Does a Prolonged Sham Theta Burst Stimulation Intervention Regimen Outperform Standard Care in Terms of Functional Recovery and Pain Relief After an Upper Limb Fracture?

Objective: In a recent sham-controlled 13-session prolonged continuous theta burst stimulation intervention protocol, recovery from upper limb fracture at both 1 and 3 months was better than anticipated in patients assigned to the sham intervention group. To determine whether potential placebo effect and close patient monitoring affected recovery, the current study aimed to compare clinical outcomes between sham-treated participants who also received standard care with similarly injured patients who only received standard care.

Methods: Twenty participants with isolated upper limb fractures from the sham group were seen 13 times post-fracture (1 baseline session, 10 treatments, and 2 follow-ups [1 and 3 months]) over 3 months.

Musculoskeletal pain is associated with poor sleep quality and increased daytime sleepiness in dental students: a cross-sectional pilot study.

Objective: While a bidirectional relationship between sleep health and musculoskeletal (MSK)-pain have been established among chronic pain patients, few studies explored it among dental students. This cross-sectional study assessed the relationship of self-report MSK-pain with sleep health and psychological outcomes among dental students, and whether differences existed as a function of number and location of painful body-sites.

Method And Materials: Validated questionnaires were sent through REDCap to dental students at a predoctoral dental school, assessing presence, location (head, shoulder/neck, jaw, back, body), and intensity of MSK-pain, sleep health (risk of sleep apnea, insomnia severity symptoms, sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, and chronotype), and psychological outcomes (anxiety/depression).

Sleep disorders and orofacial pain: insights for dental practice.

In dental sleep medicine several sleep disorders commonly coexist with pain, contributing to complex clinical presentations which might affect the provision of appropriate and timely treatment. There are associations between sleep disorders and pain in general, as well as with specific orofacial pain conditions. As many as five of six patients with orofacial pain can present with sleep problems.

The Contribution of Sleep Quality and Psychological Factors to the Experience of Within-Day Pain Fluctuations Among Individuals With Temporomandibular Disorders.

We assessed the impact of day-to-day sleep quality and psychological variables (catastrophizing, negative affect, and positive affect) to within-day pain fluctuations in 42 females with painful temporomandibular disorders (TMD) using electronic diaries. More specifically, we examined the contribution of these variables to the likelihood of experiencing pain exacerbations defined as 1) an increase of 20 points (or more) in pain intensity on a 0 to 100 visual analog scale from morning to evening, and/or 2) a transition from mild-to-moderate pain over the course of the day; and pain decreases defined as 3) a decrease of 20 points (or more) in pain intensity (visual analog scale) from morning to evening, and/or 4) a reduction from moderate-to-mild pain over the day. The results indicated significantly main effects of sleep on both pain exacerbation outcomes (both P's < .