Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain
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Case Reports
The Effect of Peripheral Neuromodulation on Pain from the Sacroiliac Joint: A Retrospective Cohort Study.
We report here a retrospective review of the longer-term results of peripheral neuromodulation in 12 patients with significant chronic sacroiliac joint pain who had previously failed multiple conservative and interventional pain therapies. To allow for the assessment of meaningful longer-term outcome, implants for all 12 patients had been in place for a minimum of 18 months to a maximum of 36 months prior to the formal review. Compared to the preimplantation baseline, the longer-term follow-up revealed a significant and sustained reduction in visual analog scale pain scores from 8.7 ± 1.1 to 1.1 ± 1.0 (P < 0.001), with a 75% reduction in analgesia requirement, and improvement in pain impact on daily function from 94.1% ± 5.9% to 5.8% ± 6.0% (P < 0.001). These preliminary results merit a prospective randomized trial of peripheral neuromodulation.
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Shoulder pain is a common health problem in which changes in shoulder structure cannot always explain the patient's perceived pain. Central sensitization (CS) might play a role in a subgroup of these patients. ⋯ This review has shown that great progress has been made toward a better understanding of neurophysiologic pain mechanisms in patients with shoulder pain. The presence of generalized mechanical hyperalgesia, allodynia, and impaired conditioned pain modulation in patients with MSK shoulder pain indicates the involvement of the central nervous system. Widespread somatosensory abnormalities observed in patients with HSP could suggest a central origin for their shoulder pain and predispose patients with HSP to develop CS, although results are inconsistent. Additional research is required adopting different assessment methods (especially dynamic methods) to establish the role of CS in patients with shoulder pain.
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The purpose of this study was to discuss the safety, treatment profile, and clinical effectiveness of 12-month treatment with fentanyl patch (FP), a strong opioid, in medical practice in Japan under the risk minimization action plan (RMAP). ⋯ Our results identified a reasonable risk-benefit profile for the management of moderate-to-severe chronic noncancer pain in patients previously treated with opioids under long-term treatment with FP under the RMAP. Respiratory depression, drug dependency, and drug withdrawal were rarely observed even under the RMAP in Japan.
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Persistent pain after breast cancer surgery (PPBCS) develops in 15% to 25% of patients, sometimes years after surgery. Approximately 50% of PPBCS patients have neuropathic pain in the breast, which may be due to dysfunction of the pectoral nerves. The Pecs local anesthetic block proposes to block these nerves and has provided pain relief for patients undergoing breast cancer surgery, but has yet to be evaluated in patients with PPBCS. ⋯ This pilot study suggests that the pectoral nerves play a role in the maintenance of pain in the breast area in PPBCS and begs for further research.
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The aim of this study was to create and validate severity levels for the central sensitization inventory (CSI), a valid and reliable patient-reported outcome instrument designed to identify patients whose presenting symptoms may be related to a central sensitivity syndrome (CSS; eg, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome), with a proposed common etiology of central sensitization (CS). ⋯ This study provides support for these CSI severity levels as a guideline for healthcare providers and researchers in interpreting CSI scores and evaluating treatment responsiveness.