The Clinical journal of pain
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To determine the relationship between pain provocation and the analgesic response in lumbar zygapophyseal joint blocks. ⋯ This study calls into question the validity of pain provocation alone as a criterion standard in patients undergoing diagnostic lumbar zygapophyseal joint blocks.
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Clinical Trial
Profile of Caucasian women with possible genetic predisposition to reflex sympathetic dystrophy: a pilot study.
To test possible human lymphocyte antigen (HLA) associations in subjects with reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), and to determine correlation of HLA associations to treatment outcomes. ⋯ The results of this pilot study are the first to suggest a possible genetic diathesis in RSD patients with poor treatment outcome. If this finding can be confirmed in larger studies, strictly defined RSD could constitute the third neuroimmune disorder (besides multiple sclerosis and narcolepsy) associated with DR2(15). Gene(s) conferring susceptibility to RSD may be present within or near the MHC region of the short arm of chromosome 6. Due to the small size of our study group it is imperative that larger studies be done in RSD patients employing strict diagnostic criteria to confirm or refute our original observations.
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To determine the relationship between overall disability in daily activities, assessed with the Pain Disability Index (PDI) and the Oswestry Disability Questionnaire (ODQ), and impaired performance on three physical tests in patients with chronic low-back pain. ⋯ The PDI and ODQ, as measures of self-perceived disability, and impaired performance on repetitive squatting, arch-up, and sit-up tests, as measures of physical capability, show some overlap in low-back-pain patients. Both types of disability measures are clearly influenced by the patient's work status.
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Function and the patient with chronic low back pain.
To undertake a comparative examination of the reliability and validity of two frequently used self-report measures of functional disability, the Pain Disability Index (PDI) and the Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire (OLBPDQ). ⋯ These findings support other recent work in favor of the PDI. The PDI had a slightly higher internal consistency and was more sensitive than the OLBPDQ.
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To demonstrate the possibilities of the use of oral ketamine in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia. ⋯ Oral ketamine may provide an alternative in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia. The possible mechanism of action by its N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) blocking properties is discussed.