Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The lack of efficacy of different infusion rates of intrathecal baclofen in complex regional pain syndrome: a randomized, double-blind, crossover study.
Intrathecal baclofen (ITB) is effective in the treatment of dystonia related to complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). In a previous study, we noted that the responsiveness to ITB declined in 30% of patients once drug delivery was switched from an external to an implanted device associated with a reduction of the infusion rate (IR). ⋯ Increasing the IR at a fixed daily dose is not associated with improvement of dystonia or pain but warrants further investigation in patients in whom side effects prevent further dose escalation.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effectiveness of traditional Chinese "gua sha" therapy in patients with chronic neck pain: a randomized controlled trial.
Gua sha is a traditional East Asian healing technique where the body surface is press-stroked with a smooth-edged instrument to intentionally raise therapeutic petechiae. A traditional indication of Gua sha is neck pain; no data from controlled trials exist to support this claim. The researchers aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Gua sha in the symptomatic treatment of chronic neck pain. ⋯ Gua sha has beneficial short-term effects on pain and functional status in patients with chronic neck pain. The value of Gua sha in the long-term management of neck pain and related mechanisms remains to be clarified.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Reduced opioid consumption and improved early rehabilitation with local and intraarticular cocktail analgesic injection in total hip arthroplasty: a randomized controlled clinical trial.
Postoperative pain after total hip arthroplasty (THA) is not well tolerated. We assessed postoperative pain relief and the need for opioid use after using a cocktail of local and intraarticular analgesic injection (LIA) after THA. ⋯ In patients undergoing THA, LIA may reduce postoperative systemic opioid use and offer better pain control and earlier rehabilitation, without observable risks.