Current pain and headache reports
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Headache is a common presenting complaint in the pediatric emergency department. Although the majority of headaches are benign in nature, headache may be secondary to more serious pathology, such as tumor, meningitis, hemorrhage, or brain abscess. A systematic history will elicit the temporal pattern of the headache, guiding the development of an appropriate differential diagnosis. Thorough physical and neurologic examinations will disclose the objective signs that dictate the need for further diagnostic testing.
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Cervical whiplash injuries are common and yet poorly understood. Several of these cases become chronic for unknown reasons and defy most forms of musculoskeletal therapy. Botulinum toxin has shown promise in selected cases in which soft tissue injury predominates. In conjunction with a good biomechanical assessment and appropriate physical rehabilitation techniques, this new approach to treatment may offer a way of treating the central and peripheral dysfunction that characterizes this condition.
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Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is caused by myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) located within taut bands of skeletal muscle fibers. Treating the underlying etiologic lesion responsible for MTrP activation is the most important strategy in MPS therapy. If the underlying pathology is not given the appropriate treatment, the MTrP cannot be completely and permanently inactivated. ⋯ When treating the active MTrPs or their underlying pathology, conservative treatment should be given before aggressive therapy. Effective MTrP therapies include manual therapies, physical therapy modalities, dry needling, or MTrP injection. It is also important to eliminate any perpetuating factors and provide adequate education and home programs to patients so that recurrent or chronic pain can be avoided.
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Post-traumatic headache after craniocerebral trauma is not an uncommon occurrence in children and adolescents. It can occur after mild, moderate, or severe injury. ⋯ In time, the headache and accompanying symptoms gradually resolve over a period of 8 to 12 weeks. However, sometimes it may become chronic, requiring a multidimensional management approach including pharmacologic intervention, physical rehabilitation, and cognitive-behavioral therapy as used in the adult population.
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Fibromyalgia is a common disorder of diffuse musculoskeletal pain. Several rheumatic diseases can mimic fibromyalgia, and a clinician would not want to miss these diagnoses because of their potential long-term sequelae, such as progressive joint damage or life- or organ-threatening disease if they remain untreated. This paper discusses the typical clinical presentations of selected rheumatic diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, polymyalgia rheumatica, and osteoarthritis) then highlights the key features in history, laboratory testing, and radiographic imaging that aid the clinician in differentiating between fibromyalgia and these rheumatic diseases.