The journal of pain : official journal of the American Pain Society
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Review Meta Analysis
Systematic Review of Research Methods and Reporting Quality of Randomized Clinical Trials of Spinal Cord Stimulation for Pain.
This systematic review assessed design characteristics and reporting quality of published randomized clinical trials of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for treatment of pain in adults and adolescents. The study protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42018090412). Relevant articles were identified by searching the following databases through December 31, 2018: MEDLINE, Embase, WikiStim, The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. ⋯ The review's findings suggest areas for improving the design of future studies and increasing transparency of reporting. PERSPECTIVE: This article presents a systematic review of research methods and reporting quality of randomized clinical trials of SCS for the treatment of various pain complaints. The review identifies deficiencies in both methodology and reporting, which may inform the design of future studies and improve reporting standards.
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Review Meta Analysis
Exercise interventions for persistent non-specific low back pain - does matching outcomes to treatment targets make a difference? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Exercise is a core treatment for persistent non-specific low back pain (NSLBP), but results from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of exercise typically show only small to moderate standardised mean differences (SMDs) compared to nonexercise controls. The choice of primary outcome, and relationship to the specific targets of exercise may influence this. This systematic review aimed to explore whether primary outcomes match the exercise treatment targets used in NSLBP RCTs and the potential impact of matching on SMDs. ⋯ These exploratory findings may have implications for future teams developing RCTs of exercise for NSLBP and warrant further investigation in larger datasets. PERSPECTIVE: This review was an exploratory study that investigated the primary outcome and treatment targets used in RCTs of exercise for NSLBP. The SMDs of the matched group were descriptively larger than those of the unmatched group, but further analysis with larger sample sizes is required to have confidence in these results.