Articles: pain-clinics.
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Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with chronic non-specific musculoskeletal pain syndromes; however, studies are lacking with respect to its relationship with postoperative pain. We tested the hypothesis that a lower preoperative vitamin D level is associated with increased postoperative pain and/or opioid consumption in morbidly obese patients who had laparoscopic bariatric surgery. ⋯ We did not find any association between preoperative vitamin D levels and postoperative pain scores/opioid consumption in morbidly obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery.
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Eur J Phys Rehabil Med · Jun 2015
Randomized Controlled TrialEffect of adding one 15-minute-walk on the day of surgery to fast-track rehabilitation after total knee arthroplasty: a randomized, single-blind study.
Earlier and more intensive physiotherapy exercise after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) enhance recovery, but the best combination of intensity and duration has not been determined. ⋯ A 15-minute walk immediately after recovery from spinal anesthesia did not increase pain in patients with TKA. More intense exercise during this period might improve functional recovery without increasing pain.
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This study aimed (1) to examine the feasibility of an auricular point acupressure (APA) research protocol in terms of recruitment and for the assessment and management of pain and (2) to examine the potential APA analgesic effects for cancer patients. This study was a repeated-measures one-group design. Participants were recruited from the cancer center follow-up clinic affiliated with a large university hospital in the northeastern United States. ⋯ APA appears to be highly acceptable to patients with cancer-related pain. However, without a placebo control, we cannot draw conclusive evidence for the analgesic effect of APA for cancer patients. A sham group must be added to future studies to differentiate the true effects of APA from the possible psychological effects of the APA treatment.
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Peripheral nerve pathology in patients with severely affected complex regional pain syndrome type I.
Complex regional pain syndrome type I (CRPS-I) is a chronic pain syndrome with no clinical evidence of nerve injury; however, recently, changes in muscle tissue have been found in case of CRPS-I. Our aim was to search for histological changes in peripheral nerves of amputated limbs from patients with therapy-resistant CRPS-I that could justify muscle tissue changes. Fifteen patients with CRPS-I (duration >1 year) were included. ⋯ The morphometric results of the other nerves are more difficult to interpret because of the absence of good-quality control data from the literature. However, the percentages of nerve fibers greater than 12 μm seem to lie within the normal range. Besides the known pathology of thin nerve fibers innervating the skin or blood vessels in CRPS-I, this study also shows pathological changes more proximal in the nerves, especially in the sural nerve.
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With ever increasing mandates to reduce costs and increase the quality of pain management, health care institutions are faced with the challenge of adopting innovative technologies and shifting workflows to provide value-based care. Transaction cost economic analysis can provide comparative evaluation of the consequences of these changes in the delivery of care. The aim of this study was to establish proof-of-concept using transaction cost analysis to examine chronic pain management in-clinic and through telehealth. ⋯ U.S. health care is moving toward the use of more technologies and practices, and the information provided by transaction cost analyses of care delivery for pain management will be important to determine actual cost savings and benefits.