Non-neuropathic Pain Research Articles

Accuracy of neuropathic pain measurements in patients with symptoms of polyneuropathy: validation of painDETECT, Self-Completed Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs, and Douleur Neuropathique 4.

Pain is a common symptom in patients referred to polyneuropathy assessment. Diagnostic evaluation and choice of treatment may depend on whether the pain is likely to be neuropathic or not. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of 3 tools commonly used to differentiate between neuropathic and nonneuropathic pain. To accomplish this, we included patients with bilateral distal lower extremity pain, referred to neurological outpatient clinics at 5 Norwegian University hospitals for polyneuropathy assessment. The patients filled in Norwegian versions of painDETECT, the Self-Completed Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (S-LANSS), and the clinician-rated Douleur Neuropathique 4 (DN4). All patients underwent a clinical examination and nerve conduction measurements and were classified according to the NeuPSIG neuropathic pain criteria (reference standard). In total, 729 patients were included, of which 63% had neuropathic pain by the reference standard. Only DN4 demonstrated high sensitivity (0.87), whereas all 3 tools had low specificity (≤0.65). Importantly, the tools' predictive ability was unsatisfactory; The probability of getting a correct test result was 3 quarters at best, and at worst, no better than two fifths. Consequently, we show that neither DN4, painDETECT, nor S-LANSS can be confidently used to assess neuropathic pain in a neurological outpatient population with symptoms of polyneuropathy.

Comparison of characteristics between neuropathic pain and non-neuropathic pain in patients with diabetic carpal tunnel syndrome: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe aim of the study was to compare the clinical characteristics of diabetic carpal tunnel syndrome between patients with neuropathic pain (NeuP) and non-NeuP.MethodsWe enrolled 276 patients with diabetic carpal tunnel syndrome. Pain symptoms were evaluated using a visual analog scale. Douleur Neuropathique 4, the Neuropathic Pain Symptoms Inventory questionnaire, and the body map were used to assess neuropathic symptoms. Baseline information, clinical manifestations, electrophysiological test results, and psychological status were compared between the neuropathic pain (NeuP) and non-NeuP to identify the risk factor for NeuP occurrence.ResultsResults showed that the degree of pain was more severe in NeuP patients than in nociceptive pain patients (p = 0.025). The frequencies of light touch and pinprick were more pronounced in the NeuP group than in the non-NeuP group (light touch: p = 0.001; pinprick: p = 0.004). There were 48 and 27 NeuP patients with extramedian and proximal spread, respectively, whereas in the non-NeuP group, there were 11 and 9 patients, respectively (p = 0.03). Electrophysiological results showed that patients in the NeuP group exhibited greater sensory nerve conduction velocity impairment compared with the non-NeuP group (p = 0.033). Pain Catastrophizing Scale total scores of the NeuP group were significantly higher than those of the non-NeuP group (p = 0.006).ConclusionOf the 276 diabetic carpal tunnel syndrome patients studied, the majority had NeuP. Furthermore, light touch, electrophysiological test results, and psychological factors were found to be related to NeuP occurrence in patients with diabetic carpal tunnel syndrome.

029 The evaluation of pain and pain management in patients with multiple sclerosis

Pain has been reported in 50–75% of people with MS. Pain is poorly understood and poorly managed impacting greatly on quality of life. Further information is required to aid better clinical recognition and management. The goal of this study was to explore the incidence, nature and management of pain in patients attending specialist MS clinic.Methods/ResultsData was obtained using The Brief Pain Inventory and Pain Detect questionnaires and clinic letters were reviewed. 63% of MS patients reported pain. Pain was on average 6/10 at worst and 2/10 at best. 30% used simple analgesia, 43% used prescription analgesia with 56% pain relief at best. Pain interfered with activity levels, mood, sleep, relationships, and enjoyment of life. 26% had neuropathic pain and 35% had non-neuropathic pain. Pain was mentioned in 56% of clinic letters for those reporting pain. 36% had a pain management plan documented.ConclusionPain is a prevalent symptom associated with MS that interferes significantly with quality of life. Pain was not always adequately or accurately addressed in MS clinic. To improve management, we suggest pain questionnaires &/or Apps are used to provide ongoing objective pain measures.vcjwallace@gmail.com

Predictors of neuropathic pain and related functional disability in sciatica patients: a cross-sectional study

