Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and nature of physician, nurse, and pharmacist verbal counseling at the time of a new prescription for an opioid-acetaminophen containing medication as recalled by patients. ⋯ Patients infrequently recall counseling from providers on topics that are important to prevent harm from opioid-acetaminophen prescriptions. Future patient-centered clinical research should target identifying optimal strategies to convey these critical messages.
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The aim of this study was to determine whether ranolazine, a new medication that targets sodium channels to improve cardiac ischemia and angina, could be an effective analgesic agent for pain associated with demyelination injury. ⋯ Ranolazine exerts broad-spectrum actions to reduce mechanical allodynia that is associated with peripheral demyelination injury.
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Ultrasound (US)-guided pain procedures become increasingly important due to their numerous advantages. Solid proficiency is necessary, however, to minimize complications and guarantee adequate performance. To enable beginners to learn the relevant skills in the technique of US-guided stellate ganglion (SGB) and intercostal nerve block (ICB), a training curriculum was developed and tested using self-made phantoms. ⋯ The combination of theoretical teaching, expert demonstration, and hands-on training on phantoms proved useful in acquiring skills needed for US-guided procedures such as SGB and ICB, and can potentially improve graduate and post-graduate medical education.
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Due to rising rates of opioid addiction and overdose among individuals on chronic opioid therapy, aberrant drug-related behaviors (ADRBs) are an important and challenging issue. Our objective was to qualitatively investigate the documentation of ADRBs in the medical record. ⋯ The impact of including emotional language in the medical record is unknown. Development of instruments that can be used to facilitate ADRB documentation, as well as evidence-based approaches to addressing ADRBs, is needed.
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We report reversal of chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) along with functional restoration after total knee replacement (TKR) in two patients, using a combination therapy that included ultrasonography-guided pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) of nerves supplying the knee to provide pain relief, along with dry needling (DN) to relax myofascial triggers/bands that caused painful stiffness and restricted movement of muscles acting across the knee. Both patients showed demonstrable pain relief, as evidenced by changes in pain as assessed on the Numeric Rating Scale (patient 1: 4-9/10 [pre-treatment] to 0-3/10 [6 months post-treatment]; patient 2: 5-9/10 to 0-4/10), Oxford Knee Score (patient 1: 17 to 40; patient 2: 12 to 39), Self-Administered Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs score (patient 1: 16 to 0; patient 2: 18 to 0), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score (patient 1: 17 to 2; patient 2: 20 to 2). ⋯ It has evolved from our experience of 8 years. Physiotherapy worked synergistically with DN, optimizing muscle performance and pain relief.