European journal of pain : EJP
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Randomized Controlled Trial
'Virtual lesion' in pain research; a study on magnetic stimulation of the primary motor cortex.
'Virtual lesion' ('VL') is a transient disruption of cortical activity during task performance. It can be induced by single pulses or short trains of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) directed to functionally relevant brain areas. We applied 'VL' methodology of a short train of TMS given on top of experimental tonic pain, expecting to see changes in pain scores. ⋯ This study indicates that interactions between cortical excitability of the motor cortex and nociceptive processing may be gender-related.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Randomized controlled trial to compare the effect of simple distraction interventions on pain and anxiety experienced during conscious surgery.
High levels of anxiety during surgery are associated with poorer post-surgical outcomes. This prospective, non-blinded randomized controlled trial aimed to compare the effectiveness of four intraoperative distraction interventions for anxiety and pain management during minimally invasive venous surgery under local anaesthetic. ⋯ The use of simple intraoperative distraction techniques, particularly interacting with nurses, using stress balls or watching a DVD during surgery conducted under local anaesthetic can significantly improve patients' experiences.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Interventions to address deficits of pharmacological pain management in nursing home residents - A cluster-randomized trial.
To evaluate the effect of interventions for general practitioners and nursing home staff to improve pain severity and appropriateness of pain medication in nursing home residents (NHR). ⋯ NHR exhibited a high prevalence of pain with overall low severity, while a high proportion of individuals received inappropriate pain medications. Both findings were not significantly improved by the intervention, although some aspects of drug treatment were meaningful improved.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Attention bias modification and its impact on experimental pain outcomes: Comparison of training with words versus faces in pain.
The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of training participants' attention towards or away from painful faces versus pain-related words on pain outcomes on an acute experimental pain paradigm. ⋯ These findings confirm that attentional biases are modifiable, and impact (in the expected manner) how quickly participants perceive pain. Further, exposure to painful faces resulted in additional benefits to the level of pain reported. However, we were unable to confirm that change in attentional biases was the mechanism of change.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of compression at myofascial trigger points in patients with acute low back pain: A randomized controlled trial.
Although there is some evidence that massage therapy, especially compression at myofascial trigger points (MTrPs), is effective for sub-acute and chronic low back pain, the effectiveness of massage therapy with compression at MTrPs for acute low back pain has not been studied. ⋯ These results indicate that compression at MTrPs is effective to treat acute low back pain compared with compression at non-MTrPs and superficial massage. For this article, a commentary is available at the Wiley Online Library.