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Although transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and mirror therapy (MT) have benefits in combating chronic pain, there is still no evidence of the effects of the simultaneous application of these techniques in patients with neuropathic pain. This study aims to assess the efficacy of tDCS paired with MT in neuropathic pain after brachial plexus injury. In a sham controlled, double-blind, parallel-group design, 16 patients were randomized to receive active or sham tDCS administered during mirror therapy. Each patient received 12 treatment sessions, 30 min each, during a period of 4 weeks over M1 contralateral to the side of the injury. Outcome variables were evaluated at baseline and post-treatment using the McGill questionnaire, Brief Pain Inventory, and Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey. Long-term effects of treatment were evaluated at a 3-month follow-up. An improvement in pain relief and quality of life were observed in both groups ( ≤ 0.05). However, active tDCS and mirror therapy resulted in greater improvements after the endpoint ( ≤ 0.02). No statistically significant differences in the outcome measures were identified among the groups at follow-up ( ≥ 0.12). A significant relationship was found between baseline pain intensity and outcome measures ( ≤ 0.04). Moreover, the results showed that state anxiety is closely linked to post-treatment pain relief ( ≤ 0.05). Active tDCS combined with mirror therapy has a short-term effect of pain relief, however, levels of pain and anxiety at the baseline should be considered. www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT04385030.
Spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) helps to reduce chronic low back pain (cLBP). However, the underlying mechanism of pain relief and the neurological response to SMT remains unclear. We utilized brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) upon the application of a real-time spot pressure mechanical stimulus to assess the effects of SMT on patients with cLBP. Patients with cLBP (Group 1, = 14) and age-matched healthy controls without cLBP (Group 2, = 20) were prospectively enrolled. Brain fMRI was performed for Group 1 at three time points: before SMT (TP1), after the first SMT session (TP2), and after the sixth SMT session (TP3). The healthy controls (Group 2) did not receive SMT and underwent only one fMRI scan. During fMRI scanning, a real-time spot pressure mechanical stimulus was applied to the low back area of all participants. Participants in Group 1 completed clinical questionnaires assessing pain and quality of life using a visual analog scale (VAS) and the Chinese Short Form Oswestry Disability Index (C-SFODI), respectively. Before SMT (TP1), there were no significant differences in brain activity between Group 1 and Group 2. After the first SMT session (TP2), Group 1 showed significantly greater brain activity in the right parahippocampal gyrus, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and left precuneus compared to Group 2 ( < 0.05). After the sixth SMT session (TP3), Group 1 showed significantly greater brain activity in the posterior cingulate gyrus and right inferior frontal gyrus compared to Group 2 ( < 0.05). After both the first and sixth SMT sessions (TP2 and TP3), Group 1 had significantly lower VAS pain scores and C-SFODI scores than at TP1 ( < 0.001). We observed alterations in brain activity in regions of the default mode network in patients with cLBP after SMT. These findings suggest the potential utility of the default mode network as a neuroimaging biomarker for pain management in patients with cLBP. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, identifier ChiCTR1800015620.
Maladaptive defensive responses such as excessive avoidance behavior have received increasing attention as a main mechanism for the development and maintenance of chronic pain complaints. However, another defensive response which is commonly studied in animals as a proxy for fear is freezing behavior. No research to date has investigated human freezing behavior in the context of pain. In addition, there is an increasing realization that social context can affect pain-relevant processes such as pain experience and pain behavior but less is known about the effects of social context on defensive responses to pain. Hence, this study investigated freezing behavior and facial pain expression in the context of pain, and their modulation by social context.
