European journal of pain : EJP
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Qigong versus exercise therapy for chronic low back pain in adults - A randomized controlled non-inferiority trial.
The value of qigong in the treatment of chronic low back pain is unclear. In a randomized controlled trial, we evaluated whether qigong is non-inferior to exercise therapy in patients with chronic low back pain. ⋯ Qigong was not proven to be non-inferior to exercise therapy in the treatment of chronic low back pain. Its role in the prevention of chronic low back pain might be addressed in further studies.
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Nociception in rats is frequently measured in terms of latency of withdrawal reaction to radiant heat (thermal nociceptive threshold). The aim of this study was to determine how much housing acclimatization and ambient temperature affect the results of thermal pain threshold testing. ⋯ These findings show the importance of recording laboratory conditions in experiments and their influence on results.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of TENS in living kidney donors submitted to open nephrectomy: A randomized placebo-controlled trial.
Pain is a negative factor in the recovery process of postoperative patients. It causes pulmonary alterations and complications, and it also affects functional capacity. Several studies have investigated the effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) during the postoperative period. However, no studies have assessed the effects of TENS on kidney donors. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of TENS on pain, walking function, respiratory muscle strength and vital capacity in kidney donors. ⋯ These results suggest that TENS decreases pain intensity at rest and during respiratory manoeuvres and increases maximal expiratory pressure during the postoperative period in kidney donors after open nephrectomy.
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Despite recent concerns about increasing rates of analgesic prescribing, detailed epidemiological studies are lacking. We identified and described changes in the pattern of community-dispensed prescriptions to the Tayside population, Scotland, between 31st March 1995 (n = 301,020) and 31st March 2010 (n = 311,881). ⋯ Analgesic use rose modestly between 1995 and 2010, but with larger changes within individual classes, only partly reflecting evidence-based guidance. Dispensing of strong opioids increased dramatically, largely driven by tramadol, although other strong opioids tripled. Polypharmacy and socio-economic deprivation were strongly associated with strong opioid use. Research is needed to establish the causes, benefits and harms of the increase in analgesic, and especially strong opioid use.
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Chronic pain is the most common and disabling feature of endometriosis. Surgical excision of endometriosis lesions provides relief but pain relapse is common. Studies in a preclinical model of endometriosis might help to unravel the role of the ectopic lesions as the source of pain. Thus, we evaluated the impact of lesion excision on mechanical hyperalgesia in a preclinical model of endometriosis pain. ⋯ In this preclinical model, we demonstrate that endometriosis pain is alleviated by surgical excision of the ectopic lesion or drainage of its cysts, providing support for the clinical observation that endometriosis pain is dependent upon the ongoing presence of the lesions.