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PubMed1996

Severe chronic pelvic pain in women may be caused by ligamentous laxity in the posterior fornix of the vagina.

The aim was to prospectively study the relationship between pelvic pain of otherwise unknown origin and laxity in the posterior vaginal fornix. Twenty-eight patients with negative laparoscopy findings, lower abdominal pain and laxity in the posterior ligamentous supports of the uterus underwent surgical approximation of their uterosacral ligaments. At 3-month review, 85% of patients were cured, and at 12 months, 70%. Nonorganic pelvic pain has frequently been attributed to psychological factors. However, the results suggest that this may be a T12-L1 parasympathetic pain referred to the lower abdomen, perhaps due to the force of gravity stimulating pain nerves unable to be supported by the lax uterosacral ligaments in which they are contained. It was concluded that laxity in the posterior ligaments of the vagina should first be excluded before referring patients with pelvic floor discomfort or pain for psychiatric care.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Anatomic basis of chronic groin pain with special reference to sports hernia.

Chronic pain on the ventral surface of the scrotum and the proximal ventro-medial surface of the thigh especially in athletes has been diagnosed in various ways; recently, in Europe the concept of "sports hernia" has been advocated. However, since few reports discuss the detailed course of the nerves in association with the pain, we examined the cutaneous branches in the inguinal region in 54 halves of 27 adult male cadavers. From our results, in addition to the cutaneous branches from the ilioinguinal n. (in 49 of 54: 90.7%), cutaneous branches originating from the genital branches of the genitofemoral nerve were found in the inguinal region in 19 of 54 halves (35.2%). In 7 cases (in 7 of 54: 13.0%) the genital branch and the ilioinguinal nerve united in the inguinal canal. In 6 cases the genital branch pierced the inguinal lig. to enter the inguinal canal, and in three cases the genital branch pierced the border between the ligament and the aponeurosis of the obliquus externus m. to be distributed to the inguinal region. Therefore, the courses of the genital branches vary considerably, and may have a very important role in chronic groin pain produced by groin hernia. In addition, entrapment by the ligament may be a reasonable candidate for the cause of chronic groin pain.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Recent and forgotten aspects of visceral pain.

Progress in the field of visceral pain research has been particularly rapid in recent years. Some aspects of the symptom that had previously been neglected for some time have now received a great deal of attention in both clinical and experimental studies. This regards, in particular, phenomena of hyperalgesia: (a) of visceral structures, because of local inflammatory/sensitizing processes (visceral hyperalgesia); (b) of areas of referred pain from viscera (referred somatic hyperalgesia from viscera); and (c) of a visceral structure, because of an algogenic process of another visceral domain (viscero-visceral hyperalgesia). Clinical studies in patients have led to characterisation of subjective and objective symptoms of these phenomena. A number of studies in human volunteers (employing experimental procedures to stimulate and measure pain reactivity in both visceral structures and somatic areas of referral) have further increased the knowledge about modalities of generation of the various forms of hyperalgesia.Animal experiments have improved understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms, mostly those underlying the referred hyperalgesia, with a number of findings supporting the notion of central changes at the basis of the phenomenon. An important aspect of laboratory experiments in recent years has been the setting up of animal models of visceral pain conditions closely mimicking a number of clinical pain states in patients. As a result, the outcome of experimental studies (electrophysiological, pharmacological, etc.) appears more directly applicable to the interpretation of the clinical reality.Finally, in the context of laboratory studies, a novel trend of investigation is represented by genetic experiments, particularly those employing 'knock-out' mice. These experiments, by generating animals lacking specific genes responsible for the production of various receptors implicated in pain transmission, have further contributed to the understanding of the generation of visceral pain symptoms. Although studies in this field are in their early stage, they seem particularly promising for a better understanding of the pathophysiology of visceral pain, and thus the establishment of more satisfying therapies in the future. Copyright 1999 European Federation of Chapters of the International Association for the Study of Pain.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1992

Ends of the line: diversity among chronic pain centers.

