The Clinical journal of pain
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Abnormalities of central sensory processing may play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic pain. The Chiari I malformation is a congenital hindbrain anomaly characterized by protrusion of the cerebellar tonsils into the upper cervical canal, with variable effects on the lower brain stem and cervical cord. The purpose of this study was to compare sensory function and pain among patients with chronic pain who had these disorders incidentally diagnosed, to assess the effect on pain in these patients in comparison with those without central nervous system disease. ⋯ Quantitative sensory analysis indicates sensory dysfunction associated with Chiari I malformation and cervical cord compression. The pattern of sensory abnormality is consistent with medullary dysfunction among the patients with Chiari I malformation and cervical cord dysfunction among cord compression patients. There were differences in the types and extent of pain and the associated disorders of mood observed among the cohorts defined above. These differences may be partly due to the presence and location of central sensory dysfunction.
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The objective was to investigate, in two community samples of people with spinal cord injuries, the frequency of use of different pain treatments and the perceived helpfulness of these treatments. ⋯ This survey of two large samples of community-dwelling individuals with spinal cord injury-related chronic pain indicates that multiple pain treatments are tried but only a few are rated as more than somewhat helpful. Furthermore, the treatments that are most commonly reported are not always those that are rated as most helpful. The findings point to a number of potentially fruitful directions for future research.
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The objective of this case series was to determine if severe phantom limb pain could be reduced with oral methadone. ⋯ Administration of oral methadone may be of value in the treatment of phantom limb pain; controlled clinical trials would be appropriate to verify this observation.
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The authors sought to determine the usefulness of long-term continuous trigeminal nerve block with local anesthetics using an indwelling catheter in a patient with trigeminal neuralgia. ⋯ The authors controlled trigeminal neuralgia pain by blocking the mandibular nerve with local anesthetics administered through an indwelling catheter. Because the continuous nerve block with local anesthetics is reversible and only mildly toxic, this method is beneficial for pain control in patients with trigeminal neuralgia scheduled to undergo microvascular decompression.
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The objective was to assess the associations between changes in pain and grip strength and manual tests among patients with chronic tennis elbow. ⋯ Pain thresholds at the lateral epicondyles are strongly associated with pain on palpation and with a positive Mills test. Resisted wrist extension test results reflect decreased grip strength. Impaired function of the hand is associated with the number of positive clinical tests. Pain threshold evaluation is a simple, easy, inexpensive method that provides useful additional quantitative data on pain and disability among patients with chronic tennis elbow.