Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Acceptability and Effects of Commercially Available Activity Trackers for Chronic Pain Management Among Older African American Adults.
Wearable activity trackers may facilitate walking for chronic pain management. ⋯ With appropriate support, wearable activity trackers and mHealth reporting for chronic pain self-care are feasible for use by vulnerable older adults. Future research should test whether the effects of trackers on pain-related outcomes can be enhanced by incorporating behavior change strategies and training in evidence-based cognitive-behavioral techniques.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Continuous Transversus Abdominis Plane Block for Primary Open Inguinal Hernia Repair: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.
Patients undergoing open inguinal hernia repair may experience moderate to severe postoperative pain. We assessed opioid consumption in subjects who received a continuous transversus abdominis plane block in addition to standard multimodal analgesia. ⋯ Continuous transversus abdominis plane blocks provide modest improvements in pain after open inguinal hernia repair but fail to significantly reduce opioid consumption or improve functional activity levels in the setting of multimodal analgesia use.
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Empirical studies show conflicting findings about the relationship between pain relief and patient satisfaction. To address this research gap, this study examines the differential effects of pain relief on patient satisfaction based on patients' perceptions about pain management. ⋯ Interventions to improve patients' confidence in their physician's pain management may enhance the effects of pain relief on patient satisfaction, particularly among patients who experience low levels of pain alleviation during their pain treatment.
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Back pain is a very prevalent complaint, affecting two-thirds of the US population, and it accounts for $100 billion annually in health care expenditures. The occurrence of depression has been reported in existing literature among patients with back pain, but there is limited information regarding health care expenditures among patients with back pain and concurrent depression. ⋯ This study demonstrates that the presence of depression in adults with spondylosis, intervertebral disc disorders, and other back problems is associated with greater economic burden. These findings remained consistent after adjusting for all independent sets of variables. The study's findings suggest that interventions resulting in better management of depression have the potential to significantly reduce the economic burden in this population.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Aging Back Clinics-a Geriatric Syndrome Approach to Treating Chronic Low Back Pain in Older Adults: Results of a Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial.
Treating chronic low back pain (CLBP) with spine-focused interventions is common, potentially dangerous, and often ineffective. This preliminary trial tests the feasibility and efficacy of caring for CLBP in older adults as a geriatric syndrome in Aging Back Clinics (ABC). ⋯ These preliminary data suggest that ABC care for older veterans with CLBP is feasible and may reduce pain and exposure to other potential morbidity.