Purpose The aim of the present paper was to assess neuropathic pain and its predictors among patients with sciatica. In addition, we sought to investigate the predictors of functional disability in sciatica patients with neuropathic pain. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out on a sample of 100 sciatica patients aged 18 years and older with a radiating pain from the lower back down to the leg below the knee. Information about socio-demographic characteristics, duration of symptoms, being treated or not, type of treatment, side of sciatica, presence of back pain, leg pain occurrence, leg pain intensity, functional disability and pain catastrophizing were collected. Results Of the total patients, 57% had neuropathic pain. Multivariable analysis showed that leg pain intensity was higher in the neuropathic pain group as compared to the non-neuropathic pain group. Also, patients with left sciatica were less likely to have neuropathic pain than patients with right sciatica. Patients with neuropathic pain having high levels of pain catastrophizing and being on bed rest for at least one week were at a higher risk of developing functional disability as compared to their counterparts. Conclusion Low levels of pain catastrophizing and less bed rest should be considered in interventions aimed at improving the functional ability for sciatica patients with neuropathic pain.

Impact of continuous infusions of opioids on discharge opioid prescriptions.

The 2018 Pain, Agitation/Sedation, Delirium, Immobility, and Sleep guidelines from the Society of Critical Care Medicine recommend opioids as a first-line treatment option for non-neuropathic pain among critically ill adults and prioritize pain management optimization before the administration of sedatives. Although analagosedation is recommended, the downstream effects, such as intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired opioid dependence, are not well described. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of continuous infusions of opioids for mechanically ventilated patients prescribed opioids on discharge. This was a single-center, retrospective chart review of mechanically ventilated patients admitted to the medical ICU at a tertiary medical center from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019. The primary objective of this study was to compare the incidence of opioid prescriptions at discharge between those who received opioid infusions versus intermittent administrations. Secondary objectives included risk factors for receiving opioid prescriptions at discharge and readmission within 90 days with an active opioid prescription and/or a diagnosis of opioid use disorder. A total of 100 patients were included. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of opioid prescriptions at discharge between the groups (p = 0.933). Only one patient was readmitted within 90 days with documented opioid use disorder and 11 patients with prescription opioids on their home medication list. A best-fit logistic regression model including the type of opioid administration (p = 0.275), length of stay (p = 0.018), and opioid dose (p = 0.137) showed that length of stay was the only significant predictor of discharge opioid prescribing. The incidence of opioid prescriptions at discharge for critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients did not differ based on opioid administration strategy. ICU length of stay appears to be a predictive factor of opioid discharge prescriptions.

Dissecting central post-stroke pain: a controlled symptom-psychophysical characterization.

Central post-stroke pain affects up to 12% of stroke survivors and is notoriously refractory to treatment. However, stroke patients often suffer from other types of pain of non-neuropathic nature (musculoskeletal, inflammatory, complex regional) and no head-to-head comparison of their respective clinical and somatosensory profiles has been performed so far. We compared 39 patients with definite central neuropathic post-stroke pain with two matched control groups: 32 patients with exclusively non-neuropathic pain developed after stroke and 31 stroke patients not complaining of pain. Patients underwent deep phenotyping via a comprehensive assessment including clinical exam, questionnaires and quantitative sensory testing to dissect central post-stroke pain from chronic pain in general and stroke. While central post-stroke pain was mostly located in the face and limbs, non-neuropathic pain was predominantly axial and located in neck, shoulders and knees (P < 0.05). Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory clusters burning (82.1%, n = 32, P < 0.001), tingling (66.7%, n = 26, P < 0.001) and evoked by cold (64.1%, n = 25, P < 0.001) occurred more frequently in central post-stroke pain. Hyperpathia, thermal and mechanical allodynia also occurred more commonly in this group (P < 0.001), which also presented higher levels of deafferentation (P < 0.012) with more asymmetric cold and warm detection thresholds compared with controls. In particular, cold hypoesthesia (considered when the threshold of the affected side was <41% of the contralateral threshold) odds ratio (OR) was 12 (95% CI: 3.8–41.6) for neuropathic pain. Additionally, cold detection threshold/warm detection threshold ratio correlated with the presence of neuropathic pain (ρ = −0.4, P < 0.001). Correlations were found between specific neuropathic pain symptom clusters and quantitative sensory testing: paroxysmal pain with cold (ρ = −0.4; P = 0.008) and heat pain thresholds (ρ = 0.5; P = 0.003), burning pain with mechanical detection (ρ = −0.4; P = 0.015) and mechanical pain thresholds (ρ = −0.4, P < 0.013), evoked pain with mechanical pain threshold (ρ = −0.3; P = 0.047). Logistic regression showed that the combination of cold hypoesthesia on quantitative sensory testing, the Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory, and the allodynia intensity on bedside examination explained 77% of the occurrence of neuropathic pain. These findings provide insights into the clinical-psychophysics relationships in central post-stroke pain and may assist more precise distinction of neuropathic from non-neuropathic post-stroke pain in clinical practice and in future trials.

