European journal of pain : EJP
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Does acupuncture activate endogenous analgesia in chronic whiplash-associated disorders? A randomized crossover trial.
Many patients with chronic pain, including those with chronic whiplash-associated disorders (WAD), show features of central sensitization. Randomized trials examining whether treatments are able to influence the process of central sensitization in patients with chronic WAD are emerging. Therefore, the present study aimed at examining whether acupuncture results in activation of endogenous analgesia and relief in symptoms in patients with chronic WAD. ⋯ It was shown that one session of acupuncture treatment results in acute improvements in pressure pain sensitivity in the neck and calf of patients with chronic WAD. Acupuncture had no effect on conditioned pain modulation or temporal summation of pressure pain. Both acupuncture and relaxation appear to be well-tolerated treatments for people with chronic WAD. These findings suggest that acupuncture treatment activates endogenous analgesia in patients with chronic WAD.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Contextual factors associated with pain response of preterm infants to heel-stick procedures.
Evidence indicates that medical and demographic contextual factors (cFs) impact pain responses in preterm neonates, but the existing evidence is very heterogeneous. ⋯ Higher exposure to painful procedures, male infants and having CPAP or mechanical ventilation were cFs associated with physiological response. The only variables significantly associated with behavioural BPSN scores were Apgar scores but these relationships were inconsistent.