Journal of pain research
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Journal of pain research · Jan 2016
The Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation: rationale and methodology.
Pain is very common in the neurorehabilitation setting, where it may not only represent a target for treatment but can also negatively influence rehabilitation procedures directly or through the side effects of painkillers. To date, there are neither guidelines nor consensus on how to assess and treat pain in neurorehabilitation. ⋯ This article illustrates the rationale, methodology, and topics of the ICCPN. The recommendations of the ICCPN will offer some information on how to deal with pain in neurorehabilitation and may represent the starting point for further studies.
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Journal of pain research · Jan 2016
Novel method for assessing age-related differences in the temporal summation of pain.
Temporal summation (TS) of pain protocols typically involve the delivery of brief repetitive noxious stimuli held at a constant intensity and measuring the consequent increase in the perceived intensity of pain sensations. To date, no studies have examined the effect of a TS protocol on the perceived spatial dimensions of the pain experience and its interaction with age. This study used a new TS protocol that examined changes in the perceived size of the painful area in 22 younger adults and 20 older adults. ⋯ The results indicated that older adults compared to younger adults exhibited significantly greater summation of size ratings for the 2.5-second and 3.5-second IPI trials and size of pain aftersensations at 3 seconds following the 2.5-second IPI TS trial. These results suggest that aging is associated with enhanced endogenous facilitation of the perceived size of pain. The potential clinical and mechanistic implications of enhanced TS of size of pain remain unknown and warrant further investigation.
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Journal of pain research · Jan 2016
Endogenous inhibition of pain and spinal nociception in women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder.
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is characterized by severe affective and physical symptoms, such as increased pain, during the late-luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. The mechanisms underlying hyperalgesia in women with PMDD have yet to be identified, and supraspinal pain modulation has yet to be examined in this population. The present study assessed endogenous pain inhibitory processing by examining conditioned pain modulation (CPM, a painful conditioning stimulus inhibiting pain evoked by a test stimulus at a distal body site) of pain and the nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR, a spinally-mediated withdrawal reflex) during the mid-follicular, ovulatory, and late-luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. ⋯ Endogenous modulation of pain and spinal nociception is not disrupted in women with PMDD. Additionally, greater NFR magnitudes during ovulation in PMDD may be due to tonically-engaged descending mechanisms that facilitate spinal nociception, leading to enhanced pain during the premenstrual phase.
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Journal of pain research · Jan 2016
The psychological profile of women presenting to a multidisciplinary clinic for chronic pelvic pain: high levels of psychological dysfunction and implications for practice.
Chronic pelvic pain (CPP) is widely acknowledged as a common problem with significant consequences for those diagnosed with this condition. There is a lack of studies with good sample size that provide a comprehensive psychological profile of women presenting to specialist chronic pain clinics. Therefore, the objective of this study was to describe the psychological profile of a representative sample of women presenting with CPP at a tertiary referral center. ⋯ Our findings confirm previous evidence for high levels of psychological distress and functional impairment associated with this condition, and extend these findings by including measures that are highly relevant to treatment planning, such as thinking styles and pain self-efficacy. Therefore, treatment of this complex condition needs to be holistic, and a multidisciplinary approach is likely to be the best way to achieve this.
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Journal of pain research · Jan 2016
Effects of low-dose ketamine on succinylcholine-induced postoperative myalgia in outpatient surgeries: a randomized, double-blind study.
Despite the many complications of succinylcholine, it is still widely used as a superior muscle relaxant for rapid sequence induction. One of these complications is postoperative myalgia (POM). The aim of this study was to investigate the prophylactic effect of low-dose ketamine on the incidence and severity of POM. ⋯ The addition of 0.5 mg/kg of ketamine to propofol for the induction of anesthesia can be effective in reducing the incidence of low-grade POM.