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Physical Therapy Dec 2022The nociceptive pain processing of soft-tissue overuse conditions is under debate because no consensus currently exists. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to compare... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
A Closer Look at Localized and Distant Pressure Pain Hypersensitivity in People With Lower Extremity Overuse Soft-Tissue Painful Conditions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
OBJECTIVE
The nociceptive pain processing of soft-tissue overuse conditions is under debate because no consensus currently exists. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to compare pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) in symptomatic and distant pain-free areas in 2 groups: participants with symptomatic lower extremity overuse soft-tissue conditions and controls who were pain free.
METHODS
Five databases were searched from inception to December 1, 2021, for case-control studies comparing PPTs between individuals presenting with symptomatic lower extremity tendinopathy/overuse injury and controls who were pain free. Data extraction included population, diagnosis, sample size, outcome, type of algometer, and results. The methodological quality (Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale) and evidence level (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) were assessed. Meta-analyses of symptomatic, segmental related, and distant pain-free areas were compared.
RESULTS
After screening 730 titles and abstracts, a total of 19 studies evaluating lower extremity overuse conditions (Achilles or patellar tendinopathy, greater trochanteric pain syndrome, plantar fasciitis, and iliotibial band syndrome) were included. The methodological quality ranged from fair (32%) to good (68%). Participants with lower extremity overuse injury had lower PPTs in both the painful and nonpainful areas, mirrored test-site, compared with controls (affected side: mean difference [MD] = -262.92 kPa, 95% CI = 323.78 to -202.05 kPa; nonaffected side: MD = -216.47 kPa, 95% CI = -304.99 to -127.95 kPa). Furthermore, people with plantar fasciitis showed reduced PPTs in the affected and nonaffected sides at segmental-related (MD = -176.39 kPa, 95% CI = -306.11 to -46.68 kPa) and distant pain-free (MD = -97.27 kPa, 95% CI = 133.21 to -61.33 kPa) areas compared with controls.
CONCLUSION
Low- to moderate-quality evidence suggests a reduction of PPTs at the symptomatic area and a contralateral/mirror side in lower extremity tendinopathies and overuse conditions compared with pain-free controls, particularly in plantar fasciitis and greater trochanteric pain syndrome. Participants with plantar fasciitis showed a reduction of PPTs on the affected and non-affected sides at a segmental-related area (very low-quality evidence) and at a remote asymptomatic area (moderate-quality evidence).
IMPACT
Some overuse peripheral pain conditions may be more associated with pressure pain sensitivity than others. Accordingly, examination and identification of conditions more peripherally, centrally, or mixed mediated could potentially lead to more specific and different treatment strategies.
Topics: Hyperalgesia; Humans; Tendinopathy; Cumulative Trauma Disorders; Pain Measurement; Pressure; Lower Extremity; Pain Threshold
PubMed: 36124704
DOI: 10.1093/ptj/pzac119 -
The Clinical Journal of Pain Oct 2022Central sensitization (CS) contributes to patient variability when treating pain in endometriosis. Targeting this process may alleviate hyperalgesia and allodynia in...
OBJECTIVES
Central sensitization (CS) contributes to patient variability when treating pain in endometriosis. Targeting this process may alleviate hyperalgesia and allodynia in women refractory to current treatments. Currently, there has been no review of targeted treatments for central sensitization in women with endometriosis. Therefore, this review aims to identify and summarize the findings of studies regarding the availability and efficacy of targeted treatments for CS in women with endometriosis.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A systematic review was conducted searching MEDLINE, Embase and CINAHL. Inclusion criteria: primary research articles, women with endometriosis and CS features, and description of treatments for CS, or its effects on hyperalgesia and allodynia. Exclusion criteria: review articles, letters to the editor, commentaries, editorials, protocols, or women with endometriosis infiltrating nerves. Risk of bias analysis was conducted. Data was reviewed and summarized by treatment method.
RESULTS
Eight studies met inclusion criteria, demonstrating limited research in this area. Four treatment options were addressed: surgical approaches, nerve stimulation approaches, injection-based therapies, and hormonal therapies. Surgery and nerve stimulation appear the most promising treatments for CS. Injections have limited and mixed evidence of efficacy. Limited evidence suggests hormonal therapies may be ineffective.
DISCUSSION
Given the lack of evidence for any treatment, all require further research to determine treatment efficacy before options will be available clinically. There is a clear need for consistency in defining and identifying CS in study populations. This review identifies areas of interest, particularly surgery and nerve stimulation, from which future research must stem.
Topics: Central Nervous System Sensitization; Endometriosis; Female; Humans; Hyperalgesia; Pain
PubMed: 35913430
DOI: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000001057 -
Pain Practice : the Official Journal of... Jan 2023To evaluate the exercise-induced hypoalgesic (EIH) effects of different types of physical exercise in individuals with neck pain. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the exercise-induced hypoalgesic (EIH) effects of different types of physical exercise in individuals with neck pain.
