European journal of pain : EJP
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Review Meta Analysis
Placebo analgesia in physical and psychological interventions: Systematic review and meta-analysis of three-armed trials.
The magnitude of placebo effects from physical and psychological 'sham' is unknown but could impact efficacy trials and treatment understanding. To quantify placebo effects, this systematic review of three-armed randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of physical and psychological interventions for pain compared outcomes in 'sham' control intervention and non-exposure arms. ⋯ This systematic review directly quantifies placebo effects from physical and psychological 'sham' control interventions and compares them to treatments' overall effectiveness. By doing so, the review enhances our understanding of placebo effects, their relative contribution in clinical trials, and their susceptibly to trial design. It poses further questions regarding the influence of blinding, participant expectations, and features of the therapeutic context. Overall, the insights provided by this review carry methodological significance and are important for the interpretation and synthesis of efficacy trials in this field.
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To investigate the effect of emotion regulation skills-focused (ERSF) interventions to reduce pain intensity and improve psychological outcomes for people with chronic pain and to narratively report on safety and intervention compliance. ⋯ The findings provide evidence that ERSF interventions reduce pain intensity for people with chronic pain compared to usual treatment. These interventions are at least as beneficial to reduce pain intensity as the current gold standard psychological intervention, CBT. However, the limited number of studies and certainty of evidence mean further high-quality RCTs are warranted. Additionally, further research is needed to identify whether ERSF interventions may be more beneficial for specific chronic pain conditions.
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The development, evaluation and implementation of digital self-management interventions for chronic pain have increased exponentially. While intervention outcomes appear promising to improve well-being and functioning in target populations, it is unclear how the development and evaluation processes were structured and how implementation was planned and executed. The aim of this systematic review is to provide a comprehensive overview of implementation frameworks used to guide and evaluate scientific innovation in chronic pain. ⋯ The use of implementation frameworks to guide and evaluate digital self-management interventions for chronic pain is a recent development in the field. Several promising examples exist and are presented in this review. Currently, the evidence is still limited, and prospective studies need to transparently operationalize, communicate and discuss their efforts. By utilizing an implementation framework, promising interventions can be made available to end-users, closing the research-to-clinical practice gap and increasing access to evidence-based care to people with chronic pain.
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Opioid dose titration is a fundamental process of opioid therapy in cancer pain. ⋯ This review provides the most recent insights on the different modalities of opioid dose titration in cancer pain management.
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Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a chronic musculoskeletal disorder characterized by the presence of trigger points. Among the treatment options, botulinum toxin injections have been investigated. The aim of this paper was to provide a synthesis of the evidence on intramuscular botulinum toxin injections for upper back MPS. ⋯ The randomized controlled trials included in this review compared using botulinum toxin to treat upper back MPS with placebo or active treatments (e.g., dry needling or anaesthetics) showing mixed results overall. Despite the lack of clear evidence of superiority, our study suggests that the use of botulinum toxin should not be discouraged. Its safety profile and encouraging results in pain control, motor recovery and disability reduction make it an interesting treatment, particularly in the subset of patients with moderate to severe chronic pain and active trigger points. To support the safety and efficacy of botulinum toxin, further high-quality studies are needed.