Pain in Intensive Care: A Narrative Review.

All critically ill adult patients in intensive care units (ICU) typically experience pain. Critically ill adults suffer pain of different intensities. It depends on individual characteristics, specific procedural interventions, and underlying diseases. Inadequate management of acute pain is a risk factor for the emergence of chronic pain, where the incidence is up to 33% into the ICU survivor population. For the management of pain, agitation, and delirium, several coexisting clinical practice guidelines have been published. The first problem is that the patient recovered in intensive care unit should not be able to communicate its pain state. Opioids are the analgesic drugs of choice in critically ill patients with non-neuropathic pain. All intravenous opioids have the same effects, respecting the equianalgesic table. Observational research has shown that opioids are the main analgesic treatment in over 80% of mechanically ventilated patients. It is interesting that opioid consumption in an ICU and the memory of painful experience are linked to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder after ICU discharge. In order to reduce the side effects and maintain analgesia, it is useful to associate adjuvant medications with opioids. An opportunity to improve patients’ experience in an ICU is to manage pain through multimodal approaches.

Is gabapentin a safe and effective treatment for nonneuropathic pain?

A review of the recent literature found that compared with placebo or other pain medications, gabapentin did not significantly reduce nonneuropathic pain. The drug also is associated with an increased risk of adverse reactions, including somnolence, dizziness, and nausea. Given the lack of efficacy and risk of adverse reactions, gabapentin should not be used for nonneuropathic pain.

Neuropathic pain in primary knee osteoarthritis patients: correlation with physical function, quality of life, disease severity, and serum beta nerve growth factor levels

BackgroundNeuropathic mechanisms are thought to play a role in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) pain. Neuropathic pain questionnaires can promote diagnosis of a neuropathic component. Thus, we aimed to assess the frequency of neuropathic pain in primary KOA patients (using clinical questionnaires) and to investigate its correlation with socio-demographic factors, physical function, quality of life, disease severity, and serum beta nerve growth factor (β-NGF) levels.ResultsSeventy primary KOA patients were included. Neuropathic pain was detected in 52.9% of patients based on Douleur Neuropathique en 4 Questions (DN4) questionnaire and in 38.6% of patients based on Leeds assessment neuropathic pain symptoms and signs questionnaire (LANSS). Serum β-NGF levels were significantly higher in KOA patients than controls (P<0.0001), and in KOA patients with neuropathic pain compared with patients with non-neuropathic pain. DN4 score was positively correlated with Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain, stiffness, and physical function, and it was also negatively correlated with Osteoarthritis knee hip quality of life questionnaire (OAKHQOL) pain scores (rs=0.459, P<0.001; rs= 0.258, P= 0.031; rs= 0.307, P= 0.010; rs = −0.337, P= 0.004, respectively), while LANSS scale was positively correlated with symptom duration, WOMAC stiffness, Lequesne pain, and Lequesne index (rs= 0.260, P= 0.020; rs= 0.343, P= 0.004; rs= 0.344, P= 0.004; rs= 0.322, P= 0.007) and negatively correlated with OAKHQOL physical, OAKHQOL mental health, OAKHQOL social support, and total OAKHQOL scores (rs= −0.258, P= 0.031;rs= −0.254, P= 0.034; rs= −0.283, P= 0.018; rs= −0.261, P= 0.029 respectively).ConclusionsNeuropathic pain symptoms are frequent in primary KOA patients. KOA patients with neuropathic pain have worse quality of life, extreme disability, and higher serum β-NGF levels. Nerve growth factor inhibitors could have a potential role for not only relieving pain in KOA patients but also improving functional disability and quality of life in these patients.

Update in palliative care in gynecologic oncology.

