The Clinical journal of pain
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Can predictors of response to NSAIDs be identified in patients with acute low back pain?
The aim of this study was to determine whether certain patient characteristics could identify people with acute low back pain who were more likely to respond to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), when administered in combination with paracetamol. ⋯ This study did not find any baseline patient characteristics, which consistently identified patients with acute low back pain who respond best to NSAIDs when provided in addition to paracetamol and advice. A patient's sex and level of fear avoidance may be weak predictors and warrant further prospective investigation.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A randomized, controlled, dose-ranging study investigating single doses of GW406381, naproxen sodium, or placebo in patients with acute pain after third molar tooth extraction.
To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of 4 doses of GW406381, a cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, compared with placebo in a standard model of acute inflammatory pain. ⋯ GW406381 50 and 70 mg demonstrated clinically meaningful analgesia in this acute pain setting, although the onset of analgesia was greater than 1 hour.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A single point acupuncture treatment at large intestine meridian: a randomized controlled trial in acute tonsillitis and pharyngitis.
One out of 4 patients visiting a general practitioner reports of a sore throat associated with pain on swallowing. This study was established to examine the immediate pain alleviating effect of a single point acupuncture treatment applied to the large intestine meridian of patients with sore throat. ⋯ A single acupuncture treatment applied to a selected area of the large intestine meridian was no more effective in the alleviation of pain associated with clinical sore throat than sham laser acupuncture applied to the same area. Hence, clinically relevant improvement could be achieved. Pain alleviation might partly be due to the intense palpation of the large intestine meridian. The benefit of a comprehensive acupuncture treatment protocol in this condition should be subject to further trials.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Plasma vitamin C is lower in postherpetic neuralgia patients and administration of vitamin C reduces spontaneous pain but not brush-evoked pain.
Plasma vitamin C concentrations have been suggested to be related to pain modulation in postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), an intractable neuropathic pain syndrome. In this study, we first compared plasma concentrations of vitamin C between healthy volunteers and PHN patients and then designed a symptom-based and mechanism-based approach to assess the analgesic effect of intravenous vitamin C on spontaneous and brush-evoked pain. ⋯ Plasma vitamin C status plays a role in PHN, and intravenous ascorbate helps relieve spontaneous pain in PHN.
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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.