Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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We evaluated whether more severe back pain phenotypes-persistent, frequent or disabling back pain-are associated with higher mortality among older men. ⋯ While frequent persistent back pain was not independently associated with mortality in older men, additional secondary disabling back pain phenotypes were independently associated with increased mortality. Future investigations should evaluate whether improvements in disabling back pain effect general health and well-being or mortality.
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To investigate the predictive value of thoracic sympathetic ganglion block (TSGB) in response to ketamine infusion therapy (KIT) and spinal-cord stimulation (SCS) in patients with chronic upper-extremity pain including complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). ⋯ A positive response to TSGB is a potential predictor for positive KIT and SCS outcomes among patients with chronic upper-extremity pain, including CRPS.
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Zygapophysial joints (Z joints) can be a source of back pain and of neck pain, but the cause of pain is not known. Some authors attribute the pain to osteoarthritis but without citing evidence. ⋯ The published evidence does not support the belief that osteoarthritis causes Z joint pain. All the evidence contradicts this belief.