This review summarizes research advances in quality of life, symptom management, and end-of-life practices within palliative care that can benefit patients with gynecologic cancers. Addressing fertility issues, sexual side effects, and possible disease recurrence can promote quality of life in gynecologic cancer survivors. Cannabis can provide some benefit for nausea and neuropathic pain, yet for nonneuropathic pain presentations, it does not appear to provide significant benefit in reducing opioid usage. Lastly, palliative care outcomes, such as reduced aggressive care at the end of life and higher rates of hospice enrollment are augmented by the presence of an outpatient palliative care clinic. Ongoing advances in palliative care research hold potential for improvement in systems delivery of palliative care as well as symptom management and psychosocial support.

Psychometric properties of the Persian version of the neuropathic pain questionnaire

Purpose In this study, we aimed to translate, cross-culturally adapt, and validate the Persian version of the Neuropathic Pain Questionnaire (NPQ-P). Methods We translated the NPQ to the Persian language based on the recommended guidelines. Measurement properties (internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha), test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient), construct validity (compared to DN4 questionnaire), and discriminant ability (Receiver operating curve analysis)) of the NPQ-P were evaluated. A total of 101 patients were enrolled in the study. Results No modification was needed in the translation and cultural adaptation process. High Cronbach’s alpha (0.81) and ICC (0.94) supported good reliability of the NPQ-P. The correlation coefficient between the NPQ-P and DN-4 questionnaires was 0.42, indicated moderate construct validity of the NPQ-P. The NPQ-P demonstrated acceptable discriminant ability (AUC: 0.76 (95% CI: 0.66–0.84)). A total score of −0.3 indicated the highest Youden index with a corresponding sensitivity of 0.84 and specificity of 0.64 for the NPQ-P. Conclusion The NPQ was successfully translated to the Persian language and indicated acceptable reliability, diagnostic accuracy, and discriminant ability. The NPQ-P can be used in a clinical setting adjunct to physical examinations and electrodiagnostic tests for a quick screening to distinguish between patients with neuropathic and non-neuropathic pain. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION Neuropathic Pain Questionnaire (NPQ) can be used for a quick screening to discriminate between patients with neuropathic and nociceptive pain. Persian version of the NPQ (NPQ-P) is a reliable and accurate tool with acceptable discriminant ability. The NPQ-P should be used in clinical setting adjunct to physical examinations and electrodiagnostic tests.

Musculoskeletal Pain Due to Wheelchair Use: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

IntroductionWheelchair users are at a high risk of experiencing non-neuropathic pain of musculoskeletal origin as a result of being wheelchair-bound. The aim of this systematic review was to establish the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in wheelchair users that is attributable to wheelchair use, and to describe the different pain syndromes and discuss risk factors and management options.MethodsAfter a systematic MEDLINE search, we identified 40 papers eligible for inclusion.ResultsThe pooled prevalence of musculoskeletal pain at any location was 50% (95% CI 33–67%). The most common pain syndrome was shoulder pain (pooled prevalence 44%, 95% CI 36–52%). Wheelchair users were 5.8 times as likely to suffer from shoulder pain as controls (95% CI 2.7–12.2, p < 0.0001). Other pain syndromes included neck, elbow, wrist, hand and low back pain.Older age and increased duration of wheelchair use were the most significant determinants of pain in wheelchair users.ConclusionsMusculoskeletal pain as a result of wheelchair use is very common amongst wheelchair users. Management of pain should follow national and international guidelines. Optimal adjustment of seating position may prevent pain, and is important to be taken into consideration.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40122-021-00294-5.

Dissecting neuropathic from poststroke pain: the white matter within.

Poststroke pain (PSP) is a heterogeneous term encompassing both central neuropathic (ie, central poststroke pain [CPSP]) and nonneuropathic poststroke pain (CNNP) syndromes. Central poststroke pain is classically related to damage in the lateral brainstem, posterior thalamus, and parietoinsular areas, whereas the role of white matter connecting these structures is frequently ignored. In addition, the relationship between stroke topography and CNNP is not completely understood. In this study, we address these issues comparing stroke location in a CPSP group of 35 patients with 2 control groups: 27 patients with CNNP and 27 patients with stroke without pain. Brain MRI images were analyzed by 2 complementary approaches: an exploratory analysis using voxel-wise lesion symptom mapping, to detect significant voxels damaged in CPSP across the whole brain, and a hypothesis-driven, region of interest-based analysis, to replicate previously reported sites involved in CPSP. Odds ratio maps were also calculated to demonstrate the risk for CPSP in each damaged voxel. Our exploratory analysis showed that, besides known thalamic and parietoinsular areas, significant voxels carrying a high risk for CPSP were located in the white matter encompassing thalamoinsular connections (one-tailed threshold Z > 3.96, corrected P value <0.05, odds ratio = 39.7). These results show that the interruption of thalamocortical white matter connections is an important component of CPSP, which is in contrast with findings from nonneuropathic PSP and from strokes without pain. These data can aid in the selection of patients at risk to develop CPSP who could be candidates to pre-emptive or therapeutic interventions.

