Der Schmerz
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A study was conduced in 100 migraine patients and 100 control subjects who did not suffer from headaches to test Dung's hypothesis that the number of painful spinal processes in the throacic spine can be used as a quantitative measure of the degree of pain in the patient concerned. The results show significant differences in the frequency of painful spinal processes between the two study groups. This supports Dung's hypotheses. As it is easy to determine the presence of painful spinal processes the frequency of this phenomenon, the reasons for it and its significance should be the sujbects of further examination.
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In the Federal Republic of Germany the medical and therapeutic methods available for combatting the most severely painful states are not always fully exploited. The medical legislation currently being developed gradually gives the treatment of pain the importance it deserves according to patients' needs. The legal position to be borne in mind in pain therapy is presented.
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The aim of the study was to evaluate an educational video designed to modify the pain concept of chronic pain patients. It is commonly described that chronic pain patients foster an illness model which is dominated by purely medical assumptions about causes of pain and its modulation and treatment. Furthermore the mostly unrealistic hope for total pain relief which is expected from the pain expert guides the patients' seek for help. ⋯ The Ss participating in the study were 47 chronic pain patients of a pain ambulance and 42 patients of a pain clinic (inpatient setting). The results showed that after viewing the pain video the groups differed significantly in their pain concept as predicted. The use of an educational video, like the one evaluated, seems useful to initiate first steps in illness concept modification by expanding and enriching the patients attitude by assumptions about the influence of psychological factors on pain maintenance and management and shaping realistic attitudes towards treatment.