European journal of pain : EJP
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Betamethasone in hernia surgery: A randomized controlled trial.
Post-operative pain and nausea may be a problem in day-case surgery. This study aims to investigate the effect of betamethasone on pain and nausea in inguinal hernia surgery. ⋯ A 12 mg betamethasone reduced pain during the first 24 h and at 1 month after inguinal hernia surgery. If combined with diclofenac, however, this dose may increase the risk for bleeding complications.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effectiveness of an 8-week exercise programme on pain and specificity of neck muscle activity in patients with chronic neck pain: A randomized controlled study.
Although exercise can be effective for relief of neck pain, little is known about the effect of exercise on the neural control of neck muscles. ⋯ An exercise programme that aims to enhance motor control of the cervical spine improves the specificity of neck muscle activity and reduces pain and disability in patients with neck pain.
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In the scientific approach to central processing of pain, the habituation phenomenon has been frequently described. Recent studies mentioned electrophysiological habituation during the recording of laser-evoked potentials (LEP). In this study we intended to test whether habituation can be reproducibly induced by repetitive painful laser stimuli and simultaneously measured with LEP. Inspired by findings from previous imaging studies that showed bilateral activation of the operculo-insular cortices, we hypothesized that repetitive painful laser stimuli applied to one hand lead to bihemispheral LEP amplitude habituation. ⋯ Habituation (in the electrophysiological sense) is a physiological phenomenon that indicates normal central processing of pain in healthy controls. We showed bihemispheral N2P2 amplitude habituation after repetitive painful stimulation of the right hand. Our findings propose a bihemishperal contribution to central pain processing and pain modulation when electrophysiological habituation occurs.
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In general, chronic pain is categorized into two mechanism-based groups: nociceptive and neuropathic pain. This dichotomous approach is questioned and a dimensional perspective is suggested. The present study investigated neuropathic characteristics in different syndromes of chronic pain. We also examined the association of neuropathic characteristics with various pain related and psychological variables. ⋯ Any type of chronic pain may have more or less neuropathic characteristics. The pain-related parameters of high intensity and chronicity as well as negative affectivity and functional disability strongly correlate with neuropathic characteristics of pain.
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Electroacupuncture (EA) has been widely accepted and applied as an important acupuncture-related technique for acupuncture analgesia (AA) research. The involvement of opioid peptides and receptors in acute AA has been shown via pre-EA application of opioid receptor/peptide antagonists. In this study, we intended to reproducibly institute acupoint position and needling excluding influences from anaesthesia or restrainers on rats with complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) hind paw inflammatory pain, as well as to explore opioid-dependency and anti-inflammatory effects in sustained acupuncture analgesia. ⋯ By employing a reproducible EA treatment model on GB30 in free-moving rats, we demonstrated the involvement of peripheral opioid receptors mediated EA-induced long-term antinociception. Future studies should examine the specific neuroimmunological connection of EA-induced sustained antinociception in inflammation.