Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain
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Lumbar spine transverse process fractures (LSTPFs) are uncommon and frequently overlooked on plain film radiographs. Even when recognized, they are often regarded as trivial and minimally painful injuries compared with combined serious major abdominal, pelvic, and spinal injuries. Conservative treatments are usually offered to patients with LSTPFs. ⋯ This patient's all films were meticulously re-examined, and it was determined that a transverse process fracture was present at not only L4 but also L1. This report introduces a method of active treatment to help patients with LSTPFs quickly return to their daily lives and professional activities. The positive results in these cases suggest that fracture site in situ block might be a useful option for treating patients with LSTPFs.
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Chronic pain is a prevalent and debilitating condition, conveying immense human burden. Suffering is caused not only by painful symptoms, but also through psychopathological and detrimental physical consequences, generating enormous societal costs. The current treatment armamentarium often fails to achieve satisfying pain relief; thus, research directed toward elucidating the complex pathophysiological mechanisms underlying chronic pain syndromes is imperative. ⋯ Cytokines and neurotrophic factors have been identified as pivotal mediators involved in neuroimmune activation pathways and cascades in various preclinical chronic pain models. Research confirming these findings in humans has so far been scarce, but this comprehensive review provides coherent data supporting the clear association of a mechanistic role of altered central cytokines and neurotrophic factors in a number of chronic pain states despite varying etiologies. Given the importance of these factors in neuropathic and inflammatory chronic pain states, prospective therapeutic strategies, and directions for future research in this emerging field, are outlined.
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Review Meta Analysis
Cost-effectiveness of Acupuncture for Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain.
Cost-effectiveness is a major criterion underpinning decisions in mainstream health care. Acupuncture is increasingly used in patients with chronic lower back pain (LBP), but there is a lack of evidence on cost-effectiveness. The objective of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of acupuncture in alleviating chronic LBP either alone or in conjunction with standard care compared with patients receiving routine care, and/or sham. ⋯ When comorbid depression is alleviated at the same rate as pain, cost is around $18,960 per DALY avoided. Acupuncture as a substitute for standard care was not found to be cost-effective unless comorbid depression was included. According to the WHO cost-effectiveness threshold values, acupuncture is a cost-effective treatment strategy in patients with chronic LBP.
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Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) measures the impact headaches in a 1-month period. We validated the Persian translation of HIT-6, compared the HIT-6 psychometric analysis between migraine and tension-type headache (TTH) patients, and evaluated the capability of HIT-6 to differentiate between TTH, chronic migraine, and episodic migraine. ⋯ Persian HIT-6 is a valid and reliable questionnaire for the evaluation of headache. However, it cannot differentiate between chronic migraine, episodic migraine, and TTH in Iranian population.
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Widespread sensory hypersensitivity has been observed in acute whiplash associated disorders (WAD). Changes in descending pain modulation take part in central sensitization. However, endogenous pain modulation has never been investigated in acute WAD. Altered perception of distorted visual feedback has been observed in WAD. Both mechanisms (ie, pain modulation and perception of distorted visual feedback) may be different components of one integrated system orchestrated by the brain. This study evaluated conditioned pain modulation (CPM) in acute WAD. Secondly, we investigated whether changes in CPM are associated with altered perception of distorted visual feedback. ⋯ Changes in CPM were observed in acute WAD, suggesting less efficient pain modulation. The results suggest that central pain and sensorimotor processing underlie distinctive mechanisms.