British journal of anaesthesia
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The diagnosis and management of facial pain below the eye can be very different dependant on whether the patient visits a dentist or medical practitioner. A structure for accurate diagnosis is proposed beginning with a very careful history. The commonest acute causes of pain are dental and these are well managed by dentists. ⋯ Red flags include giant cell arteritis which much be distinguished from temporomandibular disorders (TMD), especially in >50 yr olds, and cancer which can present as a progressive neuropathic pain. Burning mouth syndrome is rarely recognized as a neuropathic pain as it occurs principally in peri-menopausal women and is thought to be psychological. Chronic facial pain patients are best managed by a multidisciplinary team.
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Review Practice Guideline
Low back and radicular pain: a pathway for care developed by the British Pain Society.
These consensus guidelines aim to provide an overview of best practice for managing chronic spinal pain reflecting the heterogeneity of low back pain. Most guidelines have covered only one aspect of spinal care and thus have been divisive and potentially worsened the quality of care. Additionally, some of the evidence base is subjective and of poor quality. ⋯ It is recognized, however, that there is an urgent need for further good-quality clinical research in this area to underpin future guidelines. Considerable work is still needed to clarify the evidence; however, foundations have been laid with this pathway. Key features include: risk stratification; clarification of intensity of psychological interventions; a logical progression for the management of sciatica; and decision points for considering structural interventions such as spinal injections and surgery.