Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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The objective of this review was to merge current treatment guidelines and best practice recommendations for management of neuropathic pain into a comprehensive algorithm for primary physicians. The algorithm covers assessment, multidisciplinary conservative care, nonopioid pharmacological management, interventional therapies, neurostimulation, low-dose opioid treatment, and targeted drug delivery therapy. ⋯ The presented treatment algorithm provides clear-cut tools for the assessment and treatment of neuropathic pain based on international guidelines, published data, and best practice recommendations. It defines the benefits and limitations of the current treatments at our disposal. Additionally, it provides an easy-to-follow visual guide of the recommended steps in the algorithm for primary care and family practitioners to utilize.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Affective Symptoms and Functioning in Chronic Low Back Pain: A Pilot Double-Blinded, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.
Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is highly prevalent, with a substantial psychosocial burden. Pain has both sensory and affective components. The latter component is a significant driver of disability and psychiatric comorbidity but is often inadequately treated. Previously we reported that noninvasive transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may modulate pain-associated affective distress. Here we tested whether 10 daily tDCS sessions aimed to inhibit the left dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), a region strongly implicated in the affective component of pain, would produce selective reduction in pain-related symptoms. ⋯ To our knowledge, this is the first double-blinded RCT of multiple tDCS sessions targeting the left dACC to modulate CLBP's affective symptoms. Results are encouraging, including several possible tDCS-associated improvements. Better-powered RCTs are needed to confirm these effects. Future studies should also consider different stimulation schedules, additional cortical targets, high-density multi-electrode tDCS arrays, and multimodal approaches.
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Review Meta Analysis
Dietary Ingredients as an Alternative Approach for Mitigating Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: Evidence-Based Recommendations for Practice and Research in the Military.
Approximately 55-76% of Service members use dietary supplements for various reasons, including pain and related outcomes. This work evaluates current research on dietary ingredients for chronic musculoskeletal pain to inform decisions for practice and self-care, specifically for Special Operations Forces personnel. ⋯ Currently the scientific evidence is insufficiently robust to establish definitive clinical practice guidelines, but processes could be established to track the impact of these ingredients. Until then, providers have the evidence needed to make informed decisions about the safe use of these dietary ingredients, and future research can address existing gaps.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Primary Motor Cortex Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Modulates Temporal Summation of the Nociceptive Withdrawal Reflex in Healthy Subjects.
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the primary motor cortex (M1) has shown efficacy in a number of chronic pain conditions. Despite attempts to dissect the analgesic mechanisms, it is unknown whether M1 tDCS modulates the central integration of spinal nociception. To test this, we investigated the top-down modulation of spinal excitability using temporal summation (TS) of the nociceptive withdrawal reflex (NWR). ⋯ These results indicate that M1 tDCS can indirectly modulate the central integration of suprathreshold nociceptive processing in the spinal cord. It is possible that the analgesic efficacy of tDCS is dependent on plasticity induced within pain pathways following repeated, high-intensity stimulation, which may explain the beneficial effects seen in chronic pain patients.
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Clinical review on outcomes using burst spinal cord stimulation (SCS) in the treatment of chronic, intractable pain. ⋯ Burst SCS has been shown to be both statistically and clinically superior to tonic stimulation and may provide additional benefits through different mechanisms of action. Further high-quality controlled studies are warranted to not only elucidate the basic mechanisms of burst SCS but also address how this unique stimulation signature/pattern may more adequately handle the multiple affective dimensions of pain in varying patient populations.