Journal of pain research
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Journal of pain research · Jan 2018
OnabotulinumtoxinA injections for atypical odontalgia: an open-label study on nine patients.
Atypical odontalgia (AO) manifests as continuous pain in the region of one or several teeth, in the absence of signs of dental pathology. Currently, there is insufficient evidence to establish treatment guidelines for AO. The aim of this study was to describe the effectiveness and safety of treatment with OnabotulinumtoxinA (OnabotA) on a series of patients with AO. ⋯ OnabotA may be a safe and effective option for the treatment of AO.
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Journal of pain research · Jan 2018
The effect of diaphragm training on lumbar stabilizer muscles: a new concept for improving segmental stability in the case of low back pain.
The aim of this study was to assess the effects of diaphragm training on low back pain and thickness of stabilizer muscles of the lumbar spine. ⋯ Our results suggest that diaphragm training has an effect also on the thickness of other active stabilizers of the lumbar spine, such as transversus abdominis and lumbar multifidus muscles.
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Ambulatory resources such as telephone calls, secure messages, nurse visits, and telephone triage are vital to the management of patients on chronic opioid therapy (COT). They are also often overlooked as health care services and yet to be broadly studied. The aim of the present study was to describe the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care utilization by patients based on COT, type, and amount of opioids prescribed. ⋯ The results are despite having a Patient Aligned Care Team, which is the VA's patient-centered medical home. This suggests that reducing health care utilization for patients on COT may not be possible with just a primary care involvement.
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Journal of pain research · Jan 2018
The effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on metabolite changes at the anterior cingulate cortex in neuropathic pain: a pilot study.
Neuropathic pain (NP) in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) is both common and highly refractory to treatment. Primary motor cortex stimulation can relieve pain by interrupting the transmission of noxious information of descending pain modulatory systems including the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Previous research has shown that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can produce pain relief in individuals with NP. However, the underlying mechanisms for these effects are not yet understood. Research findings suggest the possibility that changes in brain metabolite concentrations produced by tDCS might explain some of these effects. For example, previous research has shown that SCI-related NP is associated with elevated levels of glutamine combined glutamate (Glx) per creatine (Glx/Cr). In addition, decreased N-acetylaspartate (NAA) has been observed in the ACC in individuals with chronic pain. ⋯ The findings suggest the possibility that tDCS's beneficial effects on neuropathic pain may be due, at least in part, to the changes it produces in Glx/Cr and NAA/Cr levels in the ACC. Additional research with larger samples sizes and a control group to evaluate this possibility is warranted.
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Journal of pain research · Jan 2018
Computed tomography-guided percutaneous ozone injection of the Gasserian ganglion for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effect of computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous ozone injection for refractory trigeminal neuralgia. ⋯ Percutaneous ozone injection is a safe and effective treatment for patients with refractory trigeminal neuralgia.