Cohort profile: development and characteristics of a retrospective cohort of individuals dispensed prescription opioids for non-cancer pain in British Columbia, Canada.

Purpose: Prescription opioids (POs) are widely prescribed for chronic non-cancer pain but are associated with several risks and limited long-term benefit. Large, linked data sources are needed to monitor their harmful effects. We developed and characterised a retrospective cohort of people dispensed POs.

Sympathectomy for Lymphedema: A Case Series.

Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) is an increasingly common complication seen in the palliative care setting due to increased life expectancy of breast cancer survivors. It is an important determinant of the quality of life of breast cancer survivors, due to the functional impact that it has, apart from the pain and deformity associated with it. Conservative management of lymphedema with the help of physiotherapy, positioning, manual lymphatic drainage, and intermittent pneumatic compression is well known.

Stellate Ganglion Block as a Diagnostic and Therapeutic Option in Chronic Pericardial Pain: A Case Report.

The underlying pathophysiology and treatment of chronic pericardial chest pain remains unclear. We describe a clinical case of a 38-year-old patient with chronic chest pain in the context of Marfan syndrome, status post-valve-sparing aortic root repair, and recurrent pericarditis. The patient suffers from chronic pericardial pain secondary to recurrent pericarditis refractory to pharmacotherapy.

Rib Mediated Non-Cardiac Chest Pain: A Case Report.

Non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP) is a very common and functionally limiting pain complaint that vexes patients and medical providers leading to time-consuming and expensive diagnostic work-ups as well as significant disability and lost productivity. Despite extensive debate and research, there is no definitive treatment recommendation or high-level evidence to support a conservative care treatment approach, or interventional management procedures for the diagnosis and alleviation of NCCP. In patients presenting with chest pain, after ruling out life-threatening causes, the diagnosis of NCCP is made.

Energy Medicine treatments for hand and wrist pain: A pilot study.

Introduction: The term "energy medicine" describes healing modalities that manipulate or channel purported subtle energies associated with the body. The objectives of this pilot study were to determine the feasibility of studying energy medicine for people with carpal tunnel pain and gathering relevant preliminary data.

Methods: Following a prospective, within-participant design, participants were recruited to experience a 30 min treatment from one of 17 energy medicine practitioners.

Accessing care in multidisciplinary pain treatment facilities continues to be a challenge in Canada.

Background: Multidisciplinary pain treatment facilities (MPTFs) are considered the optimal settings for the management of chronic pain (CP). This study aimed (1) to determine the distribution of MPTFs across Canada, (2) to document time to access and types of services, and (3) to compare the results to those obtained in 2005-2006.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used the same MPTF definition as in 2005-2006-that is, a clinic staffed with professionals from a minimum of three different disciplines (including at least one medical specialty) and whose services were integrated within the facility.

Clinical characterization of delayed alcohol-induced headache: A study of 1,108 participants.

Objective: To evaluate the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD) criteria and to characterize the clinical phenotype of delayed alcohol-induced headache (DAIH).

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of university students who voluntarily consumed alcohol and experienced headache. Participants completed a survey that included demographic and clinical data.

[Dementia with Lewy bodies in a patient with oromandibular dystonia].

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is characterized by a combination of progressive cognitive, motor impairments and autonomic dysfunction. Motor impairments in DLB may manifest themselves with mild parkinsonian signs as well as with classic parkinsonism. A case of a female patient, who developed LBD 5 years after being diagnosed with oromandibular dystonia, is presented.

A Healthcare Improvement Initiative to Increase Multidisciplinary Pain Management Referrals for Youth with Sickle Cell Disease.

Background: Chronic pain is a complex integration of biological, psychological, and social variables. Multidisciplinary pain management experts design interventions that treat the multidimensional experience. Children and adolescents with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at risk for chronic pain.

How does reduction in pain lead to reduction in disability in patients with musculoskeletal pain?

Purpose: Reduction in pain following multidisciplinary treatment is most often associated with a reduction in disability. To further elaborate the relationship between pain intensity and disability, the present study investigated three main questions: first, whether multidisciplinary treatment leads to a significant improvement in pain, disability and psychological variables (depression, pain acceptance and catastrophizing). Second, it was examined whether pain reduction may account for significant changes in the psychological variables (pre- to follow-up change scores).

Pharmacological interventions for chronic pain in children: an overview of systematic reviews.

We know little about the safety or efficacy of pharmacological medicines for children and adolescents with chronic pain, despite their common use. Our aim was to conduct an overview review of systematic reviews of pharmacological interventions that purport to reduce pain in children with chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) or chronic cancer-related pain (CCRP). We searched the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Medline, EMBASE, and DARE for systematic reviews from inception to March 2018.

Does readiness to change influence pain-related outcomes after an educational intervention for people with chronic pain? A pragmatic, preliminary study.

: There is a strong association between chronic pain and unhelpful pain cognitions. Educating patients on pain neuroscience has been shown to reduce pain catastrophization, kinesiophobia, and self-perceived disability. This study investigated whether a group-based pain neuroscience education (PNE) session influenced pain-related outcomes, and whether readiness to change moderated these outcomes.

Health professionals' referral practice and related healthcare utilization for people with low back pain in Singapore: A retrospective study.

