Articles: pain-management-methods.
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The human experience of pain is multidimensional and comprises sensory, affective, and cognitive dimensions. Preclinical assessment of pain has been largely focused on the sensory features that contribute to nociception. The affective (aversive) qualities of pain are clinically significant but have received relatively less mechanistic investigation in preclinical models. ⋯ An important advance of such operant behaviors is that these approaches may allow the detection and mechanistic investigation of spontaneous neuropathic or ongoing inflammatory/nociceptive (i.e., nonevoked) pain that is otherwise difficult to assess in nonverbal animals. Operant measures may allow the identification of mechanisms that contribute differentially to reflexive hypersensitivity or to pain affect and may inform the decision to progress novel mechanisms to clinical trials for pain therapy. Additionally, operant behaviors may allow investigation of the poorly understood mechanisms and neural circuits underlying motivational aspects of pain and the reward of pain relief.
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Curr Pain Headache Rep · Apr 2013
ReviewManagement of trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias in children and adolescents.
Primary headache disorders that are more frequently encountered in the paediatric population include migraine and tension-type headaches. The trigeminal autonomic cephalalgias (TACs), which includes cluster headache (CH), paroxysmal hemicrania (PH) and short-lasting unilateral neuralgiform headache attacks with conjunctival injection and tearing (SUNCT), are rarely reported in the paediatric population. The 1-year prevalence of CH seems to be 0.03 %. ⋯ The clinical phenotype and response to treatment seem to resemble the adult-onset form. Paediatric-onset TACs are poorly recognized and there is often a delay of several months or years before the diagnosis is made. Awareness of typical clinical pictures of these excruciating headaches is essential to allow prompt initiation of the appropriate management.
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Semin. Arthritis Rheum. · Apr 2013
ReviewIntra-articular corticosteroid injection in osteoarthritis of the knee and hip: factors predicting pain relief--a systematic review.
Variations in the degree of pain relief reported by patients with osteoarthritis following intra-articular corticosteroid injections are well recognized but the reasons for this are not widely understood and factors which might predict variations in response have not been subjected to systematic review. We set out to review systematically the literature relating to predictors of pain reduction following intra-articular corticosteroid injections in patients with knee and hip osteoarthritis. ⋯ Previous research has not identified reliable predictors of response to IA corticosteroid injections, a widely practised intervention in knee and hip OA. Further studies are required if this question is to be answered.
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Semin Respir Crit Care Med · Apr 2013
ReviewEvaluation and treatment of pain in critically ill adults.
Pain is experienced by the overwhelming majority of patients during their intensive care unit stay, but it remains an underappreciated problem. To effectively treat pain, it must be detected and quantified using a validated assessment tool. ⋯ This review covers practices and techniques specific to addressing and treating pain in the adult intensive care environment. Traditional pharmacological approaches including opiate and nonopiate medications are reviewed, as are regional anesthetic techniques and nonpharmacological approaches used for controlling pain.
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Animal-assisted therapy is a complementary medicine intervention, typically utilizing dogs trained to be obedient, calm, and comforting. Several studies have reported significant pain relief after participating in therapy dog visits. ⋯ Mirror neuron activity and disease-perception through olfactory ability in dogs may also play important roles in helping dogs connect with humans during therapeutic encounters. This review will explore a variety of possible theories that may explain the therapeutic benefits that occur during therapy dog visits.