Journal of pain research
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Journal of pain research · Nov 2013
Altered resting state EEG in chronic pancreatitis patients: toward a marker for chronic pain.
Electroencephalography (EEG) may be a promising source of physiological biomarkers accompanying chronic pain. Several studies in patients with chronic neuropathic pain have reported alterations in central pain processing, manifested as slowed EEG rhythmicity and increased EEG power in the brain's resting state. We aimed to investigate novel potential markers of chronic pain in the resting state EEG of patients with chronic pancreatitis. ⋯ CP pain is associated with alterations in spontaneous brain activity, observed as a shift toward lower PAF. This shift correlates with the duration of pain, which demonstrates that PAF has the potential to be a clinically feasible biomarker for chronic pain. These findings could be helpful for assisting diagnosis, establishing optimal treatment, and studying efficacy of new therapeutic agents in chronic pain patients.
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Journal of pain research · Jan 2013
Heated lidocaine/tetracaine patch for treatment of patellar tendinopathy pain.
The pain of patellar tendinopathy (PT) may be mediated by neuronal glutamate and sodium channels. Lidocaine and tetracaine block both of these channels. This study tested the self-heated lidocaine-tetracaine patch (HLT patch) in patients with PT confirmed by physical examination to determine if the HLT patch might relieve pain and improve function. ⋯ The results of this pilot study suggest that topical treatment that targets neuronal sodium and glutamate channels may be useful in the treatment of PT.
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Journal of pain research · Jan 2013
Reliability of four experimental mechanical pain tests in children.
In order to study pain in children, it is necessary to determine whether pain measurement tools used in adults are reliable measurements in children. The aim of this study was to explore the intrasession reliability of pressure pain thresholds (PPT) in healthy children. Furthermore, the aim was also to study the intersession reliability of the following four tests: (1) Total Tenderness Score; (2) PPT; (3) Visual Analog Scale score at suprapressure pain threshold; and (4) area under the curve (stimulus-response functions for pressure versus pain). ⋯ All tests seemed to be reliable measurements in pain evaluation in healthy children aged 8-14 years. Given the small sample size, this conclusion needs to be confirmed in future studies.
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Journal of pain research · Jan 2013
Protocols for treating the postoperative pain of fractures in Dutch hospitals.
Every year, over 260,000 patients in the Netherlands are diagnosed with a traumatic fracture. Many patients are treated surgically and need postoperative treatment of pain. Research suggests postoperative pain is often under-treated, leaving a significant proportion of patients in moderate to severe postoperative pain. Specialized, evidence-based pain-management protocols offer patients the best possible pain management, and significantly reduce the risk of pain-related health complications. ⋯ No specialized, evidence-based protocols for the treatment of postoperative fracture pain were found in this Dutch sample. A wide variety of medications, dosages, and administration schemes were used to manage postoperative pain following the surgical treatment of a fracture. The importance of developing a clear, specialized, evidence-based protocol for the treatment of postoperative pain following fracture surgery is discussed.