DESIGN
Systematic review with meta-analysis.
LITERATURE SEARCH
An electronic search of six databases was completed to include studies assessing EIH effects on neck pain.
STUDY SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomized controlled trials, controlled trials, and observational studies that assessed before and immediate after-effects of a single session of physical exercise in people with neck pain were included. Two reviewers independently screened records, extracted outcomes, assessed the risk of bias, and rated the quality of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.
DATA SYNTHESIS
EIH is characterized by increased pain threshold, pain tolerance, and/or decreased sensitivity to painful stimuli or unpleasantness, which may last up to 30 min after a single bout of exercise. EIH is usually measured with quantitative sensory testing (QST) and is mostly taken as the difference between pre- and postexercise pressure pain threshold (PPT). Data were pooled and analyzed using a fixed-effect meta-analysis.
RESULTS
Eleven articles were included in this review; nine with low risk of bias and two with some concerns about the risk of bias. Three studies with chronic whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) were included in the meta-analysis; isometric exercise had a larger EIH effect at the local testing site compared with submaximal aerobic exercises (MD = -0.21, [95% CI = -0.43, 0.00], p = 0.05, I = 92%), submaximal aerobic and isometric exercises had equal EIH effects at the remote testing site (MD = 0.01, [95% CI = -0.33, 0.35], p = 0.95, I = 0%), and submaximal aerobic exercises exerted comparably larger EIH effect at the remote testing site than local testing site (MD = -0.01, [95% CI = -0.20, 0.18], p = 0.93, I = 56%). The certainty of evidence (GRADE) for these analyses was low to very low. According to the descriptive analysis of the studies of chronic nonspecific neck pain, isometric and range of motion (ROM) exercises have shown EIH effects. Active stretching exercises have illustrated contradictory effects.
CONCLUSION
Isometric and ROM exercises exerted hypoalgesia at local and remote sites. A larger EIH effect following submaximal aerobic exercises was exerted at the remote testing site compared with the local site.
Topics: Humans; Neck Pain; Pain Threshold; Pain Measurement; Pain Perception; Exercise; Chronic Disease; Hypesthesia
PubMed: 35869789
DOI: 10.1111/papr.13150 -
Frontiers in Neurology 2022The role of GABAergic cell transplantation in improving neuropathic pain is controversial. We comprehensively searched the relevant literature to identify animal studies...
The role of GABAergic cell transplantation in improving neuropathic pain is controversial. We comprehensively searched the relevant literature to identify animal studies of GABAergic cell transplantation that recorded pain behaviors as an outcome according to the Cochrane Handbook 5.0.2. Controlled studies assessing the administration of GABAergic neurons or GABAergic neuronal progenitor cells to rat or mouse neuropathic pain animal models were included. Basic design information and mechanical allodynia thresholds and heat hyperalgesia thresholds data were collected. The risk of bias for the animal experiments was assessed according to the SYRCLE's tool. This study included 10 full-text articles. GABAergic cells transplantation leads to a statistically significant improvement of allodynia (SMD = 5.26; 95% confidence interval: 3.02-7.51; < 0.001) and hyperalgesia (SMD: 4.10; 95% confidence interval: 1.84-6.35; < 0.001). Differentiated GABAergic cells and without antibiotics using may have a better effect for improving neuropathic pain. GABAergic cell transplantation is a promising treatment for improving neuropathic pain. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effects of GABAergic cell transplantation on neuropathic pain, which can guide future clinical trials and possible clinical treatments, and better attenuate neuropathic pain caused by abnormal circuit hyperexcitability.
