European journal of pain : EJP
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This journal recently published a paper by Suso-Marti et al., entitled "Effectiveness of motor imagery and action observation training on musculoskeletal pain intensity: A systematic review and meta-analysis" (2020). Motor imagery training and action observation training are rehabilitation approaches that involve imagining oneself executing a particular action, and watching actions that are performed by others, respectively. Both are thought to activate similar neural substrates that are responsible for the actual execution of an action (Eaves et al., 2016). Motor imagery and action observation have been used to enhance motor skill performance in several groups - including athletes and musicians who require highly accurate and precise movement for professional performances, and a similar approach has been employed during rehabilitation with variable outcomes in people after stroke, spinal cord injury and persistent pain.
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Procedures to relieve pain are performed frequently but there are concerns about patient selection, appropriate image guidance, frequency and training for physicians. Patients, healthcare providers, policymakers and licensing bodies seek evidence-based recommendations to use these interventions judiciously. In this review we appraised the methodological quality of recent clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for interventional pain procedures. ⋯ This systematic review appraises the methodological quality of existing CPGs on interventional procedures using a validated epidemiological tool (AGREE II). The aims of this review were to identify methodological and knowledge gaps in existing CPGs. Findings of this study will help in development of a high-quality CPG that can assist healthcare providers and patients in making informed decisions while ensuring that the right intervention is performed for the right patient at the right time. The quality of the evidence provided by the CPGs provided in support of their recommendations was also evaluated.
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Review Meta Analysis
Prognostic factors for pain and functional disability in children and adolescents with persisting pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
The aim of this study was to investigate prognostic factors for pain and functional disability in children and/or adolescents with persisting pain. ⋯ Prognostic factors from across the biopsychosocial spectrum are important to consider in paediatric pain clinical practice. However, most prognostic factors that experts have previously agreed upon have not been assessed in prospective cohort studies to date. The findings may help with prioritising data to collect during clinical assessments of children presenting with pain, in the context of pain and functional disability outcomes.
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This updated systematic review evaluated the efficacy and safety of opioids compared with placebo for chronic osteoarthritis pain. ⋯ Within the context of randomized controlled trials (4-24 weeks), opioids provided no clinically relevant pain relief and no clinically relevant reduction in disability compared with placebo in chronic osteoarthritis pain (hip, knee). Number needed to treat for an additional dropout due to side effects was 5 (95% confidence interval 4-7). Two studies found no signals of abuse and addiction. The frequency of serious adverse events including deaths did not differ from placebo.
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Review
The use of Quantitative Sensory Testing (QST) in cancer pain assessment: A systematic review.
To summarize the literature on the use of quantitative sensory testing (QST) in the assessment of pain in people with cancer and to describe which QST parameters consistently demonstrate abnormal sensory processing in patients with cancer pain. ⋯ This systematic review found that pain in cancer patients is associated with abnormal sensory responses to thermal, mechanical and pinprick stimuli. However, these findings are based primarily on studies of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and data on tumour-related pain are lacking, warranting further research.