Pain physician
-
Lumbar facet arthropathy is one of the leading causes of back pain. Lumbar radiofrequency lesioning is a therapy for lumbar facet arthropathy that uses heat to ablate the transmission of nerve signals from the medial branches of the spinal nerves associated with the corresponding painful lumbar joints. ⋯ This study highlights significant effectiveness for patients undergoing lumbar radiofrequency ablations for lumbar facet joint pain. A variation in effectiveness appears to be influenced by gender and obesity, and therefore additional studies are warranted to further investigate these differences.
-
Meta Analysis
Application of Dexmedetomidine as an Opioid Substitute in Opioid-Free Anesthesia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Opioid-based general anesthesia was previously used to alleviate perioperative pain; however, several complications associated with using anesthesia have raised several concerns. Various studies have investigated the application prospect of using opioid-free general anesthesia, such as dexmedetomidine, as an opioid substitute. ⋯ These findings indicate that opioid-free general anesthesia based on dexmedetomidine could be effective; however, prolonged extubation time and cardiovascular complications are a few risks associated with dexmedetomidine.
-
There have been no recent meta-analysis studies on specific psychological symptoms (depression and anxiety) according to the type of primary headache disorder in children and adolescents. ⋯ Depression is more associated with migraine; whereas, anxiety is more associated with TTH than healthy controls. Therefore, the screening and assessment of psychological symptoms should be performed in children and adolescents with primary headache disorders.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Comparison Between Multisite Injection and Single Rotator Interval Injection of Corticosteroid in Primary Frozen Shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis): A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Steroid injection is a commonly used conservative treatment for primary frozen shoulder (PFS), but the optimal injection site remains undetermined. ⋯ Both MCI and SRI effectively alleviated pain and restored range of motion in patients with PFS. However, the MCI group had obviously lower early pain scores, better flexion and abduction, and better function scores than the SRI group; no additional adverse events were observed.
-
Observational Study
Plasma Rich in Growth Factors (PRGF) in the Treatment of Patients With Chronic Cervical and Lumbar Pain: A Prospective Observational Clinical Study.
Chronic back pain is a long-lasting disorder, whose main source of pain is often the intervertebral disc that undergoes a degenerative process associated with low-grade inflammation, leading to a reduced quality of life. ⋯ This observational, prospective study of patients with chronic back pain showed that 2-3 intradiscal and epidural injections of PRGF significantly decreased pain and disability at one month posttreatment and this improvement was maintained, and in some patients even improved, at 3, and 6 months posttreatment.