Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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1) To describe a simplified multidisciplinary grading system for the most clinically relevant lumbar spine degenerative changes. 2) To measure the inter-reader variability among non-radiologist spine experts in their use of the classification system for interpretation of a consecutive series of lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examinations. ⋯ A simplified universal grading system of lumbar spine MRI degenerative findings is newly described. Use of this multidisciplinary grading system in the assessment of clinically relevant degenerative changes revealed moderate to substantial agreement among non-radiologist spine physicians. This standardized grading system could serve as a foundation for interdisciplinary communication.
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Chronic hip pain can be treated with physical therapy, oral medications, injections, and, definitively, total hip arthroplasty. Enough patients have contraindications to and refractory pain even after total hip arthroplasty, that there is a need to develop alternative managements for this disabling condition. This article examines the state of hip radiofrequency ablation literature including relevant anatomy, patient selection, and treatment outcomes.
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To assess the efficacy and safety of intrathecal morphine (ITM) for postoperative analgesia in primary total joint arthroplasty (TJA) under spinal anesthesia and to explore the dose-response relationship for analgesic efficacy or risk of side effects. ⋯ Adding morphine to intrathecal anesthetics provides a prolonged and robust analgesic effect without significantly increasing the risk of side effects other than pruritus. Although we found a linear dose-response relationship for the postoperative 24-h morphine consumption, the optimal dose of ITM remains to be further explored in high-quality RCTs with a large sample size.
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Shoulder pain is prevalent, burdensome, and functionally limiting, with diverse pathology and associated treatments. This narrative review provides a summary of relevant neuroanatomy, proposed ablation targets, safety and efficacy concerns for ablation targets, and current research gaps. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of peripheral sensory nerves is a well-established treatment for chronic joint and spine pain, but it is relatively nascent for shoulder pain. ⋯ Shoulder articular branch RFA appears to be a safe and effective treatment for chronic shoulder pain, but there are currently no widely accepted protocols for ablation targets. There are also no randomized controlled trials (RCT) assessing safety and efficacy of proposed targets or the prognostic value of articular blocks. Future research studies should prioritize categorical data, use appropriate functional measures as primary endpoints, and would ideally include a large-scale RCT.