Current pain and headache reports
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The diagnosis and treatment of discogenic back pain is challenging. Provocation discography, an invasive spinal procedure, has been suggested as a diagnostic test for internal disc disruption to provide information on disc morphology and reproduction of symptoms. ⋯ While the validity of discography has been questioned by multiple scientific studies, technical refinements have addressed many of the initial limitations. An updated review on the safety and utility of discography will be provided, covering key areas of debate including false-positive rates, technical parameters, clinical utility, and risk of discography procedural-related intervertebral disc damage.
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Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a safe and effective treatment of a variety of chronic pain conditions. As our understanding of the mechanisms of action and potential uses of SCS has evolved, clinical and technological advancements have followed. This review provides an overview of potential mechanisms of action of SCS, evidence for its effectiveness, potential complications, and highlights of developing areas of interest.
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Epidural steroid injection (ESI) is the most commonly performed intervention in pain clinics across the United States. This article provides an evidence-based review of ESI, including data on efficacy, patient selection, comparison of types, and complications. The data strongly suggest that ESI can provide short-term relief for radicular symptoms but are less compelling for long-term effects or relief of back pain. Although it has been asserted that transforaminal ESIs are more efficacious than interlaminar injections, the evidence supporting this is limited.
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Curr Pain Headache Rep · Feb 2012
ReviewDependent behavior in patients with medication-overuse headache.
Two thirds of patients with medication-overuse headache (MOH) fulfilled criteria for dependence on acute symptomatic treatments for pain, not exclusive of psychoactive medications, based on the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Several questionnaires have been used to assess dependent behavior in patients with MOH. ⋯ This review highlights recent studies on the relationship between dependence and MOH. This issue is important because it implies a treatment strategy in managing patients with MOH by providing the treatment of dependence.
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Curr Pain Headache Rep · Feb 2012
ReviewContemporary insights into painful diabetic neuropathy and treatment with spinal cord stimulation.
A substantial body of literature is available on the natural history of diabetes, but much less is understood of the natural history of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (PDPN), a pervasive and costly complication of diabetes mellitus. Multiple mechanisms have been proposed, including polyol pathway activation, advanced glycosylation end-product formation, and vasculopathic changes. Nevertheless, specific treatment modalities addressing these basic issues are still lacking. ⋯ For over 30 years, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been used extensively for the management of various chronic neuropathic pain states. In the past decade, interest in the use of SCS for treatment of PDPN has increased. This article reviews pathophysiological mechanisms of PDPN, proposed mechanisms of SCS, and the role of SCS for the treatment of PDPN.