Articles: pain-management.
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Because of its effectiveness in providing relief for a wide variety of disorders and symptoms, acupuncture treatment is becoming widely accepted as an alternative therapy. Indeed, 40% of Americans are reported to have sought some type of nonconventional therapy in the previous year. Although the theory and beliefs about the acupuncture process are complex and may require a different way of thinking about health and harmony, it is important that health care professionals increase their knowledge about such therapies so we can continue to provide support and information to our patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Acupuncture and amitriptyline for pain due to HIV-related peripheral neuropathy: a randomized controlled trial. Terry Beirn Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS.
Peripheral neuropathy is common in persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) but few data on symptomatic treatment are available. ⋯ In this study, neither acupuncture nor amitriptyline was more effective than placebo in relieving pain caused by HIV-related peripheral neuropathy.
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Case Reports
Lumbar epidural block for 'painful legs and moving toes' syndrome: a report of three cases.
We report the effective use of epidural block in three patients with 'painful legs and moving toes' syndrome, which is characterized by involuntary movements of the toe (and sometimes of the foot) and excruciating pain in the leg. Several treatments had been unsuccessful in the management of the three patients reported including baclofen, benzodiazepines, carbamazepine and antidepressants. ⋯ In one patient, symptoms disappeared for many years after several epidural blocks. In the remaining two patients, epidural injections were repeated when the symptoms were severe.
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Reg Anesth Pain Med · Nov 1998
Injection of the piriformis muscle by fluoroscopic and electromyographic guidance.
There is not a universally accepted single technique for injection of the piriformis muscle that has validated exact placement of the needle tip within the piriformis muscle. ⋯ Using this methodology, injections on 17 occasions in 11 patients resulted in needle placement within the piriformis muscle.
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Studies on the effectiveness of pain management have uniformly concluded that health care providers underestimate or undertreat pain. In the emergency department (ED) in which this study was conducted, physicians receive formal didactic and bedside teaching on pain recognition and management in order to heighten the awareness of patients' need for pain control. The purpose of this study was to determine if this outpatient pain management of patients with acute, painful conditions is better than that reported in the medical literature. ⋯ Patient satisfaction with pain control was higher (91%) than that reported in the medical literature. Also, pain medication was provided more frequently by this study's ED (95%). Education on pain awareness and treatment is a way to improve pain management.