Pain physician
-
Herpes zoster is an acute infectious skin disease that is induced by the re-activation of the virus incubated in nerve ganglions following initial infection with varicella-zoster virus in childhood. Herpes zoster mainly affects sensory nerves, resulting in severe acute pain, which is also the most common reason for medical intervention in this patient group. The concurrent involvement of motor nerves could induce the symptoms of segmental zoster paresis, which is manifested by localized asymmetric myasthenia, whose range generally follows the distribution of myomere with skin rashes. Due to the low incidence and unspecific clinical manifestations, segmental zoster paresis has not been sufficiently recognized by clinicians, and can easily be misdiagnosed. ⋯ As the symptom in most segmental zoster paresis patients is self-limited, and the patients' prognosis is generally good, early diagnosis of the disease is especially important, due to the avoidance of unnecessary diagnostic procedures and incorrect treatments. Standard treatment guidelines regarding the functional rehabilitation are still needed for patients with refractory segmental zoster paresis.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
The Efficiency of Manual Therapy and Sacroiliac and Lumbar Exercises in Patients with Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction Syndrome.
Manual therapy, exercise therapy, and the combination of these 2 are common treatments for sacroiliac joint dysfunction syndrome. The effects of these treatments have been discussed in several studies; the superiority of one over the other for patients with sacroiliac joint dysfunction syndrome is still the subject of discussion. ⋯ Manual therapy is effective in the long term in sacroiliac joint dysfunction syndrome. Adding specific exercises for sacroiliac joints to the sacroiliac joints manipulation treatment further increases this effectiveness.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Efficacy of Pulsed Radiofrequency or Short-Term Spinal Cord Stimulation for Acute/Subacute Zoster-Related Pain: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Controlled Trial.
Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the final stage of varicella zoster infection and a severe refractory neuropathic pain. Hence preventing transition of herpes zoster-related pain to PHN is a very important therapeutic principle for patients at an early stage, especially for older patients.Both pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) and short-term spinal cord stimulation (stSCS) have been proven to be effective to relieve acute/subacute zoster-related pain. However, which treatment could achieve better analgesic effects remains unclear. ⋯ PRF and stSCS are both effective and safe therapeutic alternatives for patients with acute/subacute zoster-related pain, however, stSCS could achieve more pain relief and improvement of life quality compared with PRF.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
A Comparison of Anesthetic Quality Between Interscalene Block and Superior Trunk Block for Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Interscalene block is the most commonly used nerve block for shoulder surgery, and superior trunk block has been investigated as a phrenic-sparing alternative. This randomized controlled trial compared ultrasound-guided interscalene block and superior trunk block as anesthesia for arthroscopic shoulder surgery. ⋯ The superior trunk block provided lower quality of surgical anesthesia than the interscalene block and did not effectively decrease the risk of hemidiaphragmatic paralysis during arthroscopic shoulder surgery for rotator cuff syndrome.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
The Effect of Acupuncture and Physiotherapy on Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Controlled Study.
Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent form of joint disease, and the most common location is the knee. ⋯ The acupuncture and physiotherapy performed twice weekly for 6 weeks have similar effects with regard to pain, functional status, and QOL. There were no significant differences between the acupuncture and physiotherapy groups in relief of pain, improved functional status, and QOL in the treatment of KOA. Both acupuncture and physiotherapy treatments were found to yield significantly superior results when compared with baseline values.