The Clinical journal of pain
-
Somatosensory abnormalities are linked to clinical pain outcomes in individuals with spinal pain. However, a range of factors might confound the relationship between altered somatosensory function and clinical pain outcomes. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the literature to assess the level of evidence of associations between psychological, social, physical activity, and sleep measures and somatosensory function (assessed via sensory psychophysical testing) among individuals with spinal pain. ⋯ Psychological factors are associated negatively with pain thresholds and they need to be adjusted when establishing predictive relationships between somatosensory function and pain outcomes in individuals with spinal pain.
-
The objective of the review is to determine whether conditioned pain modulation (CPM) is impaired in adults with chronic low back pain (CLBP) when compared with pain-free individuals. ⋯ High-quality research is strongly recommended to determine the function of endogenous pain modulatory mechanisms in CLBP.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
The Benefit of Dexmedetomidine on Postoperative Cognitive Function is Unrelated to the Modulation on Peripheral Inflammation: A Single Center, Prospective, Randomized Study.
Dexmedetomidine potentially confers an advantage to reduce the incidence of postoperative delirium (POD) in surgical patients. Anti-inflammation is important effect of this sedative drug. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether the effect of dexmedetomidine on the postoperative cognitive function is via inhibiting peripheral inflammation. ⋯ Intraoperative sedation with dexmedetomidine conferred better postoperative neurocognitive function for elderly patients who received total knee arthroplasty. This effect was unrelated to the modulation of dexmedetomidine on peripheral inflammation.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Illusion-enhanced Virtual Reality Exercise for Neck Pain: A Replicated Single Case Series.
Body illusions have shown promise in treating some chronic pain conditions. We hypothesized that neck exercises performed in virtual reality (VR) with visual feedback of rotation amplified would reduce persistent neck pain. ⋯ Our hypothesis, that neck exercises performed in VR with visual feedback of rotation amplified, would reduce persistent neck pain was not supported. Possible explanations and future directions are discussed.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Deceptive and Nondeceptive Placebos to Reduce Pain: An Experimental Study in Healthy Individuals.
Recent research has shown that placebos can be effective even if they are openly prescribed to participants. Yet, it is unclear how such "open-label placebos" (OLPs) compare to deceptive placebo (DP) and what the mechanisms of actions are. In this study, we therefore compared 2 versions of OLP to DP and no treatment (NT). ⋯ The study provided evidence for traditional placebo analgesia on the basis of deception. For OLP, we found that OLP indeed increased pain tolerance; however, participants receiving OLP were reluctant to report any subjective analgesic effects. Combined with previous studies, the present findings suggest that the effects of OLP are weaker in healthy volunteers than in clinical samples.