Articles: pain-clinics.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Surgery versus Conservative Care for Persistent Sciatica Lasting 4 to 12 Months.
The treatment of chronic sciatica caused by herniation of a lumbar disk has not been well studied in comparison with acute disk herniation. Data are needed on whether diskectomy or a conservative approach is better for sciatica that has persisted for several months. ⋯ In this single-center trial involving patients with sciatica lasting more than 4 months and caused by lumbar disk herniation, microdiskectomy was superior to nonsurgical care with respect to pain intensity at 6 months of follow-up. (Funded by Physicians' Services Incorporated Foundation; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01335646.).
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Reiki, a biofield energy therapy, continues to struggle in finding its permanent place among the portfolio of complementary and alternative medicine modalities in many military health care facilities. Although it has been shown to help in the management of pain, lack of knowledge and limited first-hand experience impact its foothold. The purpose of this feasibility study was to (1) educate participants about the concept of Reiki, (2) give participants the opportunity to experience six Reiki therapy sessions and subsequently assess outcomes on chronic pain, and (3) assess participants' impression of and willingness to continue using and recommending Reiki therapy as adjunct for the treatment of chronic pain. ⋯ A 30-minute Reiki session, performed by a trained Reiki practitioner, is feasible in an outpatient setting with possible positive outcomes for participants who are willing to try at least four consecutive sessions. Reiki has the ability to impact a variety of types of pain as well as positively impacting those activities of life that pain often interferes with. However, education and the opportunity to experience this energy healing modality are key for its acceptance in military health care facilities as well as more robust clinical studies within the military health care system to further assess its validity and efficacy.
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Chronic pain is often associated with changes in brain structure and function, and also cognitive deficits. It has been noted that these chronic pain-related alterations may resemble changes found in healthy aging, and thus may represent accelerated or premature aging of the brain. Here, we test the hypothesis that patients with chronic noncancer pain demonstrate accelerated brain aging compared with healthy control subjects. ⋯ A Bayesian independent-samples t test indicated moderate evidence in favor of the null hypothesis (BF01 = 4.875, ie, group means were equal). Our results provide indirect support for recent models of pain-related changes of brain structure, brain function, and cognitive functions. These models postulate network-specific maladaptive plasticity, rather than widespread or global neural degeneration.
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Dtsch. Med. Wochenschr. · Mar 2020
[Troponin test in clinical daily practice - Differences in the quality criteria for the diagnosis of acute myocardial Infarction considering clinical leading symptoms: A cross-sectional study].
Cardiac troponins are the prefered cardial biomarker in the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction. Because they are detectable by myocardial cell damage, no matter what pathophysiology, the interpretation of a positive test is difficult. The aim of this study is to assess the quality criteria of the troponin test in the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction in everyday life and whether clinical leading symptoms have an influence on it. ⋯ The Troponin test had a good negative predictive value for all clinical symptoms. Thus, an acute myocardial infarction could be excluded with high precision. However, the positive predictive value was low. The only direct symptom that achieved acceptable levels was thoracic pain.
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The South African (SA) Constitutional Court recently decriminalised the private cultivation, possession and use of cannabis by adults. Cannabis contains varying amounts of the cannabinoids delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), depending on various cultivation factors. No commercial plant-derived cannabis products are currently registered by the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) for medical use. ⋯ Currently, low-level or no convincing evidence exists for the use of medical cannabis for chronic pain, sleep and weight disorders, and neuropsychiatric disorders. Cannabis is associated with a greater risk of adverse effects than active and placebo controls, and may be involved in clinically significant drug-drug interactions. The evolving regulatory and legal landscape on the use of medical cannabis will guide prescription and recreational use in the coming years.