Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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The primary objective of this study is to determine the population-based incidence of spontaneous epidural abscess. The secondary objective is to characterize the clinical course of patients with this rare infectious disease. ⋯ This is the first published report of the population-based incidence of spontaneous epidural abscess. These findings could serve as a reference point for further epidemiological research related to this uncommon infection.
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Review Meta Analysis
Mind-body interventions for chronic pain in older adults: a structured review.
We conducted a structured review of eight mind-body interventions for older adults with chronic nonmalignant pain. ⋯ The eight mind-body interventions reviewed are feasible in an older population. They are likely safe, but many of the therapies included modifications tailored for older adults. There is not yet sufficient evidence to conclude that these eight mind-body interventions reduce chronic nonmalignant pain in older adults. Further research should focus on larger, clinical trials of mind-body interventions to answer this question.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and interferential current in primary dysmenorrhea.
To compare the effectiveness of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and interferential current in primary dysmenorrhea. ⋯ Both transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and interferential current appear to be effective in primary dysmenorrhea. As they are free from the potentially adverse effects of analgesics, and no adverse effects are reported in the literature nor observed in this study, a clinical trial of their effectiveness in comparison with untreated and placebo-treated control groups is warranted.
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This topical update reports recent progress in the international effort to develop a more accurate and valid diagnostic criteria for complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). The diagnostic entity of CRPS (published in the International Association for the Study of Pain's Taxonomy monograph in 1994; International Association for the Study of Pain [IASP]) was intended to be descriptive, general, and not imply etiopathology, and had the potential to lead to improved clinical communication and greater generalizability across research samples. Unfortunately, realization of this potential has been limited by the fact that these criteria were based solely on consensus and utilization of the criteria in the literature has been sporadic at best. ⋯ Consensus-derived criteria that are not subsequently validated may lead to over- or underdiagnosis, and will reduce the ability to provide timely and optimal treatment. Results of validation studies to date suggest that the IASP/CRPS diagnostic criteria are adequately sensitive; however, both internal and external validation research suggests that utilization of these criteria causes problems of overdiagnosis due to poor specificity. This update summarizes the latest international consensus group's action in Budapest, Hungary to approve and codify empirically validated, statistically derived revisions of the IASP criteria for CRPS.