have an important influence on the final treatment outcome. The aims of the paper are to assess determinants of patients' treatment expectancy and to examine the extent to which treatment expectancy predicts the short-term and long-term outcome of cognitive-behavioral treatment of chronic pain. This study employs the data of 2 pooled randomized clinical trials evaluating the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral interventions for 171 patients with fibromyalgia and chronic low back pain. ⋯ A regression model of 3 factors (better pain coping and control, active and positive interpretation of pain, and less disability compensation) significantly explained 10% of the variance in pretreatment expectancy. Pretreatment expectancy significantly predicted each of the 4 outcome measures immediately after treatment and at 12 months follow-up. This study corroborates the importance of treatment expectation before entering a cognitive-behavioral intervention in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Fear of movement/(re)injury in chronic low back pain: education or exposure in vivo as mediator to fear reduction?
Clinical research of graded exposure in vivo with behavioral experiments in patients with chronic low back pain who reported fear of movement/(re)injury shows abrupt changes in self-reported pain-related fears and cognitions. The abrupt changes are more characteristics of insight learning rather than the usual gradual progression of trial and error learning. The educational session at the start of the exposure might have contributed to this insight. ⋯ Performance of relevant daily activities, however, were not affected by the educational session and improved significantly only in the exposure in vivo condition. All improvements remained at half-year follow-up only in patients receiving the exposure in vivo. These patients also reported a significant decrease in pain intensity at follow-up.