Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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Multicenter Study
Immediate Adverse Events in Interventional Pain Procedures: A Multi-Institutional Study.
Interventional procedures directed toward sources of pain in the axial and appendicular musculoskeletal system are performed with increasing frequency. Despite the presence of evidence-based guidelines for such procedures, there are wide variations in practice. Case reports of serious complications such as spinal cord infarction or infection from spine injections lack appropriate context and create a misleading view of the risks of appropriately performed interventional pain procedures. ⋯ This study demonstrates that interventional pain procedures are safely performed with extremely low immediate adverse event rates when evidence-based guidelines are observed.
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Comparative Study
Phenotypic Variation in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: Comparison Between Presentation in Knee Alone or in Ankle/Foot.
To compare the phenotypes of patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) of the knee to those with CRPS of the ankle/foot. ⋯ Some signs and symptoms appeared to be statistically significantly more prevalent in CRPS of the ankle/foot than in CRPS confined to the knee. We conclude that the phenotypes of CRPS confined to the knee and CRPS of the ankle/foot are comparable, but not identical. This can be a reason why CRPS in patients with pain of the knee, that is disproportionate to the initial trauma, is sometimes not recognized.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Does a Brief Educational Session Produce Positive Change for Individuals Waiting for Tertiary Chronic Pain Services?
To examine: 1) whether a single brief pre-clinic educational session improved the well-being and quality of life of individuals entering the wait-list for a tertiary chronic pain (CP) service; and 2) the impact of waiting for services on these outcomes. ⋯ Attending a brief pre-clinic education session did not improve function. There was no deterioration in wait-listed participants who agreed to be involved in research and who completed study measures at 2 and 6 months, but referral was associated with short-term functional improvements. This is the first study to link positive change with referral to, rather than treatment by, a tertiary CP service.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Spinal Cord Stimulation Provides Pain Relief with Improved Psychosocial Function: Results from EMP3OWER.
The EMP(3)OWER™ study evaluated spinal cord stimulation (SCS) safety and efficacy and the associated changes in psychosocial and functional outcomes. ⋯ Spinal cord stimulation provided pain relief and significant improvement of patient psychological and functional outcome measures.
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Observational Study
Imaging Determinants of Clinical Effectiveness of Lumbar Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injections.
To examine associations between imaging characteristics of compressive lesions and patient outcomes after lumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injections (TFESIs) stratified by steroid formulation (solution versus suspension). ⋯ In the entire sample, outcomes for disc herniations were more favorable than for fixed lesions. However, fixed lesions treated with dexamethasone had outcomes indistinguishable from disc herniations. Single lesions had better outcomes than tandem lesions.