Articles: pain-management.
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In the United States, cannabis is increasingly used to manage chronic pain. Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patients are disproportionately affected by pain and may use cannabis for symptom management. Because cannabis use increases the risk of cannabis use disorders (CUDs), we examined time trends in CUD among VHA patients with and without chronic pain, and whether these trends differed by age. ⋯ From 2016 to 2019, CUD prevalence among patients age ≥65 with chronic pain increased significantly more (0.63%-1.01%) than those without chronic pain (0.28%-0.47%) and was highest among those with ≥2 pain conditions. Over time, CUD prevalence has increased more among VHA patients with chronic pain than other VHA patients, with the highest increase among those age ≥65. Clinicians should monitor symptoms of CUD among VHA patients and others with chronic pain who use cannabis, and consider noncannabis therapies, particularly because the effectiveness of cannabis for chronic pain management remains inconclusive.
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Pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide, imposing an enormous burden on personal health and society. Pain is a multifactorial and multidimensional problem. Currently, there is (some) evidence that genetic factors could partially explain individual susceptibility to pain and interpersonal differences in pain treatment response. ⋯ However, replication studies with consistent phenotype definitions and sufficient statistical power are required to validate these pain-associated genes further. Our review also highlights the need for bioinformatic tools to elucidate the function of identified genes/loci. We believe that a better understanding of the genetic background of pain will shed light on the underlying biological mechanisms of pain and benefit patients by improving the clinical management of pain.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Sep 2023
Focused ultrasound-induced inhibition of peripheral nerve fibers in an animal model of acute pain.
Moderate-to-severe acute pain is prevalent in many healthcare settings and associated with adverse outcomes. Peripheral nerve blockade using traditional needle-based and local anesthetic-based techniques improves pain outcomes for some patient populations but has shortcomings limiting use. These limitations include its invasiveness, potential for local anesthetic systemic toxicity, risk of infection with an indwelling catheter, and relatively short duration of blockade compared with the period of pain after major injuries. Focused ultrasound is capable of inhibiting the peripheral nervous system and has potential as a pain management tool. However, investigations of its effect on peripheral nerve nociceptive fibers in animal models of acute pain are lacking. In an in vivo acute pain model, we investigated focused ultrasound's effects on behavior and peripheral nerve structure. ⋯ Focused ultrasound, using a distinct parameter set, reversibly inhibits A-delta peripheral nerve nociceptive, motor, and non-nociceptive sensory fiber-mediated behaviors, has a prolonged effect on C nociceptive fiber-mediated behavior, and alters nerve structure. Focused ultrasound may have potential as a peripheral nerve blockade technique for acute pain management. However, further investigation is required to determine C fiber inhibition duration and the significance of nerve structural changes.
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Sexual dysfunction is common for patients experiencing chronic pain. Prior research is limited on how treatment for chronic pain affects patients' sexual functioning. This study reports pre-/post-treatment measures of self-reported sexual functioning among individuals presenting for chronic pain treatment at an interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation program (IPRP) and reports patient treatment preferences. ⋯ Findings demonstrate that usual multidisciplinary pain management treatment is not sufficient to address patients' concerns with sexual functioning. Additional creative strategies will need to be studied on how to best treat these overlapping problems. Implications and future research directions are discussed.
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Review Meta Analysis
Postoperative acute pain management with duloxetine as compared to placebo: A systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.
Duloxetine has been used as an adjunct in multimodal analgesia for acute postoperative pain in clinical studies. This meta-analysis aims to conclude whether oral duloxetine, when given perioperatively, is any better than a placebo in managing postoperative pain. Effects of duloxetine on postoperative pain scores, time to first rescue analgesia, postoperative rescue analgesia consumption, side effects attributable to duloxetine, and patient satisfaction profile were assessed. ⋯ Based on GRADE findings, we conclude that there is low to moderate evidence to advocate the use of duloxetine for managing postoperative pain. Further trials are needed to replicate or refute these results based on robust methodology.