Severe chronic postsurgical pain has a prevalence of 4-10% in the surgical population. The underlying nociceptive mechanisms have not been well characterized. Following the late resolution phase of an inflammatory injury, high-dose μ-opioid-receptor inverse agonists reinstate hypersensitivity to nociceptive stimuli. This unmasking of latent pain sensitization has been a consistent finding in rodents while only observed in a limited number of human volunteers. Latent sensitization could be a potential triggering venue in chronic postsurgical pain. The objective of the present trial was in detail to examine the association between injury-induced secondary hyperalgesia and naloxone-induced unmasking of latent sensitization. Healthy volunteers (n = 80) received a cutaneous heat injury (47°C, 420 s, 12.5 cm2). Baseline secondary hyperalgesia areas were assessed 1 h post-injury. Utilizing an enriched enrollment design, subjects with a magnitude of secondary hyperalgesia areas in the upper quartile ('high-sensitizers' [n = 20]) and the lower quartile ('low-sensitizers' [n = 20]) were selected for further study. In four consecutive experimental sessions (Sessions 1 to 4), the subjects at two sessions (Sessions 1 and 3) received a cutaneous heat injury followed 168 h later (Sessions 2 and 4) by a three-step target-controlled intravenous infusion of naloxone (3.25 mg/kg), or normal saline. Assessments of secondary hyperalgesia areas were made immediately before and stepwise during the infusions. Simple univariate statistics revealed no significant differences in secondary hyperalgesia areas between naloxone and placebo treatments (P = 0.215), or between 'high-sensitizers' and 'low-sensitizers' (P = 0.757). In a mixed-effects model, secondary hyperalgesia areas were significantly larger following naloxone as compared to placebo for 'high-sensitizers' (P < 0.001), but not 'low-sensitizers' (P = 0.651). Although we could not unequivocally demonstrate naloxone-induced reinstatement of heat injury-induced hyperalgesia, further studies in clinical postsurgical pain models are warranted.
For years, heat has been used for comfort and analgesia is recommended as a first-line therapy in many clinical guidelines. Yet, there are questions that remain about the actual effectiveness of heat for a condition as common as chronic low back pain, and factors such as time of onset, optimal temperature, and duration of effect.
A relationship between chronic pain and frailty has been reported. The early detection and prevention of frailty are recommended, in part because community-dwelling older adults in a pre-frailty state may return to a healthy state. The relationship between chronic pain and pre-frailty is not known. Toward the goal of promoting a reversible return to health from pre-frailty, we investigated the relationship between chronic pain and pre-frailty among community-dwelling older adults. We assessed the frailty and chronic pain of 107 older adults who were participating in community health checks. The status of physical frailty was based on the five components described by Fried (2001): muscle weakness shown by handgrip strength, slowness of gait speed, weight loss, low physical activity, and exhaustion. Chronic pain was assessed based on pain intensity, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), the Japanese version of the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15), and the Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI). The prevalence of chronic pain with pre-frailty was 40.2%. A hierarchical analysis revealed that PCS-measured helplessness (odds ratio [OR]: 0.88) and the CSI (OR: 0.87) were significant factors associated with the presence of chronic pain with pre-frailty. The prevalence of chronic pain with pre-frailty was high, and chronic pain and pre-frailty were strongly related. New intervention or prevention programs that take into account both chronic pain and pre-frailty must be created as soon as possible.
Current recommendations controversially discuss local infiltration techniques as specific treatment for refractory pain syndromes. Evidence of effectiveness remains inconclusive and local infiltration series are discussed as a therapeutic option in patients not responding to standard therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of infiltration series with techniques such as sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) block and ganglionic local opioid analgesia (GLOA) for the treatment of neuropathic pain in the head and neck area in a selected patient group.
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic musculoskeletal pain disorder that is characterized by persistent and widespread pain. FMS has been associated with sleep disturbance, mood disorders and depression. Racial/ethnic minorities are less likely to receive a diagnosis of FMS than White individuals. Although mood disorders and depression are prevalent among racial/ethnic minority groups, researchers have not examined whether there are differences between racial/ethnic minorities and White individuals with FMS.
To report the theoretical basis and design of a novel digital Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention for people with chronic pain, the Pain Tracker Self Manager (PTSM), which had promising efficacy in a recent pilot trial.
Establishing predictors of mental health outcomes is a crucial precursor to the development and assessment of psychological interventions for women with chronic pelvic pain (CPP). The objective of this study was to identify predictors of depression, anxiety and stress in a cohort of women with CPP.