Articles: pain-management-methods.
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Neuropathic pain is a clinical entity that presents unique diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. This chapter addresses the classification, epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of neuropathic pain syndrome. Neuropathic pain can be distinguished from nociceptive pain based on clinical signs and symptoms. ⋯ Nonpharmacological treatments include psychological approaches, physical therapy, interventional therapy, spinal cord stimulation, and surgical procedures. Neuropathic pain is difficult to treat, but a combination of therapies may be more effective than monotherapy. Clinical practice guidelines provide an evidence-based approach to the treatment of neuropathic pain.
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A best evidence topic was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed whether local anaesthetic infiltration of the transversus abdominis plane (TAP block) during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy improves pain control. Ten papers were found using the reported search, of which four represented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. ⋯ Three of the randomised controlled trials demonstrated a reduction in analgesic requirements associated with TAP blocks following laparoscopic cholecystectomy as compared to placebo. The remaining randomised study compared TAP blocks with local anaesthetic infiltration of laparoscopic port sites and showed no significant difference in clinical outcomes between these two techniques. We conclude that there is good evidence that TAP block in laparoscopic cholecystectomy leads to a reduction in pain scores and analgesic requirement, however there is no significant difference when compared to local anaesthetic infiltration of trocar insertion sites.
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J Am Osteopath Assoc · Dec 2012
ReviewPharmacology of kratom: an emerging botanical agent with stimulant, analgesic and opioid-like effects.
Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a plant indigenous to Thailand and Southeast Asia. Kratom leaves produce complex stimulant and opioid-like analgesic effects. In Asia, kratom has been used to stave off fatigue and to manage pain, diarrhea, cough, and opioid withdrawal. ⋯ Although it is still legal in the United States, the US Drug Enforcement Administration has placed kratom on its "Drugs and Chemicals of Concern" list. Physicians should be aware of the availability, user habits, and health effects of kratom. Further research on the therapeutic uses, toxic effects, and abuse potential of kratom and its constituent compounds are needed.
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Chronic pain is a common condition that confers a substantial burden--physical, psychological, and economic--to individuals and society. There are a wide variety of interventions available for this condition. ⋯ For drug therapy, this review will focus on three classes of medications: antidepressants, opiates and antiepileptic medications. For device therapy, the utility of electrical stimulation to neural structures (dorsal column, peripheral nerve and deep brain) and intrathecal therapy for chronic pain will be described.
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Analgesia and coping with labor pain can prevent suffering during childbirth. Nonpharmacologic methods help women manage labor pain. Strong evidence is available for the efficacy of continuous one-to-one support from a woman trained to provide nonmedical care during labor, immersion in warm water during first-stage labor, and sterile water injected intracutaneously or subcutaneously at locations near a woman's lumbosacral spine to reduce back-labor pain. ⋯ Although observational studies have found associations between maternal use of opioids and neonatal complications, little higher level evidence is available except that meperidine is associated with low Apgar scores. Patient-controlled intravenous administration of remifentanil provides better analgesia and satisfaction than other opioids, but can cause severe side effects; continuous monitoring of arterial oxygen saturation, anesthesia supervision, one-to-one nursing, and availability of oxygen are recommended. The demand for inexpensive, simple, safe but effective labor pain management for women will undoubtedly increase in places that lack wide access to it now.