European journal of pain : EJP
-
Methods for identifying high-pain responders undergoing total knee arthroplasty remain important to improve individualized pain management. This study aimed at evaluating pre- and perioperative predictors of pain on Days 2-7 after total knee arthroplasty. ⋯ This study investigated factors associated with pain after total knee arthroplasty beyond the immediate postoperative period. The analysis revealed significant associations between preoperative pain levels and, particularly, pain 24 h postoperatively, with subsequent subacute pain the following week. These findings can assist in identifying patients who would benefit from enhanced, individualized analgesic interventions to facilitate postoperative recovery.
-
Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA) is mainly characterized by pain. The assessment of KOA-related pain frequently focuses on different constructs subject to sources of bias or drawbacks, as the classical Pain at Rest (PAR). Movement-evoked pain (MEP), recently defined as 'pain during walking', emerges as a differential concept, since PAR and MEP are driven by different underlying mechanisms. Given the novelty of the MEP approach, its association with PAR or with different performance-based tests has not been studied in KOA yet. ⋯ This research elucidates the relevance of MEP, recently defined as 'pain during walking', through the analysis of its association with PAR and with functional performance (measured through four mobility tests) in knee osteoarthritis. The results from our study highlight the absence of either association or agreement between MEP and PAR, fact that supports and endorses the idea that both concepts measure and refer to different constructs in knee osteoarthritis.
-
The health of the gut microbiome is now recognized to be an important component of the gut-brain axis which itself appears to be implicated in pain perception. Antibiotics are known to create dysbiosis in the microbiome, so whether fibromyalgia is more commonly diagnosed after antibiotic prescriptions provides a means of exploring the role of the microbiome in the experience of chronic pain. ⋯ This study shows an association between the volume as well as timing of prior antibiotic prescriptions and of a subsequent diagnosis of fibromyalgia in primary care.
-
A multidisciplinary approach is the gold standard in the management of persistent pain and is current practice in tertiary pain clinics. However, such approaches seem to be a rarity in primary care, although pain is the most common reason for visiting a primary care physician. A comprehensive systematic review was conducted to explore whether studies on multidisciplinary management programs for persistent pain exist in primary care. ⋯ Persistent pain is a growing challenge to the health care system, and most patients are treated in primary care. The biopsychosocial concept is the basis for the multidisciplinary management of pain. The review revealed that studies about treatment interventions for persistent pain patients are scarce. Existing studies were heterogeneous in terms of intervention characteristics, population, outcome variables, and study methodology. There is an urgent need for further studies on systematic multidisciplinary treatment protocols for managing persistent pain in primary care.