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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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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Review
[Discussion on existing problems of placebo acupuncture design based on acupuncture analgesia].
In the present article, the authors made an overview about the existing problems of placebo acupuncture design in accordance with the neurological basis of acupuncture analgesia. The neuron-segmental and systemic mechanisms initiated by local somesthetic stimuli at different intensities are involved in acupuncture analgesia. When the local pain locus and the stimulated point are in the same spinal segmental region, stimuli of either higher intensity or lower intensity may produce an obvious anaIgesia effect. ⋯ From this viewpoint, the placebo acupuncture design in current clinical trials for pain treatment exists some unreasonable aspects. Both pain focus and intensity of acupuncture stimulation should be taken into consideration together. The optimal placebo acupuncture design for the treatment of pain conditions is that lower intensity acupuncture stimulation is given for longer distance between the pain origin locus and the stimulated acupoint.
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This article reviews aspects of postoperative and chronic pain management in urology patients. Continuous epidural techniques are recommended for extensive retroperitoneal und transperitoneal surgery due to its excellent analgesia and facilitation of enhanced recovery. In patients without regional analgesia techniques, intravenous or oral non-opioid analgesics should be combined with titration of fast acting opioids on an as-needed basis. ⋯ Additional pain relief approaches, such as radiation as well as psychosocial and spiritual needs of these patients have to be considered. In long-term treatment of non-cancer pain, effective use of opioids is not evidence-based. These patients often benefit from multimodal, interdisciplinary pain management comprising psychological and educational approaches as well as activating physiotherapy.
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Selective agreements offer the possibility to the health insurers to influence the control of care, a chance that they urgently need because of cost pressure. The concepts of care can be developed top-down and then a health insurer can make an offer. ⋯ Pathways are necessary for controlling the treatment which not only have to be developed but also have to be put into practice. The pathway acute sacroiliac pain developed by the Lübeck doctors' network will be described here as an example of a successful implementation.