Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The effects of combined respiratory-gated auricular vagal afferent nerve stimulation and mindfulness meditation for chronic low back pain: a pilot study.
Respiratory-gated Auricular Vagal Afferent Nerve stimulation (RAVANS) is a safe nonpharmacological approach to managing chronic pain. The purpose of the current study was to examine (1) the feasibility and acceptability of RAVANS, combined with mindful meditation (MM) for chronic low back pain (CLBP), (2) the potential synergy of MM+RAVANS on improving pain, and (3) possible moderators of the influence of MM+RAVANS on pain. ⋯ Results suggest that for CLBP patients with prior MM training, the analgesic effects of MM may have overshadowed effects of RAVANS given the brief single session MM+RAVANS intervention. However, those with greater negative affect may benefit from combined MM+RAVANS.
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Pain-related function is not routinely assessed in the hospital. This prospective cohort study examined whether patients' daily pain-related function during hospitalization, based on the validated Youth Acute Pain Functional Ability Questionnaire (YAPFAQ), is associated with pain and quality of life. ⋯ This article provides conceptual validation of a functional score for pediatric pain, the YAPFAQ, to assess pain intensity and health-related quality of life in the subacute period.
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We examined the functional connectivity (FC) in patients with migraine compared with healthy subjects before and after C2 peripheral nerve field stimulation with electroacupuncture (EA-C2-PNfS) to evaluate the effect of EA-C2-PNfS and elucidate the mechanism of migraine. ⋯ After EA-C2-PNfS for MWoA, significant changes in FC were observed at the hypothalamus and insula. Our results indicate that EA-C2-PNfS could improve migraine headache by modifying pain-related FC.
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Societal and health system pressures associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic exacerbated the burden of chronic pain and limited access to pain management services for many. Online multidisciplinary pain programs offer an effective and scalable treatment option, but have not been evaluated within the context of COVID-19. This study aimed to investigate the uptake and effectiveness of the Reboot Online chronic pain program before and during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ Uptake of an online chronic pain management program substantially increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Program adherence and effectiveness were similar pre- and during-COVID. These findings support the effectiveness and scalability of online chronic pain management programs to meet increasing demand.