PubMed: 35860495
DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.900436 -
Reviews in the Neurosciences Jan 2023Pain is a complex experience, encompassing physiological and psychological components. Amongst the different types of pain, neuropathic pain, resulting from injuries to... (Review)
Review
Pain is a complex experience, encompassing physiological and psychological components. Amongst the different types of pain, neuropathic pain, resulting from injuries to the peripheral or central nervous system, still constitutes a challenge for researchers and clinicians. Nerve growth factor (NGF) is currently regarded as a key contributor and may serve as a therapeutic target in many types of pain, likely including neuropathic pain. Here, we reviewed the role of NGF in neuropathic pain of peripheral and central origin, also addressing its potential use as a pharmacological target to better help patients dealing with this condition that severely impacts the everyday life. For this, we conducted a search in the databases PubMed and Scopus. Our search resulted in 1103 articles (458 in PubMed and 645 in Scopus). Only articles related to the involvement of NGF in pain or articles that approached its potential use as a target in treatment of pain symptoms were included. Duplicates were eliminated and 274 articles were excluded. After careful analysis, 23 articles were selected for review. Original articles studying the role of NGF in pathology as well as its modulation as a possible therapeutic target were included. We found that NGF is widely regarded as a key player in neuropathic pain and seen as a putative therapeutic target. However, evidence obtained from years of clinical trials highlights the toxic adverse effects of anti-NGF therapeutics, precluding its use in clinical context. Further studies are, thus, needed to improve treatment of chronic neuropathic pain.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Nerve Growth Factor; Disease Models, Animal; Neuralgia
PubMed: 35792932
DOI: 10.1515/revneuro-2022-0037 -
Autoimmunity Reviews Aug 2022Myalgic encephalomyelitis is an illness characterized by profound malaise after mental or physical effort occurring in patients already suffering from constant fatigue.... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
UNLABELLED
Myalgic encephalomyelitis is an illness characterized by profound malaise after mental or physical effort occurring in patients already suffering from constant fatigue. On the other hand, widespread pain and widespread allodynia are the core fibromyalgia clinical features. There is controversy on these two syndromes alikeness. Through the years, different diagnostic and/or classification criteria have been put forward to appraise both fibromyalgia and myalgic encephalomyelitis. The epidemiology of these two illnesses, and their overlap, may vary accordingly to the used definition. The most recent Wolfe et al. 2016 fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria incorporates three myalgic encephalomyelitis features including fatigue, waking unrefreshed and dyscognition. The objective of this meta-analysis was to define the clinical overlap between fibromyalgia and myalgic encephalomyelitis based on a systematic literature review.
METHODS
PubMed, Embase, Lilacs, and Cochrane data bases were searched on January 25, 2021 linking the medical subject heading "Fibromyalgia" to the following terms "chronic fatigue syndrome", "myalgic encephalomyelitis" and "systemic exertion intolerance disease". Our review included all original articles in which the clinical overlap between fibromyalgia and myalgic encephalomyelitis could be quantified based on recognized diagnostic or classification criteria. Articles scrutiny and selection followed the PRISMA guidelines. Each study quality was assessed according to GRADE recommendations. The global clinical overlap was calculated using a fixed effect model with inverse variance-weighted average method.
RESULTS
Twenty one publications were included in the meta-analysis. Reviewed studies were highly dissimilar in their design, objectives, sample size, diagnostic criteria, and/or outcomes yielding a 98% heterogeneity index. Nevertheless, the clinical overlap between fibromyalgia and myalgic encephalomyelitis was a well defined outcome that could be reliably calculated despite the high heterogeneity value. All reviewed publications had moderate GRADE evidence level. Most evaluated articles used the old 1990 Wolfe et al. fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria. Myalgic encephalomyelitis and fibromyalgia diagnoses overlapped in 47.3% (95% CI: 45.97-48.63) of the reported cases.
CONCLUSION
This meta-analysis found prominent clinical overlap between fibromyalgia and myalgic encephalomyelitis. It seems likely that this concordance would be even higher when using the most recent Wolfe et al. 2016 fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria.
Topics: Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic; Fibromyalgia; Humans
PubMed: 35690247
DOI: 10.1016/j.autrev.2022.103129 -
Journal of Neurosurgery Dec 2022Pain is the most common nonmotor symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD) and is often undertreated. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) effectively mitigates the motor symptoms of... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVE
Pain is the most common nonmotor symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD) and is often undertreated. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) effectively mitigates the motor symptoms of this multisystem neurodegenerative disease; however, its therapeutic effect on nonmotor symptoms, especially pain, remains inconclusive. While there is a critical need to help this large PD patient population, guidelines for managing this significant disease burden are absent. Herein, the authors systematically reviewed the literature and conducted a meta-analysis to study the influence of traditional (subthalamic nucleus [STN] and globus pallidus internus [GPi]) DBS on chronic pain in patients with PD.
METHODS
The authors performed a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis following PRISMA guidelines. Risk of bias was assessed using the levels of evidence established by the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. Inclusion criteria were articles written in English, published in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal, and about studies conducting an intervention for PD-related pain in no fewer than 5 subjects.
RESULTS
Twenty-six studies were identified and included in this meta-analysis. Significant interstudy heterogeneity was detected (Cochran's Q test p < 0.05), supporting the use of the random-effects model. The random-effects model estimated the effect size of DBS for the treatment of idiopathic pain as 1.31 (95% CI 0.84-1.79). The DBS-on intervention improved pain scores by 40% as compared to the control state (preoperative baseline or DBS off).
CONCLUSIONS
The results indicated that traditional STN and GPi DBS can have a favorable impact on pain control and improve pain scores by 40% from baseline in PD patients experiencing chronic pain. Further trials are needed to identify the subtype of PD patients whose pain benefits from DBS and to identify the mechanisms by which DBS improves pain in PD patients.
