The journal of pain : official journal of the American Pain Society
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Temporal Summation but not Expectations of Pain Relief Predict Response to Acupuncture Treatment in Fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a common chronic pain condition for which acupuncture treatment is increasingly utilized. However, there is no universally accepted measure to predict whether a specific patient will benefit from acupuncture. This is a single-center, single-blind, sham-controlled, randomized, noncrossover, longitudinal trial of 76 subjects with FM, assigned to either electroacupuncture (EA) or a placebo control, mock laser (ML) acupuncture. ⋯ Our results support using a quantitative sensory testing metric, temporal summation of pain, but not expectations, to predict analgesia following acupuncture treatment for pain. PERSPECTIVE: A randomized study of acupuncture in FM found baseline temporal summation, but not expectations of pain relief, to be predictive of treatment response. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registered under ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02064296.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Assessing the influence of non-ischaemic A-fiber conduction blockade on offset analgesia: an experimental study.
Offset analgesia (OA) is believed to reflect the efficiency of the endogenous pain modulatory system. However, the underlying mechanisms are still being debated. Previous research suggested both, central and peripheral mechanisms, with the latter involving the influence of specific A-delta-fibers. ⋯ However, further studies are needed to substantiate a central rather than peripheral influence on OA. PERSPECTIVE: This article presents the observation of OA before, during, and after a successful A-fiber conduction blockade in healthy volunteers. A better understanding of the mechanisms of OA and endogenous pain modulation, in general, may help to explain the underlying aspects of pain disorders.