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PubMed1994

Visceral afferents: their contribution to 'sympathetic dependent' pain.

For 80 years the sympathetic nervous system has been implicated in certain human pains, notably causalgia and reflex sympathetic dystrophy. This assumption has led to the accepted concept of 'sympathetic dependent' pain. In this critical review, the evidence for this assumption is assessed. It is found that the clinical phenomena suggesting sympathetic nerve involvement may be more satisfactorily attributed to effects of neuropeptides released from afferent C-fibres. The evidence also demonstrates that the effects resembling sympathetic dysfunction relate neither to the pain nor to pain relief following sympathetic blockade. The techniques and results of sympathetic blockade have rarely been adequately evaluated, and the apparent efficacy, specificity and mode of action of peripheral sympatholytic drugs are questioned. An alternative explanation is proposed: that visceral afferents subserve a number of human pains, including those that have been considered sympathetically mediated. Problems of terminology are discussed; use of the term 'visceral afferent' is clarified and broadened to include afferents, particularly those related to blood vessels, which travel within autonomic nerves, in addition to the classical visceral afferent innervation of the organs of the great body cavities. The clinico-anatomical evidence reviewed here indicates that this general and widespread system of afferents could subserve certain pains. The relationship between visceral afferents, somatic afferents and autonomic efferents is outlined, and support is found for the unitary nature of the sensory system envisaged by Langley. Conflicting results from experiments on animals and clinical studies in man on the pain-subserving properties of visceral afferents are summarized; these confirm that visceral afferents can, at least on occasions in man, mediate pain not considered typically 'visceral'. This conclusion receives support from a number of clinical observations: not only are diseases of the autonomic nervous system painless, but damage to previously painless autonomic nerves can generate pain, as illustrated by several different conditions; pain from diseases other than of the viscera of the great cavities and which involves the widespread visceral afferents may be alleviated by sympathetic blockade, presumably since afferents travelling within autonomic fibres are simultaneously blocked; and diseases which impair the function of autonomic nerves may be unexpectedly painless. The central nervous system sequelae following involvement of visceral afferents are outlined and found to be relevant to phenomena sometimes seen with causalgia and related conditions: spread of pain; mirror involvement; associated features such as involuntary movements; and referred pain. Visceral afferents are generally clinically silent unless damage occurs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Afferent Pathways↗

PubMed2006

Multimodal pain stimulation of the gastrointestinal tract.

Understanding and characterization of pain and other sensory symptoms are among the most important issues in the diagnosis and assessment of patient with gastrointestinal disorders. Methods to evoke and assess experimental pain have recently developed into a new area with the possibility for multimodal stimulation (e.g., electrical, mechanical, thermal and chemical stimulation) of different nerves and pain pathways in the human gut. Such methods mimic to a high degree the pain experienced in the clinic. Multimodal pain methods have increased our basic understanding of different peripheral receptors in the gut in health and disease. Together with advanced muscle analysis, the methods have increased our understanding of receptors sensitive to mechanical, chemical and temperature stimuli in diseases, such as systemic sclerosis and diabetes. The methods can also be used to unravel central pain mechanisms, such as those involved in allodynia, hyperalgesia and referred pain. Abnormalities in central pain mechanisms are often seen in patients with chronic gut pain and hence methods relying on multimodal pain stimulation may help to understand the symptoms in these patients. Sex differences have been observed in several diseases of the gut, and differences in central pain processing between males and females have been hypothesized using multimodal pain stimulations. Finally, multimodal methods have recently been used to gain more insight into the effect of drugs against pain in the GI tract. Hence, the multimodal methods undoubtedly represents a major step forward in the future characterization and treatment of patients with various diseases of the gut.

Abdominal Pain↗

PubMed2000

Improving the selective use of plain radiographs in the initial evaluation of shoulder pain.

OBJECTIVE: In a previous retrospective study, we had found that shoulder radiographs were overused in the initial evaluation of patients presenting to the emergency department with shoulder pain. Our objective was to prospectively define clinical criteria that identify patients who have a low risk of radiographic findings that influence the management of the initial evaluation of shoulder pain in the emergency department. METHODS: All adult patients presenting to the emergency department of a university teaching hospital with shoulder pain were eligible to participate. Patients with deformities, penetrating wounds, referred pain, and those presenting for followup were excluded. Data were recorded prospectively using a standardized form. All radiographs were classified as therapeutically uninformative (TU) except fracture, acromioclavicular joint separation (> or =Grade 3), infection, or malignancy. A classification tree was used for analysis. RESULTS: Two hundred six patients had shoulder radiographs, of which 88% were TU. The model yielded 3 sets of low risk patients with a high percentage of TU radiographs: (1) no fall, no swelling (99% TU: 106 TU, 1 radiograph with lytic lesions in a cancer patient); (2) a fall, but no swelling, and no pain at rest (100% TU, n = 18); (3) a fall and pain at rest, but no swelling and normal range of motion (100% TU, n = 10). Not performing radiographs on these low risk patients would have decreased radiograph utilization from 52 to 18% of all shoulder patients seen. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that specific clinical criteria are able to identify patients who do not need radiographs as part of the initial management of shoulder pain. Prospective validation of these criteria are needed to confirm that these low risk patients can be safely evaluated without radiographs.