Prevalence and Impact of Neuropathic and Nonneuropathic Pain in Chronic Spinal Cord Injury

ObjectiveTo compare prevalence, intensity ratings, and interference ratings of neuropathic pain (NeuP) and nociceptive pain in people with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) DesignCross-sectional survey. SettingSix SCI Model System centers in the United States. ParticipantsConvenience sample of 391 individuals (N=391) with traumatic SCI, 18 years or older, 81% male, 57% White. InterventionsNot applicable. Main Outcome MeasuresSurvey based on the International Spinal Cord Injury Pain Basic Data Set and the Spinal Cord Injury Pain Instrument, including 0-10 numeric ratings of pain intensity and pain interference with daily activities, mood, and sleep ResultsA total of 80% of those surveyed reported having at least 1 pain problem; 58% reported 2 or more pain problems; 56% had probable NeuP; and 49% had non-NeuP. When comparing ratings for all pains (n=354 for NeuP, n=290 for non-NeuP) across participants, probable NeuPs were significantly more intense (6.9 vs 5.7) and interfered more with activities (5.2 vs 3.7), mood (4.9 vs 3.2), and sleep (5.4 vs 3.6) than non-NeuPs (all P<.001). However, when comparing ratings for probable NeuPs and non-NeuPs within participants, for the subgroup of 94 participants with both pain types, only ratings for sleep interference were found to be significantly different between the pain types. Additionally, we found significantly greater prevalence of NeuP and non-NeuP for women compared with men and of NeuP for those with paraplegia compared with those with tetraplegia. ConclusionsIndependent assessment of the pain conditions experienced by an individual with SCI is useful in understanding the differential effect that pain type has on quality of life. This is particularly important regarding sleep interference and should be kept in mind when determining treatment strategies for meeting patient-centered outcome goals.

The Validity and Reliability of a New Modified Persian Version of DN4 to Discriminate Non-neuropathic from Neuropathic

Introduction: One of the popular questionnaires for screening neuropathic pain is the DN4 (Douleur Neuropathique 4) which has been translated into many languages and validated in different populations. So, we wanted to determine the Persian version of this questionnaire’s reliability and validity to differentiate neuropathic pain from other painful non-neuropathic conditions. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 120 patients who suffered from chronic pain referred to the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department at the three great referral hospitals in Tehran, Iran in 2016. In this study, a modified version of DN4 was used to validate adding a question related to the appearance of pain in an especial joint and adding visual analogue scaling (VAS) score in each item. Results: The modified DN4 questionnaire had high reliability for assessing neuropathic pain with the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.874. The correlation coefficients obtained by the retest intra-class correlation test ranged from 0.650 to 0.941. Also, the internal consistency of Spearman’s R coefficients ranged from 0.482 to 0.904. Test-retest reliability analysis also showed a higher intraclass correlation (ICC) value in the neuropathic than non-neuropathic pain group (0.85 vs0.73). The modified DN4 questionnaire could effectively discriminate neuropathic pain from non-neuropathic pain with the area under the curve (ROC) of 0.989 (95% CI: 971–1000, P &lt; 0.001). The best cutoff value for the modified DN4 questionnaire to diagnose neuropathic pain was 5, yielding a sensitivity of 98.3% and a specificity of 90.3%. Conclusion: Applying the new modified Persian version of DN4 achieved by adding a VAS score and a new question related to the appearance of pain in an especial joint led to high reliability and validity for this tool to discriminate neuropathic from non-neuropathic pain.

