Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain
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There have been no community-based studies investigating the association between sleep duration and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) development. The aim of the current study was to examine the association of sleep with herpes zoster (HZ) incidence and PHN. ⋯ Sleep shortage was associated with increased risk for PHN, and hyperesthesia and acute pain intensity appeared to mediate this association. Sleep shortage may be a novel risk factor for PHN.
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Sleep macrostructure is commonly disturbed after surgery. Postoperative pain control remains challenging. Given the bidirectional interaction between sleep and pain, understanding the role of modulation of sleep during the perioperative period on postoperative pain is needed. ⋯ Perioperative addition of a sleep-promoting pharmacological agent may improve pain control, but underlying evidence is weak and results are inconsistent. Only 5 of the 14 studies objectively evaluated changes in sleep (polysomnography, 2 zolpidem studies; actigraphy, 3 melatonin studies), which complicates conclusions regarding links between perioperative sleep and pain.
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Case Reports
Salvage Therapy With Burst Spinal Cord Stimulation for Chronic Pancreatitis: A Case Report.
Pain associated with chronic pancreatitis is often difficult to treat. On many occasions, interventional techniques may be necessary. In recent years, spinal cord stimulation techniques have been used successfully in the treatment of these patients. However, only the use of traditional tonic stimulation based on paresthesias has been published for this purpose. Spinal cord burst stimulation has been shown to be more effective than tonic stimulation, especially in failed back surgery syndrome. ⋯ A sustained pain score reduction of over 50% on the visual analogue scale was seen, as were a decrease in opioid consumption and a high degree of satisfaction with the therapy by our patient.
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Dizziness is frequently reported in patients with migraine. However, its assessment is often neglected in clinical practice. We investigated the dizziness handicap experienced by patients with migraine and its contributing factors. ⋯ The data suggest that patients with migraine, especially those with chronic-type migraine, experience physical, emotional, and functional handicaps due to dizziness. Dizziness handicap is related to headache impact, anxiety, and depression. Targeted management of such factors is required to reduce the severity of subjective discomfort.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Outcome of a High-Frequency Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator (hfTENS) Device for Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
This controlled trial examined the benefit of a high-frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (hfTENS) device (the Quell, NeuroMetrix, Inc., Waltham, MA, U.S.A.) for patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). ⋯ These results suggest that hfTENS can have a moderate effect in reducing pain and improving quality of life in low back pain patients. Further trials designed to determine the mechanism of action of the hfTENS are needed.