Adult↗

PubMed1977

[Facial and head pain from the neurologist's point of view (author's transl)].

Recognizing that pain is not a sensory sensation, but a subjective feeling, the neuroanatomical and neurophysiological aspects are shortly discussed which are the prerequisites of pain as an original phenomenon in higher life. The subcortical feeling of pain is compared with the pain sensation which extends to large parts of the cortex. The experience of pain may be suppressed or increased by the cortex. Since pain as a subjective phenomenon cannot be objectivated directly, the pain analysis has to consider the history of the patient and particularly the anatomical and physiological basis. The clinical diagnosis of facial and head pain differentiates the various pain syndrome which as localized pain are usually caused by externally visible changes from those projected pain phenomena in genuine or symptomatic neuralgias as well as referred pain sensations (e.g. in intracranial or occipitocervical lesions).

Ear Diseases↗

PubMed2003

[Painful shoulder syndrome].

Painful shoulder syndrome was described by S.E. Duplay 1872. showing the patient with pain and stiffness of the shoulder after trauma. Codman et. al. at the beginning of 20th century expanded the syndrome on several causes of shoulder pain. Syndrome is characterized by pain and limitation of joint movements. One of the most common nontraumatic causes of shoulder pain is periarticular disorder. The potential sources of local or referred pain may be muscle, tendon, bursa or neurovascular structures. Secondary referral pain to the shoulder may be due to coronary artery disease, hepatic or splenic disease.

Diagnosis, Differential↗

PubMed1995

[Cyclic sciatica and extrauterine endometriosis].

Cyclic sciatica caused by ectopic endometriosis is an unusual cause of compression of a lumbar root, of the sciatic nerve or its plexus. A 38-year-old patient is presented with a history of menstruation associated with right-sided sciatica, which gradually developed over a 2 1/2-year period into disabling constant pain and a lumboradicular syndrome with signs of S1-root involvement. Suggested compression of the sciatic nerve by ectopic endometriosis in the sciatic notch region could be confirmed by CT and MR, by prompt response to hormonal suppression of ovarian function and by regression of the radiological findings. If the history of cyclic pain, local tenderness on deep palpation and the onset of referred pain in the buttock had been observed at the beginning, unnecessary and costly medico-technical procedures delaying diagnosis and treatment (including unnecessary physiotherapy) could have been avoided. Cyclic sciatica is discussed in a review of literature, and possibilities of treatment are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Pain causes in 200 patients referred to a multidisciplinary cancer pain clinic.

Causes of pain were analysed in 200 patients referred to a specialized cancer pain clinic. Pain caused by tumour growth was found in 158 patients, pain secondary to cancer or its treatment in 116 patients and pain unrelated to cancer in 33 patients. Visceral involvement (74 cases), bone metastases (68 cases), soft tissue invasion (56 cases) and nerve/plexus pressure or infiltration (39 cases) were the most frequent causes of pain due to tumour growth. Myogenic pain (68 cases) was the most frequent cause of secondary pain. The patients presented with a multitude of different combinations of causes of pain, the majority having at least two separate causes. Since pain treatment in cancer patients should be determined by its aetiology, a detailed analysis of the pain condition in each patient should form the basis for a rational therapy.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Mechanisms of acute visceral pain.

Acute visceral pain is dull, aching, ill-defined, badly localized and often referred to remote areas of the body. These properties indicate that the representation of internal organs within the CNS is very imprecise. There is evidence for the existence of specific visceral nociceptors in some viscera and for the existence of non-specific receptors in other internal organs. Some visceral receptors are 'silent' in normal viscera but become active following acute injury or inflammation of the internal organ that they innervate. The number of nociceptive afferent fibres in viscera is very small but these few nociceptive afferents can excite many second order neurones in the spinal cord which in turn generate extensive divergence within the CNS, sometimes involving supraspinal loops. Such a divergent input activates several systems--sensory, motor and autonomic--and thus triggers the general reactions that are characteristic of visceral nociception: a diffuse and referred pain, and prolonged autonomic and motor activity.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1997

Innervation of the lumbar facet joints. Origins and functions.