586 Patient Satisfaction for the Use of DVPRS in the Assessment of Pain in the Burn and Surgical ICU

Abstract Introduction The assessment and treatment of pain has become increasingly important in light of the opioid epidemic. Inadequately managed pain can lead to increased risk of psychiatric illness. The numeric rating scale (NRS) is used in most ICUs and only assesses pain intensity. Although it is reliable, valid, and user-friendly, other publications have criticized this one-dimensional pain assessment tools as offering little information about the impact of the pain on the patient’s life. The defense and veterans pain rating scale (DVPRS) is a multi-dimensional tool designed to assess the patient’s pain intensity as well as how the pain interferes with the patient’s general activity, sleep, mood and stress. Studies have shown that it has good validity and reliability in the inpatient and outpatient military population with neuropathic and non-neuropathic pain. The DVPRS has not been evaluated in critical care patients. Thus, this study comparatively investigated ICU patients’ satisfaction with the DVPRS versus the NRS. Methods This was a prospective pilot study performed from September 2018 to July 2019 in a 10 bed burn intensive care unit (BICU) and 10 bed surgical intensive care unit (SICU) at a university teaching hospital. This was an IRB approved study. All enrolled patients were older than 18 years of age and were CAM-ICU negative. The participating staff members were educated on the use of the scales prior to the start of the study. Routine treatment of pain was not altered by the study. Pain was assessed by staff nurses randomly assigned to use the NRS or DVPRS tool. The selected tool was used on admission, during wound care and every 4 hours or upon patient need. The patients completed satisfaction surveys on the day of discharge. Results 42 patients participated and 32 completed the study. 18 patients were in the DVPRS arm and 14 were in the NRS arm. Our primary outcome was patient satisfaction, ranked on a scale from 0–10, where 0 was the lowest score and 10 was the highest. Overall, patients in the DVPRS cohort had higher median satisfaction scores (median score: 10, interquartile range: 8–10) than the NRS cohort (median score: 8, interquartile range 7–9), though this difference did not reach statistical significance (p=0.16). However, DVPRS patients were significantly more likely to be “completely satisfied” than NRS patients (55.6% in DVPRS patients versus 21.4% in NRS patients; p=0.04). Furthermore, upon multivariate logistic analysis adjusting for age, gender, and ICU using the NRS pain scale conferred lower odds of complete satisfaction with pain management (odds ratio: 0.19, p=0.04). Conclusions Our study showed that ICU patients preferred the DVPRS over the NRS. The DVPRS appeared to be as effective as the NRS in pain relief and gave providers more information about patients’ pain.

Treatments that are perceived to be helpful for non-neuropathic pain after traumatic spinal cord injury: a multicenter cross-sectional survey.

Cross-sectional survey. The objective of the study was to identify the treatments that people with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) used for their non-neuropathic pains (nonNeuPs) and how they subjectively rated the helpfulness of those treatments. Six centers from the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems. Three hundred ninety one individuals who were at least 1-year post-traumatic SCI were enrolled. A telephone survey was conducted for pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments utilized in the last 12 months for each participant's three worst pains and the perceived helpfulness of each treatment for each pain. One hundred ninety (49%) participants reported at least one nonNeuP (Spinal Cord Injury Pain Instrument score < 2) in the previous 7 days. NSAIDs/aspirin, acetaminophen, opioids, and cannabinoids were the most commonly used and helpful pharmacologic treatments for overall nonNeuP locations (helpful in 77-89% of treated pains). Body position adjustment, passive exercise, massage, resistive exercise, and heat therapy were reported as the most commonly used non-pharmacological treatments for nonNeuPs. Heat therapy, aerobic exercise, massage, and body position adjustment were the most helpful non-pharmacological treatments for overall nonNeuP locations (helpful in 71-80% of treated pains). Perceived helpfulness of treatments varied by pain locations, which may be due to different mechanisms underlying pains in different locations. Results of the study may help guide clinicians in selecting pain-specific treatments for nonNeuPs. The self-reported helpfulness of heat therapy, exercise, and massage suggests a possible direction for clinical trials investigating these treatments of nonNeuP while limiting the side effects accompanying pharmacologic treatments.

Psychologic Status and Influence of Surgery Techniques on Acute Nonneuropathic Pain After Dental Implant Surgery: Systematic Review and Meta-analyses.

