The Clinical journal of pain
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Efficacy of microcurrent therapy in the treatment of chronic nonspecific back pain: a pilot study.
Microcurrent therapy (MCT) is a novel treatment for pain syndromes. The MCT patch is hypothesized to produce stimuli that promote tissue healing by facilitating physiologic currents. Solid evidence from randomized clinical trials is lacking. To evaluate the efficacy of MCT in treating aspecific, chronic low-back pain, we conducted a double-blind, randomized, crossover, pilot trial. ⋯ A positive trend in MCT use for aspecific, chronic low-back pain is reported. Further investigations are required to evaluate the significance and relevance of this.
-
Provoked vestibulodynia is believed to be the most frequent cause of vulvodynia in women of childbearing age, with prevalence rates of up to 12% in the general population. Despite this high prevalence and the fact that vestibulodynia impacts negatively on quality of life, in particular sexual functioning, there has been a paucity of sound research to elucidate the condition's etiology. More specifically, few studies have focused on the role of psychologic factors in the experience of vulvo-vaginal pain and associated sexual impairment. ⋯ Findings support a theoretical model of vestibulodynia as a pain disorder influenced among others by cognitive and affective factors.
-
Meta Analysis
Predictors of placebo response in pooled lamotrigine neuropathic pain clinical trials.
One limitation of neuropathic pain clinical trials is the often large and variable extent of response in the placebo group, possibly obscuring true medication effects. We pooled data from 252 individuals in the placebo arms of 3 clinical trials of lamotrigine in patients with neuropathic pain to examine the relationship of baseline patient and study site characteristics with 12-week change in the Pain Intensity Numerical Rating Scale score (DeltaPI-NRS). The 574 patients in the pooled lamotrigine treatment arms were used as a replication dataset. ⋯ These results suggest that both patient and study site characteristics can influence the response in the placebo arms of neuropathic pain studies.
-
Physiotherapy is considered an important treatment option in patients with upper limb complex regional pain syndrome type-1 (CRPS-1). In case of chronic CRPS-1, exercise therapy of the affected limb forms an important part of the physiotherapeutic program. We investigated whether muscle loading in chronic CRPS-1 patients is associated with impairments in muscle circulation of the forearm of the affected limb. ⋯ Muscle loading does not seems to be related to impairments in muscle oxygen uptake in forearm muscles of upper limbs affected by chronic CRPS-1. Our results suggest that exercise therapy can be safely used in physiotherapeutic training programs for chronic CRPS-1 of the upper limb.
-
To describe the common locations of active trigger points (TrPs) in the temporalis muscle and their referred pain patterns in chronic tension type headache (CTTH), and to determine if pressure sensitivity maps of this muscle can be used to describe the spatial distribution of active TrPs. ⋯ Multiple active TrPs in the temporalis muscle were found, particularly in the anterior column and in the middle of the muscle belly. Bilateral posterior to anterior decreased distribution of PPTs in the temporalis muscle in women with CTTH was found. The locations of active TrPs in the temporalis muscle corresponded well to the muscle areas with lower PPT, supporting the relationship between multiple active muscle TrPs and topographical pressure sensitivity maps in the temporalis muscle in women with CTTH.