STUDY DESIGN: The levels of dorsal root ganglia and paravertebral sympathetic ganglia innervating the lumbar facet joint were investigated in rats using the retrograde transport method. The pathways and functions of the nerve fibers supplying the lumbar facet joint were determined immunohistochemically. OBJECTIVES: To study lumbar facet pain in relation to its innervation. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The lumbar facet joints have been reported to be innervated segmentally. Little is known, however, about the origins and functions of the nerve fibers. METHODS: Cholera toxin B subunit, a neural tracer, was placed in the L5-L6 facet joint, and the bilateral dorsal root ganglia and paravertebral sympathetic ganglia were examined immunohistochemically. The serial sections of lumbar vertebrae of newborn rats and the sections of the facet joint capsules, dorsal root ganglia, and paravertebral sympathetic ganglia of adult rats were investigated immunohistochemically. The pathways of the nerve fibers supplying the facet joint were reconstituted. RESULTS: Labeled neurons existed in ipsilateral dorsal root ganglia from L1 to L5 and in paravertebral sympathetic ganglia from T12 to L6. The dorsal ramus of the spinal nerve and rami communicantes were connected to each other by calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactive fibers and dopamine beta-hydroxylase immunoreactive fibers. CONCLUSIONS: The L5-L6 facet joint was innervated by ipsilateral dorsal root ganglia and paravertebral sympathetic ganglia, segmentally and nonsegmentally. Some of the sensory fibers from the facet joint may pass through the paravertebral sympathetic trunk, reaching L1 and/or L2 dorsal root ganglia. Inguinal and/or anterior thigh pain with lower lumbar facet joint lesions may be explained as referred pain.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Lumbar disc surgery: results of the Prospective Lumbar Discectomy Study of the Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

The Prospective Lumbar Discectomy Study enrolled 740 patients in a multiphysician, multicenter, consecutive patient protocol to evaluate the indications and efficacy of lumbar discectomy. Five hundred and thirteen patients could be evaluated at 3 months after surgery. Stepwise logistic regression showed that the factors of fraction of pain referred to the back, work-related injury, absence of back pain on straight leg-raise examination, correspondence of leg pain to typical radicular patterns, leg pain on straight leg-raise examination, and reflex asymmetry were independently predictive of good outcome from surgery. Univariate analysis of the case with different numbers of predictive factors present showed that use of the operating microscope, sensory deficit, central disc bulge, and free disc fragment were correlated with outcome only in subgroups. An analysis of unsatisfactory outcomes showed two patterns: one of failure as a result of mechanical back pain and one of failure as a result of radiculopathy. Factors predictive of outcome did not influence the type of failure. In a stepwise logistic regression analysis, facetectomy and preoperative sensory deficit were associated with increased likelihood of mechanical back pain failure, while preoperative motor deficit was associated with an increased likelihood of radicular failure. The results support several intuitively derived and commonly believed principles of lumbar disc surgery.

Follow-Up Studies↗

PubMed1991

Clinical care for myofascial pain.

Myofascial pain (MFP) is a regional muscle pain disorder characterized by localized tenderness in taut muscle bands and referred pain. Frequently, MFP is overlooked as a common cause of chronic pain because of the frequent association with joint dysfunction and other pain disorders and the multiple behavioral and psychosocial contributing factors that are often present. Nonetheless, studies have reported that MFP is present in a significant number of people. This article describes current concepts for the diagnosis and management of MFP.

Chlorofluorocarbons, Methane↗

PubMed1988

[Diseases of the shoulder joint from the orthopedic viewpoint].

The cardinal symptom in all shoulder disorders is shoulder pain. We have to differentiate between genuine shoulder pain originating from the glenohumeral joint and its periarticular structures and referred pain originating at a site distant from the shoulder joint, e.g., the cervical spine or the internal organs. The differential diagnosis of genuine shoulder pain is discussed. The options open to the radiologist for reaching a correct diagnosis in different sorts of shoulder pain are shown.

Arthritis↗

PubMed1988

Geriatric knee disorders, Part II: Differential diagnosis and treatment.

Part II of this two-part article reviews differential diagnosis of common geriatric knee disorders. Differentiating extra-articular from intra-articular causes of knee pain is stressed, since treatments and prognoses can be quite different. Referred pain from the ipsilateral hip and spine should also be kept in mind. The diagnostic approach to knee pain can be categorized anatomically and according to etiology: Is the pain coming from the bone (patella, femur, tibia, fibula), or the soft tissue (ligament, tendon, capsule, synovium, meniscus, muscle)? Is it degenerative, inflammatory, metabolic, traumatic, infectious, or neoplastic? These issues are included in the discussion.