Dental implant placement is often followed by acute pain, which is one of the most important patient-centered matters of treatment. However, this pain is often not adequately appreciated by clinicians, and knowledge about risk factors associated with acute pain is scant. An understanding of these factors is important to help clinicians deliver efficient pain control advice based on individual demand. A systematic review of the literature was carried out to identify published risk factors for acute pain after dental implant surgery. PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, and Google Scholar databases were searched to find pertinent studies up to August 2019. Cohorts and randomized controlled trials (RCTs; including split-mouth trials) were included. The criteria used were those described in the PRISMA statement for performing systematic reviews. Nine hundred twenty-five papers were identified through the initial searching. After three stages of screening, 38 articles were included in the qualitative analysis but only 8 in the quantitative analysis. Despite the heterogeneity of the included articles, these data showed that flapped (vs flapless) surgery, anxiety, longer surgical duration, anticipation of more pain before surgery, and higher pain levels at earlier time points play a key role in the intensity of acute pain after dental implant surgery. There is strong evidence to suggest that the place of insertion (maxilla/mandible) is not a risk factor for pain. The results for the effect of immediate loading (vs delayed loading), number of implants inserted, sex, age, and smoking on pain were inconclusive.

Therapeutic Potential of Ultrasound Neuromodulation in Decreasing Neuropathic Pain: Clinical and Experimental Evidence.

Background For more than seven decades, ultrasound has been used as an imaging and diagnostic tool. Today, new technologies, such as focused ultrasound (FUS) neuromodulation, have revealed some innovative, potential applications. However, those applications have been barely studied to deal with neuropathic pain (NP), a cluster of chronic pain syndromes with a restricted response to conventional pharmaceuticals.Objective To analyze the therapeutic potential of low-intensity (LIFUS) and high-intensity (HIFUS) FUS for managing NP.Methods We performed a narrative review, including clinical and experimental ultrasound neuromodulation studies published in three main database repositories.Discussion Evidence shows that FUS may influence several mechanisms relevant for neuropathic pain management such as modulation of ion channels, glutamatergic neurotransmission, cerebral blood flow, inflammation and neurotoxicity, neuronal morphology and survival, nerve regeneration, and remyelination. Some experimental models have shown that LIFUS may reduce allodynia after peripheral nerve damage. At the same time, a few clinical studies support its beneficial effect on reducing pain in nerve compression syndromes. In turn, Thalamic HIFUS ablation can reduce NP from several etiologies with minor side-effects, but some neurological sequelae might be permanent. HIFUS is also useful in lowering non-neuropathic pain in several disorders.Conclusion Although an emerging set of studies brings new evidence on the therapeutic potential of both LIFUS and HIFUS for managing NP with minor side-effects, we need more controlled clinical trials to conclude about its safety and efficacy.

The inflammatory profile of cerebrospinal fluid, plasma, and saliva from patients with severe neuropathic pain and healthy controls-a pilot study

BackgroundNeuropathic pain (NeuP) is a complex, debilitating condition of the somatosensory system, where dysregulation between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines are believed to play a pivotal role. As of date, there is no ubiquitously accepted diagnostic test for NeuP and current therapeutic interventions are lacking in efficacy. The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of three biofluids - saliva, plasma, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), to discriminate an inflammatory profile at a central, systemic, and peripheral level in NeuP patients compared to healthy controls.MethodsThe concentrations of 71 cytokines, chemokines and growth factors in saliva, plasma, and CSF samples from 13 patients with peripheral NeuP and 13 healthy controls were analyzed using a multiplex-immunoassay based on an electrochemiluminescent detection method. The NeuP patients were recruited from a clinical trial of intrathecal bolus injection of ziconotide (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT01373983). Multivariate data analysis (principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least square regression) was used to identify proteins significant for group discrimination and protein correlation to pain intensity. Proteins with variable influence of projection (VIP) value higher than 1 (combined with the jack-knifed confidence intervals in the coefficients plot not including zero) were considered significant.ResultsWe found 17 cytokines/chemokines that were significantly up- or down-regulated in NeuP patients compared to healthy controls. Of these 17 proteins, 8 were from saliva, 7 from plasma, and 2 from CSF samples. The correlation analysis showed that the most important proteins that correlated to pain intensity were found in plasma (VIP > 1).ConclusionsInvestigation of the inflammatory profile of NeuP showed that most of the significant proteins for group separation were found in the less invasive biofluids of saliva and plasma. Within the NeuP patient group it was also seen that proteins in plasma had the highest correlation to pain intensity. These preliminary results indicate a potential for further biomarker research in the more easily accessible biofluids of saliva and plasma for chronic peripheral neuropathic pain where a combination of YKL-40 and MIP-1α in saliva might be of special interest for future studies that also include other non-neuropathic pain states.