Articles: pain-measurement.
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Physician Sportsmed · Apr 1996
Exertional compartment syndrome of the leg: steps for expedient return to activity.
The pain and swelling associated with exertional compartment syndrome is caused by raised intracompartmental pressures possibly induced by muscle swelling or increased osmotic pressure. Although either the acute or chronic form of exertional compartment syndrome may occur, chronic is more common. ⋯ Diagnosis is confirmed by intracompartmental pressure measurements before and after exercise. Although activity modification may alleviate symptoms, fasciotomy may be required.
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In brief The pain and swelling associated with exertional compartment syndrome is caused by raised intracompartmental pressures possibly induced by muscle swelling or increased osmotic pressure. Although either the acute or chronic form of exertional compartment syndrome may occur, chronic is more common. ⋯ Diagnosis is confirmed by intracompartmental pressure measurements before and after exercise. Although activity modification may alleviate symptoms, fasciotomy may be required.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Responsiveness of functional status in low back pain: a comparison of different instruments.
This study compares the responsiveness of three instruments of functional status: two disease-specific questionnaires (Oswestry and Roland Disability Questionnaires), and a patient-specific method (severity of the main complaint). We compared changes over time of functional status instruments with pain rated on a visual analog scale. Two strategies for evaluating the responsiveness in terms of sensitivity to change and specificity to change were used: effect size statistics and receiver-operating characteristic method. ⋯ The sensitivity to change of the rating of Oswestry Questionnaire was lower than that of the other instruments. The main complaint was not very specific to change. The two strategies for evaluating the responsiveness were very useful and appeared to complement each other.
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Review Comparative Study
Pain measurement tools for clinical practice and research.
An important component of effective postoperative pain management is a measure of the patient's pain intensity. This article examines three unidimensional pain measurement instruments and one multidimensional pain measurement instrument used in daily practice and clinical research. The strengths and weaknesses of the numerical rating scale, verbal descriptor scale, visual analogue scale, and the McGill Pain Questionnaire are discussed. Issues of validity and reliability, important in clinical research, are also presented.
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The Oucher and the Poker Chip Tool are two of the most widely used instruments designed to measure children's self-report of pain intensity. Most of the studies dealing with the Oucher and the Poker Chip Tool use North American children as subjects. To establish the versatility of the instruments in patients of various cultural backgrounds and with different types of pain, this study used the Oucher and the Poker Chip Tool with 100 Danish children, age 3 to 15 years, after tonsillectomy. ⋯ Although the Poker Chip Tool only provides five discrete levels of pain, the strong positive relationships between the pain scores derived from the Oucher and the Poker Chip Tool (r = 0.71-0.79, p < .001) indicate its utility in clinical practice. The Oucher uses actual pictures of a child and therefore demonstrates ethnicity directly. The results of this study suggest that Danish children as well as American children are able to use the Oucher as a method to self-report pain intensity.