Chronic pain may cause an endless search for care for its sufferers, while presenting a persistently intractable problem for physicians and disability administrators faced with an illness that defies both conventional medical thinking and established disability compensation mechanisms. In the past 15 years pain centers have mushroomed. Some pain specialists, who are typically based on these centers, have claimed to provide comprehensive treatment for chronic pain and definitive solutions to problems of disability policy. However, pain control is not yet a unified field. Approaches to treatment vary and the definitions of the objects of treatment, i.e. chronic pain syndromes, differ. This paper describes the lines of diversity which characterize this emerging field of health care through an explanatory, cross-sectional survey of 25 pain treatment facilities operating in a single urban community. Pain centers were found to vary with respect to the following dimensions: institutional affiliation, professional background of the staff, treatment modalities offered, populations served, patient selection criteria, types of pain condition treated, and diagnostic and etiologic frames of reference. Pain centers may present a diverse array of options in a pain sufferer's search for care. In addition, the reliance on pain specialists for a resolution of complex problems of disability policy may be premature.

Ambulatory Care Facilities↗

PubMed2004

Psychological factors in pelvic/urogenital pain: the influence of site of pain versus sex.

Chronic pelvic pain (CPP), a fairly common gynecological complaint in women, has been associated with multiple psychological sequelae, including depression and somatization. Previous work has compared these patients to gynecological controls and women with headache, but has failed to include male comparison groups with a comparable site of chronic pain. In order to test possible sex and pain site differences, the present study compared 22 women with CPP, 22 men with either penile or testicular pain, 22 women with low back pain and 28 men with low back pain referred for a psychological evaluation as part of multidisciplinary pain treatment. Depression, coping, pain intensity and interference were assessed. Two-way analyses of variance (sex by pain site) were conducted to determine if there were group differences on demographic variables and medical history. Pain duration, age, and pain severity differed among the groups and were entered as covariates in hierarchical regression analyses designed to identify predictors of adjustment and pain coping. Sex and pain site did not contribute independently to the prediction of depressive symptoms. Pain site predicted physical functioning with low back pain patients reporting greater pain-related interference. Similar findings were demonstrated for coping. A variety of pain-coping strategies, including catastrophizing, were more frequently utilized by low back pain patients, regardless of sex. In the present study, pain severity and pain site explained more variance in depressive symptoms, physical functioning, and pain-coping than sex.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Radiofrequency sacroiliac joint denervation for sacroiliac syndrome.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Radiofrequency (RF) denervation of the sacroiliac (SI) joint has been advocated for the treatment of sacroiliac syndrome, yet no clinical studies or case series support its use. METHODS: We report the results of a consecutive series of 50 SI joint RF denervations performed in 33 patients with sacroiliac syndrome. All patients underwent diagnostic SI joint injections with local anesthetic before denervation. Changes in visual analog pain scores (VAS), pain diagrams, physical examination (palpation tenderness over the joint, myofascial trigger points overlying the joint, SI joint pain provocation tests, and range of motion of the lumbar spine), and opioid use were assessed pre- and postdenervation. RESULTS: The criteria for successful RF denervation were at least a 50% decrease in VAS for a period of at least 6 months; 36.4% of patients (12 of 33) met these criteria. Failure of denervation correlated with the presence of disability determination and pain on lateral flexion to the affected side. The average duration of pain relief was 12.0 +/- 1.2 months in responders versus 0.9 +/- 0.2 months in nonresponders (P < or = 0.0001). A positive response was associated with an atraumatic inciting event. Successful denervation was associated with a change in the pain diagram and a reduction in the pattern of referred pain, a normalization of SI joint pain provocation tests, and a reduction in the use of opioids. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that RF denervation of the SI joint can significantly reduce pain in selected patients with sacroiliac syndrome for a protracted time period. Moreover, certain abnormal physical findings (i.e., SI joint pain provocation tests) revert to normal for the duration of the analgesia.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Factors influencing exercise-related transient abdominal pain.

PURPOSE: Exercise-related transient abdominal pain (ETAP) is a widely experienced but poorly understood problem. This study examined the influence of age, gender, body mass index (BMI), training status, and sporting activity on the experience of ETAP and shoulder tip pain (STP). STP may occur as a result of referred pain from tissues innervated by the phrenic nerve; these tissues are implicated in theories proposed to explain ETAP. METHODS: A total of 965 regular sporting participants were surveyed from six sporting activities: running, swimming, cycling, aerobics, basketball, and horse riding. RESULTS: The prevalence (r = -0.28, P < 0.01) and severity (r = -0.17, P < 0.01) of ETAP decreased with age. Gender, BMI, and training status had no affect on the prevalence or severity of ETAP, but respondents who trained more frequently reported experiencing ETAP less often. Younger respondents were more inclined than the older respondents to report ETAP on the left side of the abdomen (P < 0.05). The prevalence (r = -0.11, P < 0.01) and severity (r = -0.37, P < 0.01) of STP decreased with age. STP was described as more severe (r = 0.23, P < 0.05) by respondents with high BMI values. Gender and training status had no influence on the experience of STP. Controlling for all other factors, ETAP was respectively 10.5 and 9 times more common (P < 0.01) in running and horse riding than cycling. STP was 13 times more common in running than cycling. CONCLUSION: Training status alters the frequency of occurrence of ETAP but has little effect on the incidence or severity of the pain. Further, ETAP and STP decrease with age but are not related to gender or BMI.

