Pain research & management : the journal of the Canadian Pain Society = journal de la société canadienne pour le traitement de la douleur
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Does low-level laser therapy enhance the efficacy of intravenous regional anesthesia?
The use of intravenous regional anesthesia (IVRA) is limited by pain resulting from the application of tourniquets and postoperative pain. ⋯ The addition of gallium-aluminum-arsenide laser irradiation to intravenous regional anesthesia is safe, and reduces pain during and after the operation.
-
Practice Guideline
Pharmacological management of chronic neuropathic pain: revised consensus statement from the Canadian Pain Society.
Neuropathic pain (NeP), redefined as pain caused by a lesion or a disease of the somatosensory system, is a disabling condition that affects approximately two million Canadians. ⋯ These guidelines provide an updated, stepwise approach to the pharmacological management of NeP. Treatment should be individualized for each patient based on efficacy, side-effect profile and drug accessibility, including cost. Additional studies are required to examine head-to-head comparisons among analgesics, combinations of analgesics, long-term outcomes and treatment of pediatric, geriatric and central NeP.
-
Adjudication of disability claims related to fibromyalgia (FM) syndrome can be a challenging and complex process. A commentary published in the current issue of Pain Research & Management makes suggestions for improvement. The authors of the commentary contend that: previously and currently used criteria for the diagnosis of FM are irrelevant to clinical practice; the opinions of family physicians should supersede those of experts; there is little evidence that trauma can cause FM; no formal instruments are necessary to assess disability; and many FM patients on or applying for disability are exaggerating or malingering, and tests of symptoms validity should be used to identify malingerers. ⋯ The available evidence does not support many of the suggestions presented in the commentary. Caution is advised in adopting simple solutions for disability adjudication in FM because they are generally incompatible with the inherently complex nature of the problem.
-
Evidence indicates that pain is undertreated in the emergency department (ED). The first step in improving the pain experience for ED patients is to accurately and systematically assess the actual care being provided. Identifying gaps in the assessment and treatment of pain and improving patient outcomes requires relevant, evidence-based performance measures. ⋯ Gaps in the existing literature include a lack of measures reflecting procedural pain, patient outcomes and the pediatric population. Future efforts should focus on developing indicators specific to these key areas.
-
The way in which individuals with chronic pain habitually approach activity engagement has been shown to impact daily functioning, with both avoidance of one's daily activities and overactivity (activity engagement that significantly exacerbates pain) associated with more pain, higher levels of physical disability and poorer psychological functioning. ⋯ These results provide preliminary support for the suggestion that insecure attachment may be a source of vulnerability to the development of disabling activity patterns in chronic pain.