Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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To appraise the quality and usability of currently available pain applications that could be used by community-dwelling older adults to self-manage their arthritic pain. ⋯ Few of the currently available pain apps offer a comprehensive pain self-management approach incorporating evidence-based strategies in accordance with the Stanford Arthritis Self-Management Program. The moderate-level usability across the included apps indicates a need to consider the usability needs of the older population in future pain self-management app development endeavors.
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Chronic pain conditions profoundly affect the daily living of a significant number of people and are a major economic and social burden, particularly in developing countries. The Change Pain Latin America (CPLA) advisory panel aimed to identify the most appropriate guidelines for the treatment of neuropathic pain (NP) and chronic low back pain (CLBP) for use across Latin America. ⋯ The selected guidelines were endorsed by all members of the CPLA advisory board as the best fit for use across Latin America. In addition, regional considerations were discussed and recorded. We have included this expert local insight and advice to enhance the implementation of each guideline across all Latin American countries.
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Identifying pain generators in tissue deep in the skin can require uncomfortable, complicated, and invasive tests. We describe pilot studies testing the hypothesis that ultrasound image-guided, intense focused ultrasound (ig-iFU) can noninvasively and differentially stimulate the end of transected nerves in the residual limbs of amputee patients. ⋯ Transected nerves had greater sensitivity to iFU stimulation than ipsilateral and contralateral control tissue, including intact nerve. These results support the view that ig-iFU may one day help physicians identify deep, tender tissue in patients who report experiencing pain.
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The aim of this paper is to review the available literature investigating the effect of epidural steroid injections (ESIs) on bone mineral density (BMD) and vertebral fracture risk. ⋯ ESIs should be recommended with caution, especially in patients at risk for osteoporotic fractures, such as women of postmenopausal age. Anti-osteoporotic medication might be considered prior to ESI.