Abdominal Pain↗

PubMed2001

Diagnosing TMJ internal derangement and osteoarthritis with magnetic resonance imaging.

BACKGROUND: The authors conducted a study to investigate the relationship between the presence of temporomandibular joint, or TMJ, pain and magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, findings of internal derangement, or ID, and arthritis, or OA. METHODS: The authors studied 131 consecutively seen TMJ pain patients. Their criteria for including a patient in the study were report of unilateral orofacial pain referred to TMJ and the presence of unilateral TMJ pain during palpation, function, and unassisted or assisted mandibular opening. The authors took bilateral sagittal and coronal MRIs to establish the presence or absence of TMJ ID, OA or both. RESULTS: When the authors compared TMJ side-related data from all subjects, they found a significant relationship between the clinical findings of TMJ pain and the MRI diagnoses of TMJ ID (P = .000) and TMJ OA (P = .013). They also found a significant relationship between the MRI diagnosis of TMJ ID type and that of TMJ OA (P = .000). The authors used the kappa statistical test and found poor diagnostic agreement between the presence of TMJ pain and the MRI diagnosis of TMJ ID (kappa = 0.21), TMJ OA (kappa = 0.15), and TMJ ID and OA combined (kappa = 0.18). CONCLUSIONS: The study's findings suggest that while clinical pain is related to TMJ-related MRI findings, the presence of clinical pain is not a reliable predictor of TMJ ID, OA or both. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Using MRI to supplement clinical findings of TMJ pain appears warranted and necessary to establish the presence or absence of TMJ ID.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Categorizing patients with occupational low back pain by use of the Quebec Task Force Classification system versus pain pattern classification procedures: discriminant and predictive validity.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Quebec Task Force Classification (QTFC) and pain pattern classification (PPC) procedures, including centralization and noncentralization, are common classification procedures. Classification was done to estimate validity of data obtained with QTFC and PPC procedures for differentiating patient subgroups at intake and for use in predicting rehabilitation outcomes at discharge and work status at 1 year after discharge from rehabilitation. SUBJECTS: Patients (n=171, 54% male; mean age=37 years, SD=10, range=18-62) with acute work-related low back pain referred for physical therapy were analyzed. METHODS: Patients completed pain and psychosocial questionnaires at initial examination and discharge and pain diagrams throughout intervention. Physical therapists classified patients using QTFC and PPC data at intake. Patients were classified again at discharge by PPC (time-dependent PPC). RESULTS: Analysis of variance of showed QTFC and PPC data could be used to differentiate patients by pain intensity or disability at intake. Analysis of covariance showed that intake PPC predicted pain intensity and disability at discharge, but QTFC did not. Logistic regression showed that PPC predicted work status at 1 year, but QTFC did not. Classifying patients over time using time-dependent PPC data reduced the false positive rate by 31% and increased percentage of change in pretest-posttest probability of return to work by 16% compared with classifying patients at intake. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Results support the discriminant validity of the QTFC data at intake and predictive validity of the PPC data at intake. Tracking PPC over time increases predictive validity for 1-year work status.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed2006

Are tender point injections beneficial: the role of tonic nociception in fibromyalgia.

