Current pain and headache reports
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Low back pain is one of the complaints most commonly seen in the clinical setting. Correctly or incorrectly, these patients are often given the diagnosis of fibromyalgia, myofascial pain syndrome, disk herniation, or some other label. ⋯ Therefore, in order to fully evaluate and treat a patient with low back pain, it is necessary to consider and address these soft tissue conditions. This paper reviews soft tissue causes of low back pain and discusses how they are most appropriately diagnosed and managed.
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Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the mainstay of migraine treatment for children and adolescents by most primary care physicians. Not all patients respond to these readily available agents. Triptans have been studied in children and adolescents, and there is reasonable evidence to support the use of these agents in these populations. ⋯ Agents such as antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and antihypertensives are commonly used in clinical practice. Safety issues are fairly well understood because of historical use and use for other conditions. Efficacy and optimal dosing have yet to be established for the treatment of migraine in children and adolescents in double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials.
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In this article, we develop an approach to the headache patient based upon pattern of headache. Headache can be acute recurrent, acute, chronic progressive, and chronic nonprogressive. Within each pattern we go through the differential diagnosis, with a focus on secondary causes of headache. Although most patients presenting with headache will end up having migraine, we must be able to recognize the other causes when they present.
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Patients and physicians are frequently unaware that pain coming from the muscles of the head and neck is probably the cause of the most frequent forms of migraine. Identifying the extracranial origins of the patient's headache by physical examination should reassure patient and examiner that the headache is benign and treatable. The results of the examination should lead to physical treatment, reducing headache frequency and severity. This paper describes techniques of the physical examination to identify the extracranial causes of migraine headache.
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Curr Pain Headache Rep · Oct 2006
ReviewPhysical therapy and other nonpharmacologic approaches to fibromyalgia management.
Fibromyalgia is a vague and changing syndrome that comprises many symptoms. Due to the confounding nature of fibromyalgia syndrome, there has been much debate about which interventions and therapies should be considered as viable treatment options. ⋯ Several studies have shown promise, with initial improvement in symptoms, but in many cases, these improvements were not lasting or the patients were then unable to continue/replicate the program on their own. In this article, some of the more recently published findings regarding the efficacy of exercise are explored, specifically physical therapy and other nonpharmacologic interventions, for managing fibromyalgia syndrome.