Articles: pain-management.
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Chronic pain in the elderly is becoming increasingly important and is associated with serious health impacts. Therefore, international guidelines demand that pain therapy for the elderly preferably be a multimodal therapy based on a bio-psycho-social pain model. Specific psychometric tests and interview guidelines are available for the interdisciplinary pain assessment. ⋯ Pain education is considered useful as an adjunctive measure and can also be increasingly supported by digital media in the elderly. Complementary therapy components include confrontational treatment of fear-avoidance beliefs (the German AMIKA scale, Ältere Menschen in körperlicher Aktion, "older people in physical action") and naturopathic applications as an active self-help strategy. Since it is unclear how long the achieved therapeutic effects last, follow-up care is of particular importance in therapy for older patients.
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Severely disabling chronic pain affects approximately half a million children in Germany. If there is a lack of response to unimodal treatment, an inpatient interdisciplinary multimodal pain treatment (IMPT) can be considered. ⋯ Further research on the effectiveness of IMPT in Germany is important in order to refine and optimize the available treatment programs.
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Endometriosis, a painful chronic gynecologic condition, contributes to disruptions in multiple areas of life for both those affected and their partner. Pain catastrophizing has been associated with worse pain outcomes and quality of life for women with endometriosis and with more cognitive load for partners. Examining both partners' pain catastrophizing dyadically with our variables of interest will enhance understanding of its associations with the distressing nature of experiencing and responding to pain during sex for couples with endometriosis. ⋯ Consistent with the Communal Coping Model of pain catastrophizing, although meant to elicit support from the environment, the often-deleterious cognitive process of magnifying, ruminating, and feeling helpless about one's pain (or one's partner's pain) is associated with poorer outcomes for the individual with pain and their romantic partner. Implications for pain management include the relevance of involving the partner and attending to the pain cognitions of both members of the couple.
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Little is known regarding the effect of social participation (SP) and physical activity (PA) on pain outcomes among community-dwelling older adults in the United States. ⋯ Physical activity but not social participation may protect against development of new or worsening pain. More research is needed to determine whether social activity can be beneficial for pain prevention and management. Efforts to promote physical activity among older adults may reduce risk of new or worsening pain.
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Breast cancer patients on chemotherapy who receive pegfilgrastim to prevent neutropenia may experience severe bone pain as a side effect. Traditional treatment recommendations include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen, opioids, and/or antihistamine use. However, little research was found comparing these interventions. The study aim was to address the gaps in literature and to explore the use of and perceived effectiveness of loratadine versus acetaminophen or NSAIDs in women with breast cancer treated with pegfilgrastim. This study also sought to understand how patients became aware of loratadine or other treatments for management of bone pain. ⋯ Randomized controlled trials are needed to adequately assess the effectiveness of all three medication options. Because little is known about optimal use of any of these medications for pegfilgrastim-induced bone pain, it is also important to identify the optimal time to initiate treatment and ideal treatment duration.