Pain
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Drawing on advances in chronic pain metrics, a simplified Graded Chronic Pain Scale-Revised was developed to differentiate mild, bothersome, and high-impact chronic pain. Graded Chronic Pain Scale-Revised was validated among adult enrollees of 2 health plans (N = 2021). In this population, the prevalence of chronic pain (pain present most or every day, prior 3 months) was 40.5%: 15.4% with mild chronic pain (lower pain intensity and interference); 10.1% bothersome chronic pain (moderate to severe pain intensity with lower interference with life activities); and 15.0% high-impact chronic pain (sustained pain-related activity limitations). ⋯ Persons with high-impact chronic pain, relative to those with bothersome chronic pain, were more likely to have substantial activity limitations (significant differences for 4 of 5 disability indicators) and more often received long-term opioid therapy. Graded Chronic Pain Scale-Revised strongly predicted 5 activity-limitation indicators with area under receiver operating characteristic curve coefficients of 0.76 to 0.89. We conclude that the 5-item Graded Chronic Pain Scale-Revised and its scoring rules provide a brief, simple, and valid method for assessing chronic pain.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Offset analgesia: somatotopic endogenous pain modulation in migraine.
The complex mechanisms underlying migraine are not entirely understood. It has been suggested that descending endogenous pain modulation is an important contributing factor, although research is controversial. A frequently used method to quantify the inhibitory pain modulation system is offset analgesia (OA), defined as a disproportionally large decrease in pain perception in response to a small decrease of painful stimulation. ⋯ Statistically significant differences between the trigeminal area and the extratrigeminal area were neither observed in healthy controls nor in patients with migraine (P > 0.05). Mechanical detection, mechanical pain threshold, warm detection, and heat pain threshold showed no significant differences between groups or test sites (P > 0.05). In summary, patients with episodic migraine in the headache-free interval exhibited somatotopically specific differences in endogenous pain modulation.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Avoid or engage? Outcomes of graded exposure in youth with chronic pain using a sequential replicated single-case randomized design.
Pain-related fear is typically associated with avoidance behavior and pain-related disability in youth with chronic pain. Youth with elevated pain-related fear have attenuated treatment responses; thus, targeted treatment is highly warranted. Evidence supporting graded in vivo exposure treatment (GET) for adults with chronic pain is considerable, but just emerging for youth. ⋯ Improvements during GET Living was superior to the no-treatment randomized baseline period for avoidance, pain acceptance, and pain intensity, whereas fear and pain catastrophizing did not improve. All 5 outcomes emerged as significantly improved at 3- and 6-month follow-ups. The results of this replicated single-case experimental phase design support the effectiveness of graded exposure for youth with chronic pain and elevated pain-related fear avoidance.
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Chronic neuropathic pain (NP) is debilitating and impacts sleep health and quality of life. Treatment with gabapentinoids (GBs) has been shown to reduce pain, but its effects on sleep health have not been systematically evaluated. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the relationship between GB therapy dose and duration on sleep quality, daytime somnolence, and intensity of pain in patients with NP. ⋯ Pain scores decreased significantly in patients both after 6 weeks of treatment (P < 0.001) and in trials less than 6 weeks (P = 0.017) when compared with placebo. Our data demonstrate that GBs have a positive impact on sleep health, quality of life, and pain in patients with NP syndromes. However, these benefits come at the expense of daytime somnolence.
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This study addresses the problem of long-term opioid use by chronic pain patients. The study involved a secondary analysis of unanalyzed data from a published study of 2 versions of cognitive-behavioural therapy-based interdisciplinary treatment for chronic pain. In this study, we examined whether the use of opioids by 140 chronic pain patients could be ceased sustainably over 12 months after participation in the comprehensive interdisciplinary pain management program aimed at enhancing pain self-management. ⋯ After the treatment, the use of opioids was significantly reduced, both in numbers taking any and in mean doses, and these gains were maintained over the 12-month follow-up. Finally, cessation of opioids during treatment was associated with more substantial and consistent improvements in usual pain, depression severity, pain interference, pain-related disability, and pain cognitions, relative to those who reduced their opioids but did not cease them. These findings support the idea of using training in pain self-management strategies as a viable alternative to long-term opioid use by patients with chronic pain.