Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain
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Chronic neuropathic pain is often refractory to conventional medical treatments and leads to significant disability and socio-economic burden. Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) stimulation has recently emerged as a treatment for persistent neuropathic pain, but creating a strain relief loop at the S1 level has thus far been a challenging technical component of DRG lead placement. ⋯ The patient experienced a decrease in visual analog pain score (85%), and improvement in function during the trial period, and proceeded with permanent implantation. The described sacral transforaminal strain relief loop formation technique appears to be a more reliable and predictable technique of DRG lead placement in the sacrum than those previously documented.
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Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an effective therapy to reduce pain in patients who suffer from failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS). In order to inform patients optimally prior to this therapy, knowing their expectations is crucial. ⋯ To improve education for patients prior to SCS surgery and to evaluate the effects of SCS, a multidimensional approach needs to be implemented. Possible disadvantages of SCS need to be discussed prior to the treatment.
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It has been increasingly recognized that many chronic pain conditions are associated with central sensitization (CS). The Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI) is a potentially useful tool for screening patients whose presenting symptoms are suspected of being related to CS, so that additional diagnostic evaluation can be performed and appropriate treatment can be initiated. The original English version is currently not available in Serbian. ⋯ The results of the present study indicate strong psychometric properties, including evidence of convergent and discriminant validity, of the CSI-Serb. These results correspond with those of other translated versions of the CSI that have been psychometrically evaluated and published. Due to the current interest in CS, and its relationship with many chronic pain conditions, it is anticipated that the CSI-Serb will benefit Serbian-speaking clinicians in the evaluation of patients with chronic pain conditions.
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Central sensitization (CS) is a phenomenon associated with several medical diagnoses, including postcancer pain, low back pain, osteoarthritis, whiplash, and fibromyalgia. CS involves an amplification of neural signaling within the central nervous system that results in pain hypersensitivity. The purpose of this systematic review was to gather published studies of a widely used outcome measure (the Central Sensitization Inventory [CSI]), determine the quality of evidence these publications reported, and examine the measurement properties of the CSI. ⋯ An assessment of the published measurement studies of the CSI suggest the tool generates reliable and valid data that quantify the severity of several symptoms of CS.
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Although the importance of psychosocial factors has been highlighted in many studies in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP), there is a lack of research examining the role of illness perceptions in explaining functional disability and physical activity in patients with CLBP. ⋯ Illness perceptions are an important factor for explaining functional disability, but not for explaining habitual physical activity in CLBP patients.