Background: Low back pain is a common musculoskeletal disorder that can incur high financial burden. A significant proportion of this burden may be incurred from referrals to health services and subsequent healthcare usages. Patients' overall experience of pain and its related life interferences may also have some relevance to this usage.

The role of fatigue in functional outcomes for youth with chronic pain.

Background: As a complex multidimensional construct, fatigue may play an important role in the physical and psychosocial functioning of youth with chronic pain. Based on a model previously tested in adults, the current study similarly utilized patient-reported outcomes measurement system (PROMIS) to examine how fatigue contributes to functional outcomes for youth with chronic pain. The model tested self-reported ratings of pain intensity, depressive symptoms and sleep disturbance as predictors of outcomes (mobility, pain-related interference and school functioning) as mediated by ratings of fatigue.

Japanese cross-cultural validation study of the Pain Stage of Change Questionnaire.

Introduction: Although evidence supports efficacy of treatments that enhance self-management of chronic pain, the efficacy of these treatments has been hypothesized to be influenced by patient readiness for self-management. The Pain Stage of Change Questionnaire (PSOCQ) is a reliable and valid measure of patient readiness to self-manage pain. However, there is not yet a Japanese version of the PSOCQ (PSOCQ-J), which limits our ability to evaluate the role of readiness for pain self-management in function and treatment response in Japanese patients with chronic pain.

A Cross-Cultural Validation of the Multidimensional Pain Readiness to Change Questionnaire 2 for Japanese Individuals With Chronic Pain.

Objectives: The Multidimensional Pain Readiness to Change Questionnaire 2 (MPRCQ2) is a reliable and valid measure that assesses readiness to adopt a variety of discrete pain self-management responses. We sought to translate and evaluate psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the MPRCQ2 (MPRCQ2-J) in individuals with chronic pain.

Methods: One hundred seventy-three individuals with chronic pain were asked to complete the MPRCQ2-J, as well as measures assessing pain intensity, pain interference, self-efficacy, and general readiness to adopt a self-management approach for pain.

Lessons learnt from establishing a high dose opioid review clinic for people living with HIV.

People living with HIV represent a unique aging population, living with a chronic condition associated with significant pain. A number take high dose, long-term opioids to manage moderate to severe chronic pain, presenting specific risks. This article highlights the size and impact of this problem and outlines the service objectives and set up of a specialist clinic to manage people living with HIV on high dose opioids, alongside its successes and learning points.

Evaluating the psychometric properties of two-item and four-item short forms of the Japanese Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire: a cross-sectional study.

Purpose: The Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire is a valid measure assessing self-efficacy in individuals with chronic pain. Short-form versions of the measure have been developed to decrease the assessment burden. However, few studies have evaluated the psychometric properties of the short forms in languages other than English.

Tramadol: a valuable treatment for pain in Southeast Asian countries.

Background: The supply of controlled drugs is limited in the Far East, despite the prevalence of health disorders that warrant their prescription. Reasons for this include strict regulatory frameworks, limited financial resources, lack of appropriate training amongst the medical profession and fear of addiction in both general practitioners and the wider population. Consequently, the weak opioid tramadol has become the analgesic most frequently used in the region to treat moderate to severe pain.

Predicting factors of outcome in multidisciplinary treatment of chronic neuropathic pain.

Purpose: Evidence of the effectiveness of multidisciplinary treatment with a focus on neuropathic pain is still rare. The present study investigated whether multidisciplinary treatment leads to improvement of neuropathic pain in outcome (pain intensity and disability) and psychological (depression, pain acceptance, and catastrophizing) variables at posttreatment and 3-month follow-up. We examined whether and to what extent psychological changes can predict long-term outcome at 3-month follow-up, when other variables are controlled for (baseline characteristics and changes in pain parameters).

Risk and Resilience in Pediatric Pain: The Roles of Parent and Adolescent Catastrophizing and Acceptance.

Objectives: Both pediatric and parent pain catastrophizing and pain acceptance are key factors associated with pediatric pain outcomes; however, the interactive effects of these factors within the parent-child dyad have yet to be tested. The aims of this study were to examine: (1) the mediating role of child catastrophizing between parent catastrophizing and child outcomes (pain interference and mobility), (2) the mediating role of child acceptance between parent acceptance and child outcomes, and (3) whether child acceptance buffers the relation between parent catastrophizing and child catastrophizing, which in turn impacts child outcomes.

Materials And Methods: Cross-sectional data from 324 youth with chronic pain ages 10 to 17 years (mean age=14.

The Relationships Between Pain-Catastrophizing Subcomponents and Multiple Pain-Related Outcomes in Japanese Outpatients with Chronic Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objectives: The present study sought to examine associations between the pain-catastrophizing subcomponents and multiple pain-related outcomes in Japanese individuals with chronic pain.

Methods: A cross-sectional study design was employed with 213 chronic pain outpatients. The participants were recruited from 3 units at a university hospital and from a pain clinic at a municipal hospital.

Executive summary of the Clinical Guidelines of Pharmacotherapy for Neuropathic Pain: second edition by the Japanese Society of Pain Clinicians.

Neuropathic pain has a substantial effect on quality of life (QOL). The Japanese Society of Pain Clinicians (JSPC) has developed clinical guidelines of pharmacotherapy for neuropathic pain. These guidelines offer clarity on recommendations based on both the most recent scientific evidence and expert opinions.