Characteristic symptoms of fibromyalgia syndrome (FM) include widespread pain, fatigue, sleep abnormalities, and distress. FM patients show psychophysical evidence for mechanical, thermal, and electrical hyperalgesia. To fulfill FM criteria, the mechanical hyperalgesia needs to be widespread and present in at least 11 out of 18 well-defined body areas (tender points). Peripheral and central abnormalities of nociception have been described in FM and these changes may be relevant for the increased pain experienced by these patients. Important nociceptor systems in the skin and muscle seem to undergo profound changes in FM patients by yet unknown mechanisms. These changes may result from the release of algesic substances after muscle or other soft tissue injury. These pain mediators can sensitize important nociceptor systems, including the transient receptor potential channel, vanilloid subfamily member 1 (TRPV1), acid sensing ion channel (ASIC) receptors, and purino-receptors (P2X3). Subsequently, tissue mediators of inflammation and nerve growth factors can excite these receptors and cause substantial changes in pain sensitivity. FM pain is widespread and does not seem to be restricted to tender points (TP). It frequently comprises multiple areas of deep tissue pain (trigger points) with adjacent much larger areas of referred pain. Analgesia of areas of extensive nociceptive input has been found to provide often long lasting local as well as general pain relief. Thus interventions aimed at reducing local FM pain seem to be effective but need to focus less on tender points but more on trigger points (TrP) and other body areas of heightened pain and inflammation.

Botulinum Toxins↗

PubMed1989

A new differential diagnosis for musculoskeletal posterior thoracic wall pain. A case report.

Musculoskeletal pain of the posterior thoracic area has many etiologies. Referred pain from the abdominal organs is noted for the right sided viscera, the stomach, and the pancreas. Kidney pathology, however, is not listed among the differential diagnoses. A case of a renal calculus causing posterior thoracic wall pain is presented with an examination of the relevant pain pathways.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

[Significance of phrenic nerve block in the anesthetic management of laparoscopic cholecystectomy].

The significance of phrenic nerve block was studied in the anesthetic management of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Right phrenic nerve block with 1% mepivacaine 10 ml was performed after the patients were epidurally catheterized and anesthetized with isoflurane and nitrous oxide in oxygen. Intraoperative anesthetic requirement and postoperative shoulder pain incidence in patients with this block were compared with those in patients without block. Addition of the phrenic nerve block to general and epidural anesthesia did not reduce the intraoperative dosage of isoflurane, but it significantly prevented occurrence of postoperative right shoulder pain. It is known that phrenic nerve contains sensory element and that laparoscopic procedures of gall bladder elicit noxious stimuli which cannot be blocked by ordinary epidural anesthesia for abdominal surgery. Also, shoulder pain is said to be phrenic nerve-mediated referred pain. Our study suggests that blockade of these stimuli is effective in preventing postoperative event rather than intraoperative.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

Visceral chest pain in unstable angina pectoris and effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. (TENS). A review.

A substantial proportion of patients with chest pain referred to hospital, show signs of coronary artery disease. Anginal pain could be conceptualized as a warning signal for coronary artery disease and impending death. But, for many reasons this theory is partly disputed. Firstly, not all ischemic episodes are accompanied by anginal pain (silent ischemia). Secondly, chest pain indistinguishable from true angina pectoris may be the result of other abnormalities of thoracic viscera. Nevertheless acute severe cardiac ischemia often gives rise to anginal chest pain. Unstable angina pectoris is carrying a higher risk for future events in spite of intensive medical treatment. A special problem are patients awaiting coronary intervention because of severe ischemia and maximum medical treatment, who experience ischemic pain. New treatment regimens are needed for these patients. This review discusses the symptom of visceral pain from the heart, angina pectoris, its relation to ischemia and unstable angina pectoris. It also addresses the role of afferent nerve stimulation (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, TENS) in the treatment of severe angina pectoris as well as recent findings of TENS applicability in unstable angina.

Adrenergic Fibers↗

PubMed1983

Convergence of cardiac and cutaneous afferents onto neurons in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord in the cat.

Convergence of cardiac and cutaneous afferents onto neurons in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord was demonstrated in the cat. Responses of neurons to cutaneous stimulation revealed that they were either nociceptive specific (NS) or wide dynamic range (WDR) neurons. NS neurons were located in lamina I and outer zone of lamina II (IIo). WDR neurons were located in laminae I and IIo as well as laminae IV-VI. Since all the neurons responsive to electrical stimulation of the inferior cardiac nerve responded to cutaneous nociceptive input, it was inferred that the sensation evoked by excitation of dorsal horn neurons by cardiac afferents is pain. The observed convergence is suggested as a mechanism for referred pain, and convergence onto WDR neurons provides an explanation for the phenomenon of allodynia in a stage between anginal attacks.

Afferent Pathways↗

PubMed2004

Dipolar source modelling of brain potentials evoked by painful electrical stimulation of the human sigmoid colon.

