Der Schmerz
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The regular update of the German S3 guidelines on long-term opioid therapy for chronic noncancer pain (CNCP), the"LONTS" (AWMF registration number 145/003), began in November 2013. ⋯ Responsible application of opioid-containing analgesics requires consideration of possible indications and contraindications, as well as regular assessment of efficacy and adverse effects. Neither an uncritical increase in opioid application, nor the global rejection of opioid-containing analgesics is justified in patients with CNCP.
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Review
[Interventional pain therapy : Results of a survey among specialized pain physicians in Germany.]
Interventional pain therapy aims to treat pain which is refractory to pharmacologic and noninterventional treatment. Due to the partly lacking evidence and recommendations it remains unclear when interventional methods should be applied within the treatment pathway. This study assesses the current state of interventional methods in Germany and their leading indications comparing with the recommendations found in the literature. ⋯ Although there is no clear evidence on interventional procedures in the current literature, these methods are often performed by the respondents. Anatomic landmarks are most frequently used for orientation. The German pain physicians who responded consider especially neuropathic pain as an indication to perform interventional procedures for pain therapy.
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Physical, sexual and emotional abuse in childhood and adolescence is considered to play a role in the etiology and generalization of chronic pain in adulthood. However, it remains unclear whether abuse is specifically associated with different dimensions of nonspecific chronic low back pain (CLBP) and if these associations are mediated by psychological symptoms. ⋯ The influence of childhood abuse on CLBP is different for specific pain dimensions; therefore, CLBP should be faced as a complex construct that comprises different dimensions. Childhood abuse is suggested as a risk factor for spreading pain in CLBP persons; therefore, CLBP patients reporting additional pain locations might benefit from diagnostic and therapeutic interventions specific for childhood abuse experiences.
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Case Reports
[Mirror therapy for the treatment of phantom limb pain after bilateral thigh amputation : A case report.]
This case study is the first to report successful treatment of bilateral phantom limb pain (PLP) in a patient with bilateral thigh amputation and inefficacious medical treatment using a protocol of graded interventions including mirror therapy (MT). MT is a common treatment for PLP but requires the induction of a visual illusion of an intact limb in the mirror, usually achieved by mirroring the healthy extremity. Here, we illustrate how application of a unilateral prosthesis sufficed to induce the necessary illusion. ⋯ Pain intensity was reduced by more than 85 %; the number of attacks were decreased by more than 90% per day. The analgesic efficacy lasted until the unexpected death of the patient several months later. This case illustrates the mechanisms of MT through overcoming the sensory incongruences underlying the distorted body schema and its efficacy in patients with bilateral amputation.