European journal of pain : EJP
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Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Improving the quality of postoperative pain relief.
A review of the literature shows a constant need to improve the quality of postoperative pain management. The objective of this study was to decrease the intensity and variation of postoperative pain by developing a nurse-based pain service on the ward. An acute pain nurse was appointed and an educational programme with detailed algorithms was started. ⋯ On an average, inadequate pain relief (retrospective average pain > 3/10) on the first postoperative day was more frequent on the ward before than after the reform (47 vs. 21%; 95% CI for differences 15-35%; p<0.001 for pain scores). The incidence of side-effects was similar in both groups (p> 0.05). The intensity and variation of postoperative pain on the ward decreased by developing a nurse-based pain service with an acute pain nurse, an educational programme and regular pain intensity measurements.
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The short form of the McGill Pain Questionnaire (SFMPQ) is a widely used instrument for assessing the quality of pain where use of the full form is not possible. To date however, this instrument has not been translated into the Greek language. ⋯ A Greek version of the SFMPQ (the GR-SFMPQ) has been constructed which has the properties of internal validity and consistency. It is easy to administer, easy to understand even for an elementary educational level and it is capable of describing multidimensionally the pain experience of chronic musculoskeletal pain patients.
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Clinical Trial
The influence of pain intensity on somatosensory perception in patients suffering from subacute/chronic lateral epicondylalgia.
A confounding factor in the analysis of chronic pain patients is the finding of signs of somatosensory disturbances not only in neuropathic pain patients but also in a subgroup of patients with musculoskeletal pain. The purpose was to investigate if patients suffering from subacute/chronic lateral epicondylalgia demonstrated altered sensibility, and if this was affected by pain intensity. At the start of the experiment, quantitative sensory testing (QST) (thermal, pressure pain, touch) was performed in the local pain area and in the area of pain referral. ⋯ In the affected arm only, weight lifting resulted in significantly increased pain intensity in the local (p<0.01) and referred (p<0.01) pain areas, respectively. Repeated muscle contractions resulted in altered somatosensory functions in both the affected arm and the unaffected arm, consequently not dependent on ongoing pain in the assessed area. Tactile perception thresholds increased significantly following pain provocation in the area of pain referral (p<0.04) only and normalized following injection of local anaesthetic (p<0.02), indicating that the sensitivity to light touch was altered by the nociceptive input from the affected arm.