The aim of the study was to compare the cerebral generators following painful stimulation of the sigmoid colon and the abdominal skin in 11 healthy subjects. The evoked potentials (EPs) were recorded from 31 surface electrodes following painful electrical stimuli of the sigmoid colon, and of the referred pain area on the abdomen. Current dipole models estimating the EPs amplitude and topography were calculated. For colon stimulation, the earliest cortical activities were described by dipoles in the bilateral insula and in the anterior cingulate cortex, while both secondary somatosensory areas were activated later. When the skin was stimulated, early bilateral dipoles in the primary and secondary somatosensory areas were estimated, followed by a dipole in the frontal region. This suggests that painful cutaneous and visceral stimuli are processed differently in the brain.

Abdomen↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Visceral and cutaneous pain representation in parasylvian cortex.

The ability to localize both touch and pain has been attributed mainly to the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), based on its fine somatotopic mapping of tactile inputs. Recently, S1 has also been implicated in the differentiation of noxious stimulation, such as distinguishing between pain arising from viscera and skin. Recent MEG and fMRI studies show that there is at least a rudimentary tactile topographic representation in the supra-sylvian cortex [encompassing secondary somatosensory area (S2)], suggesting that this area may contribute to touch localization. Nevertheless, the role of this region in pain localization or its role in the differentiation of various types of pain has not been clearly established. Healthy subjects (four males, three females) underwent fMRI-scanning (1.5 T, standard head coil, BOLD analysis) during painful balloon distention of the distal esophagus and painful heat on the midline chest in the zone of referred pain for the esophageal stimulation. Five of the seven subjects exhibited significant activation of the parasylvian region in both experimental conditions, and in each of these five subjects activation related to esophageal pain was represented more laterally within the parasylvian cortex than that associated with cutaneous trunk pain (paired t-test, p's < 0.01). Our results suggest segregation of visceral esophageal and cutaneous chest afferents within parasylvian cortex, possibly implicating this region in the perceptual differentiation of visceral and cutaneous pain.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Risk factors for temporomandibular joint pain in patients with disc displacement without reduction - a magnetic resonance imaging study.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging variables of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) internal derangement, osteoarthrosis and/or effusion may predict the presence of pain in patients with a clinical disorder of an internal derangement type (ID)-III. The relationship between TMJ ID-III pain and TMJ internal derangement, osteoarthrosis and effusion was analysed in MR images of 84 TMJs in 42 patients with a clinical unilateral diagnosis of TMJ ID-III pain. Criteria for including a TMJ ID-III pain patient were report of orofacial pain referred to the TMJ, with the presence of unilateral TMJ pain during palpation, function and/or unassisted or assisted mandibular opening. Bilateral sagittal and coronal MR images were obtained to establish the presence or absence of TMJ internal derangement, osteoarthrosis and effusion. Using chi-square analysis for pair-wise comparison, the data showed a significant relationship between the MR imaging findings of TMJ ID-III pain and those of internal derangement (P=0.01) and effusion (P=0.00). Of the MR imaging variables considered simultaneously in the multiple logistic regression analysis, osteoarthrosis (P=0.82) and effusion (P=0.08) dropped out as non-significant in the diagnostic TMJ pain group when compared with the TMJ non-pain group. The odds ratio that a TMJ with an internal derangement type of disk displacement without reduction might belong to the pain group was strong (2.7:1) and highly significant (P=0.00). Significant increases in risk of TMJ pain occurred with 'disk displacement without reduction in combination with osteoarthrosis' (5.2:1) (P=0.00) and/or 'disk displacement without reduction in combination with osteoarthrosis and effusion' (6.6:1) (P=0.00). The results suggest that TMJ pain is related to internal derangement, osteoarthrosis and effusion. However, the data re-emphasize the aspect that these MR imaging variables may not be regarded as the unique and dominant factors in defining TMJ pain instances.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1983

When shoulder pain isn't bursitis. The myofascial pain syndrome.

Pain in the shoulder girdle and the arm is often referred pain from a remote trigger point, ie, the myofascial pain syndrome. Once initiated, this definite disease entity perpetuates itself through various feedback loops. Treatment consists of interrupting the pain cycle. Local block of the trigger point with 1% lidocaine (Xylocaine), to which a short- or long-acting steroid may or may not be added, has proved to be most effective.

Bupivacaine↗