Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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A modification of the conventional technique for cervical transforaminal epidural steroid injection (CTFESI) has been developed. This technique may, theoretically, decrease the likelihood of the needle encountering the vertebral artery and spinal nerve. The approach uses angle measurements of the superior articular process ventral surface from the patient's axial MRI as a guide for fluoroscopic set-up and needle trajectory. This report aims to compare contrast flow patterns of the modified approach with those of the conventional technique. ⋯ A modification of the conventional CTFESI technique, developed for the purpose of improved safety, may provide superior contrast flow patterns when compared to the conventional approach.
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To assess the effectiveness of cervical manual therapy (MT) on patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) and to compare cervico-craniomandibular MT vs cervical MT. ⋯ Cervical MT treatment is more effective in decreasing pain intensity than placebo MT or minimal intervention, with moderate evidence. Cervico-craniomandibular interventions achieved greater short-term reductions in pain intensity and increased pain-free MMO over cervical intervention alone in TMD and headache, with low evidence.
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To describe the core elements of a Whole Health Primary Care Pain Education and Opioid Monitoring Program (PC-POP) and examine its effectiveness at increasing adherence to six of the Veteran Affairs/Department of Defense (VA/DoD) recommended guidelines for long-term opioid therapy (LOT) among chronic noncancer patients seen in primary care (i.e., urine drug screens [UDS], prescription drug monitoring program [PDMP] queries, informed consent, naloxone education/prescriptions, morphine equivalent daily dose [MEDD], and referrals to nonpharmacological pain interventions). ⋯ The PC-POP shows promise for increasing guideline-concordant care for providers working in primary care.
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To examine stressor elevations among older adults with pain, and gender and race disparities in the dual burdens of late-life pain and stressors. ⋯ Late-life pain is associated with elevations in stressors, and there are gender and race disparities in the dual burdens of heightened pain and elevated stressors in later life. Pain and stressors are not consistently more strongly linked among older women than older men, or among older nonwhite than older white persons.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Hypoalgesic Effects of Aerobic and Isometric Motor Imagery and Action Observation Exercises on Asymptomatic Participants: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial.
The objective was to explore whether action observation (AO) and motor imagery (MI) of aerobic and isometric exercise could induce hypoalgesic responses in asymptomatic individuals compared with placebo observation (PO). ⋯ AO and MI induce hypoalgesic responses compared with PO. AO isolated training showed pain modulation responses in the PPTs of the quadriceps region in young physically active adults. These findings highlight the potential role of brain training in pain management.