Aged↗

PubMed1998

Dens evaginatus on a wisdom tooth: a diagnostic dilemma. Case report.

Pericoronitis is the most common odontogenic problem associated with the wisdom tooth in young men and women. Patients may present with problems associated with infection, swelling and pain. However, other associated pathology such as caries, periodontal disease and referred pain from the temporomandibular joint must be investigated when treating pain from the wisdom tooth. The authors wish to present a case in which the pain from a wisdom tooth was due to a fractured dens evaginatus. The importance of this dental anomaly should not be overlooked.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1980

Treatment of labor pain with locally applied ketocaine.

Ketocaine, a new local anesthetic drug, was used for treatment of referred pain during labor. In a randomized, double-blind manner, fifty primigravidae received compresses containing either ketocaine in a 10 per cent ethanol solution or compresses with saline (placebo). The compresses were applied to the skin areas where the patient experienced the most intense pain. Nineteen of the 25 patients receiving ketocaine compresses reported good or moderate pain relief for an average of 2.5 h (range 1--5 h). These patients had a mean cervical dilatation of 3 cm (range 2--5 cm). In patients without effect of the compresses, the cervix was dilated to a mean of 6 cm (range 5--8 cm). In patient reporting good effect of the treatment, pains were located mainly to the back. Only six of the 25 patients receiving placebo compresses obtained relief of pain. The effect ceased immediately upon removal of the compresses. There was no relation between pain relief and the degree of cervical dilatation, or localization of the pain. No maternal or fetal side-effects related to the treatment were registered.

Adult↗

PubMed1990

Pain 'memories' in phantom limbs: review and clinical observations.

This paper reviews reports of phantom limb sensations which resemble somatosensory events experienced in the limb before amputation. It also presents descriptions of this phenomenon in 68 amputees who took part in a series of clinical studies. These somatosensory memories are predominantly replicas of distressing pre-amputation lesions and pains which were experienced at or near the time of amputation, and are described as having the same qualities of sensation as the pre-amputation pain. The patients who experience these pains emphasize that they are suffering real pain which they can describe in vivid detail, and insist that the experience is not merely a cognitive recollection of an earlier pain. Reports of somatosensory memories are less common when there has been a discontinuity, or a pain-free interval, between the experience of pain and amputation. Among the somatosensory memories reported are cutaneous lesions, deep tissue injuries, bone and joint pain and painful pre-amputation postures. The experience of somatosensory memories does not appear to be related to the duration of pre-amputation pain, time since amputation, age, gender, prosthetic use, level of amputation, number of limbs amputated, or whether the amputation followed an accident or illness. The results suggest that somatosensory inputs of sufficient intensity and duration can produce lasting changes in central neural structures which combine with cognitive-evaluative memories of the pre-amputation pain to give rise to the unified experience of a past pain referred to the phantom limb. Implications for pre- and post-operative pain control are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

An unusual case of abdominal pain in a patient with cystic fibrosis.

We report the case of a 19 year old man with cystic fibrosis (CF) who presented with atypical abdominal pain precipitated by pressing his ribs. This was subsequently discovered to be referred pain from an intercostal schwannoma. Surgical resection led to a resolution of his symptoms.

Abdominal Pain↗

PubMed2001

Relationship between temporomandibular joint pain and magnetic resonance imaging findings of internal derangement.

In terms of clinical decision-making in instances of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and orofacial pain, there is controversy in the literature over the diagnostic significance of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ)-related variable disk-condyle relationship (DCR). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether in patients with TMJ-related pain, the variable of TMJ pain may be linked to magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings of internal derangement (ID). The study comprised 163 consecutive TMJ pain patients. Criteria for including a patient were report of orofacial pain referred to the TMJ, and the presence of uni- or bilateral TMJ pain during palpation, during function, and/or during unassisted or assisted mandibular opening. Bilateral sagittal and coronal MR images were obtained to establish the prevalence of TMJ ID types. Analysis of the data revealed the presence of TMJ pain to be associated with significantly more MR imaging diagnoses of ID than an absence of ID (P<0.001), and disk displacement without reduction than disk displacement with reduction (P<0.001). Using chi-square analysis, the results showed a significant relationship between the presence of TMJ-related pain and the MR imaging diagnosis of TMJ ID (P=0.001), and TMJ ID type (P=0.000). Use of the Kappa statistical test indicated poor diagnostic agreement between the presence of TMJ pain and the MR imaging diagnosis of ID (K=0.16). The results suggest that the clinical variable of TMJ pain may have a significant effect on the prevalences of MR imaging diagnoses of TMJ ID. The data confirm the biological concept of DCR as a diagnostic approach in patients with signs and symptoms of TMJ-related pain.

Adolescent↗