From acute to chronic back pain: Using linear mixed models to explore changes in pain intensity, disability, and depression
Conclusions Pain intensity decreased in the first 3 months but underwent no further change. Disability and depression slightly but constantly decreased over time. Although women and older individuals are more likely to report higher pain intensity or pain-related disability in the first three months with pain, no differences by sex or age appear to be associated with the changes in pain intensity, depression and disability through the process of chronification. Implications Our findings suggest that pain chronification could be considered a continuous process and contribute to the ongoing discussion on the utility of stan...
Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain - March 23, 2017 Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research
A longitudinal exploration of pain tolerance and participation in contact sports
Conclusions Those who cease participation in contact sports become less pain tolerant of experimental pain, possibly a result of catastrophizing. The results suggest that athletes who commit to contact sports find pain less bothersome over time, possibly as a result of experience and learning to cope with pain. Athletes who continue to participate in contact sports have a higher pain tolerance, report less bothersomeness and have higher direct coping than those who drop out. In addition, tolerance to ischaemic pain increased over the season for participating athletes. Implications Having a low pain tolerance should not pr...
Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain - March 23, 2017 Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research
The disruptive effects of pain on multitasking in a virtual errands task
Conclusions Findings here support the growing literature that suggests that pain has a significant impact on cognitive performance. Furthermore, these findings support the developing literature suggesting that this relationship is complex when considering real world cognition, and that self-report on the ECIP relates well to performance on a task designed to reflect the complexities of everyday living. Implications If extrapolated to chronic pain populations, these data suggest that pain during complex multitasking performance may have a significant impact on the number of errors made. For people highly vulnerable to cogn...
Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain - March 20, 2017 Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research
Adolescents ’ experience of complex persistent pain
Conclusions The study provides new insights into adolescents’ own experiences of complex persistent pain occurring unexpectedly, developing dramatically over time, and influencing all parts of their everyday lives. The adolescents entered vicious cycles, with despair and decreased physical and social functioning, with the risk of isolation and role-loss. However, these young people seem to have a strong motivation to strive for normalcy. Implications These findings may encourage healthcare providers to perceive adolescents’ persistent pain through the lenses of a biopsychosocial approach. We suggest that further resea...
Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain - March 19, 2017 Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research
Neuraxial blocks and spinal haematoma: Review of 166 cases published 1994 – 2015. Part 2: diagnosis, treatment, and outcome
Conclusions and implications Suspicion of a spinal hematoma calls for the consultation of an orthopaedic or neurological surgeon without delay. MRI is the recommended diagnostic tool. Surgical evacuation within 12h from the first sign of motor dysfunction seems to lead to the best outcome, although many patients operated as late as after more than 24hours did regain full motor function. Despite the poor prognosis after surgical evacuation of SSDH, the outcomes after post-CNB spinal haematoma in general have improved significantly over time. (Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain)
Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain - March 16, 2017 Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research
Qualitative pain research emphasizes that patients need true information and physicians and nurses need more knowledge of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
Publication date: April 2017 Source:Scandinavian Journal of Pain, Volume 15 Author(s): Harald Breivik, Stephen Butler (Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain)
Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain - March 15, 2017 Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research
Trajectory of phantom limb pain relief using mirror therapy: Retrospective analysis of two studies
Conclusion The degree of PLP at baseline predicts when mirror therapy relieves pain. Implications This article indicates that the degree of baseline PLP affects when mirror therapy relieves pain: relief occurs by session 7 in patients with low PLP but by session 21 in patients with high PLP. Clinicians should anticipate slower pain relief in patients who begin treatment with high levels of pain. ClinicalTrials.gov numbers: NCT00623818 and NCT00662415. (Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain)
Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain - March 7, 2017 Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research
Relief of phantom limb pain using mirror therapy: A bit more optimism from retrospective analysis of two studies
Publication date: April 2017 Source:Scandinavian Journal of Pain, Volume 15 Author(s): Stephen Butler (Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain)
Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain - March 5, 2017 Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research
Neuraxial blocks and spinal haematoma: Review of 166 case reports published 1994 –2015. Part 1: Demographics and risk-factors
Conclusions and implications The annual number of published cases of spinal haematoma after central neuraxial blocks increased during the last two decades (1994–2015) compared to previous decades. Case reports on elderly women account for this increase. Antihaemostatic drugs, heparins in particular, are still major risk factors for developing post-CNB spinal bleedings. Other risk factors are haemostatic and spinal disorders and complicated blocks, especially “bloody taps”, whereas multiple attempts do not seem to increase the risk of bleeding. In a large number of cases, no risk factor was reported. Guidelines issued...
Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain - March 3, 2017 Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research
Pain provocation following sagittal plane repeated movements in people with chronic low back pain: Associations with pain sensitivity and psychological profiles
Conclusions Provocative pain responses following repeated movements in people with CLBP appear heterogeneous, and are weakly associated with pain sensitivity and psychological profiles. Implications To date, suboptimal outcomes in studies examining exercise interventions targeting directional, movement-based subgroups in people with CLBP may reflect limited consideration of broader multidimensional clinical profiles associated with LBP. This article describes heterogeneous provocative pain responses following repeated spinal bending, and their associated pain sensitivity and psychological profiles, in people with CLBP. Th...
Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain - February 28, 2017 Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research
Preoperative quantitative sensory testing (QST) predicting postoperative pain: Image or mirage?
Publication date: April 2017 Source:Scandinavian Journal of Pain, Volume 15 Author(s): Mads U. Werner, Elisabeth Kjær Jensen, Audun Stubhaug (Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain)
Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain - February 26, 2017 Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research
Education of nurses and medical doctors is a sine qua non for improving pain management of hospitalized patients, but not enough
Publication date: April 2017 Source:Scandinavian Journal of Pain, Volume 15 Author(s): Harald Breivik (Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain)
Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain - February 26, 2017 Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research
Using education and support strategies to improve the way nurses assess regular and transient pain – A quality improvement study of three hospitals
Conclusions After implementing education and support strategies, systematic pain assessment increased, an encouraging finding considering the complex contexts of in-patient facilities. However, the achieved assessment levels and especially reassessments related to rescue medication were clinically unsatisfactory. Future studies should include nursing staff and physicians and increase interactivity such as providing online education support. A discrepancy between documented and reported reassessment in association with given rescue medication might indicate that nurses need better ways to provide pain relief. Implications ...
Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain - February 23, 2017 Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research
Healthcare resource use and costs of opioid-induced constipation among non-cancer and cancer patients on opioid therapy: A nationwide register-based cohort study in Denmark
Conclusions The results of this nationwide study based on real life data suggested that both non-cancer patients and cancer patients suffering from opioid-induced constipation (OIC) may have higher healthcare resource utilization and higher associated costs compared to those without OIC. Implications Reducing the number of OIC patients has potential cost savings for the health care system. Special attention should be on patients at potential high risk of OIC, such as strong and long-term opioid treatment, advanced age, and concomitant cardiovascular disease. (Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain)
Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain - February 20, 2017 Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research
Opioids and the gut; not only constipation and laxatives
Publication date: April 2017 Source:Scandinavian Journal of Pain, Volume 15 Author(s): Asbjørn Mohr Drewes (Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain)
Source: Scandinavian Journal of Pain - February 19, 2017 Category: Anesthesiology Source Type: research