Topics: Humans; Parkinson Disease; Deep Brain Stimulation; Chronic Pain; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Subthalamic Nucleus; Globus Pallidus
PubMed: 35535836
DOI: 10.3171/2022.2.JNS212561 -
Joint Bone Spine Oct 2022The major therapeutic challenge in inflammatory rheumatic diseases is the persistence of pain despite good responses to specific therapies. Central sensitization, which...
The major therapeutic challenge in inflammatory rheumatic diseases is the persistence of pain despite good responses to specific therapies. Central sensitization, which can be assessed clinically by psychophysical measurements, including quantitative sensory testing (QST), is a widely proposed mechanism for chronic pain. In this systematic review, we explored the scientific literature addressing quantitative sensory testing in inflammatory rheumatic diseases. We searched Pubmed and Embase for publications up to December 2021 concerning studies on quantitative sensory testing focusing on pain thresholds, temporal summation (TS) and conditioned pain modulation (CPM), in adult patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatism (e.g. rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis). The exclusion criteria were reviews, inclusion of children and no reported pain threshold. Data quality was assessed with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Quality Assessment tools. We identified 27 studies (18 controlled, 9 uncontrolled) including 1875 patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases and 795 controls. A decrease in pressure pain threshold, in favor of allodynia, was found in 12 of 14 controlled studies on patients with rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis. The results of other psychophysical tests, including TS and CPM, were inconsistent due to population heterogeneity and a lack of standardization of the patients' disease duration, activity and treatment. Our review shows that pain in chronic inflammatory rheumatism is associated with pressure allodynia. However, given the heterogeneous quality and discrepant results of studies of other QST outcome measures, the hypothesis of central sensitization involvement in pain processing in these patients cannot be confirmed.
Topics: Adult; Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Central Nervous System Sensitization; Child; Chronic Pain; Humans; Hyperalgesia; Pain Measurement; Rheumatic Fever; Spondylarthritis
PubMed: 35504515
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbspin.2022.105399 -
Frontiers in Pain Research (Lausanne,... 2021Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome characterized by sensorimotor deficits and distortions of body representation, that could both be caused by alterations in...
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome characterized by sensorimotor deficits and distortions of body representation, that could both be caused by alterations in sensory processing. Several studies suggest a hypersensitivity to various sensory stimulations in fibromyalgia but results on detection of both noxious and non-noxious tactile stimulation, which are particularly relevant for body representation and motor control, remain conflicting. Therefore, the aim of this study is to systematically review and quantify the detection thresholds to noxious and non-noxious tactile stimuli in individuals with fibromyalgia compared to pain-free controls. A systematic review and a meta-analysis were performed in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane, PsycInfo and Web of Science databases using keywords related to fibromyalgia, tactile pain detection threshold, tactile detection threshold and quantitative sensory testing. Nineteen studies were included in the review, with 12 in the meta-analysis. Despite the heterogeneity of the results, the data from both the review and from the meta-analysis suggest a trend toward hyperalgesia and no difference of sensitivity to non-noxious tactile stimuli in participants with fibromyalgia compared to healthy controls. This contradicts the hypothesis of a general increase in responsiveness of the central nervous system to noxious and non-noxious stimulations in fibromyalgia. This study shows no alteration of the sensitivity to non-noxious tactile stimulation in fibromyalgia, suggesting that an altered unimodal processing is not sufficient to explain symptoms such as sensorimotor impairments and body representation distortions. Future research should investigate whether alterations in multisensory integration could contribute to these symptoms.
PubMed: 35295451
DOI: 10.3389/fpain.2021.740897 -
Frontiers in Neurology 2021We reviewed the studies of mechanical punctate pain thresholds (MPTs) in patients with migraine and summarized their findings focusing on the differences in MPT...
PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW
We reviewed the studies of mechanical punctate pain thresholds (MPTs) in patients with migraine and summarized their findings focusing on the differences in MPT measurement and MPTs in different phases of migraine.
METHODS
We searched the English-written articles that investigate the MPTs in the migraine population published in peer-reviewed journals with full-text using the PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases. Moreover, we manually searched the references from the articles for possibly related studies.
MAIN FINDINGS
We collected 276 articles and finally included twelve studies in this review. Most of the studies that included MPTs were measured with traditional von Frey filaments. The cephalic areas were always included in the assessment. Most studies compared the inter-ictal MPT in patients with migraine to controls. Among them, the majority found no significant differences; however, there were studies found either higher or lower levels of MPTs in migraine. Even though the studies provided the criteria to define the inter-ictal phase, not all of them followed up with the subjects regarding the next migraine attack. In studies that compared MPT between phases, lower MPTs were found during peri-ictal phases.
SUMMARY
Changes to MPT in migraine patients were inconclusive. The selection of measurement methods as well as properly defined migraine phases should be considered for future studies.
PubMed: 35153981
DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.801437