Comparison of three preverbal scales for postoperative pain assessment in a diverse pediatric sample

The purposes of this study were to compare the reliability and validity of three pain measurement scales for assessing pain in preverbal and nonverbal children and to determine which of the scales was mos tappropriate in a clinical setting to evaluate pain for infants and young children regardless of developmental stage or cognitive or physical disability. Pain scales tested were revised versions of the Riley Infant Pain Scale (RIPS), the Nursing Assessment of Pain Intensity (NAPI), and the Postoperative Pain Score (POPS). Purposive sampling of 391 postoperative infants and children was used for evaluation of pain in a midwestern children's hospital. Four assessments with each scale were done 1 hr apart by trained observers blinded to pain medications. Data analyses supported high inter-rater reliability, satisfactory discrimination between pain and no-pain observations, and suggested acceptability for all three scales with lower caregiver burden for RIPS and NAPI.     

Prevalence of Hip or Groin Pain in Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

Musculoskeletal pain is a common cause of pain in adolescence and can be an important predictor of future pain. The prevalence of hip or groin pain that could potentially affect different adolescent populations has not yet been systematically reviewed. This systematic review aimed to determine the prevalence of hip or groin pain in this population. Five electronic databases were searched until January 2019 for eligible studies that included males and females 13 to 19 years of age. Study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessments were completed by 2 independent researchers. Based on inclusion criteria, 8 population‐based, 8 clinical, and 4 sports populations were included. Studies were conducted in Europe, North America, and Australia. The prevalence was dichotomized into “0 to 3 months” and “3 months and above.” Meta‐analyses were performed to estimate the prevalence from 0 to 3 months, and individual estimates were reported for studies of 3 months and above. The overall prevalence of hip or groin pain in all adolescents from 0 to 3 months was 12% (95% confidence interval [CI] 6%, 23%) based on 10 studies, and was 7% (95% CI 6%, 10%) based on 7 population studies. Caution should be applied to these estimates due to substantial study heterogeneity. The pain prevalence in cerebral palsy from 0 to 3 months based on 4 studies was 13% (95% CI 10%, 15%). Individual prevalence estimates were 6% and 31% in obese and 4% in hypermobility populations, respectively, and ranged from 6% to 100% in 4 sports studies. The validity of these estimates is compromised by poor methodological quality.     

Adductor-related groin pain in the athlete

Background:

Owing to a multifactorial etiology, the differential diagnosis of groin pain in the athlete is often complex, with a diagnosis being clinically elusive in up to 30% of individuals. It has been suggested in the literature that the adductor musculature is a viable and prevalent source of groin pain. Thus, recognition of the elements related to effective management of these individuals is essential for the clinician.

Objectives:

To review the current literature related to prevalence, risk factors, clinical testing, conservative, and surgical interventions for adductor-related groin pain.

Major findings:

Adductor-related groin injuries may occur in isolation or combination. Athletes participating in multi-directional sports, with prior groin injury, weakness of adductors compared to abductors, and higher level of play are at greatest risk. Clinical testing using the adductor squeeze test at varying angles offers high specificity in the absence of imaging modalities. Evidence for preventative programs exists among soccer and ice hockey players. Interventions focusing on progressively improving adductor muscle performance and lower extremity impairments have been found effective, as have multi-modal interventions. Surgical interventions, recommended for those recalcitrant (>2 months) to conservative care appear effective, with adductor repair or tenotomy procedures being primarily described in case series designs.

Conclusion:

A paucity of research exists to determine the diagnostic utility of clinical tests as well as the efficacy of interventions. Clinicians should be aware of adductor-related groin pain as a clinical entity and recognize the potential merits and limitations of both preventive and adductor-focused interventions.     

Congruence between health professionals' and patients' pain ratings: a review of the literature

The literature suggests that health professionals have a tendency to underestimate pain when performing clinical assessments. In addition, it appears that the more clinical experience one has, the greater will be the underestimation of pain. Pain assessment is difficult because of the complex interaction between environment, patient and practitioner variables. Although there is a need for further research in this area, there are clinical implications worthy of consideration. Health professionals need to use a variety of valid and reliable measures, use measures of pain behaviour and disability to complement self-report measures and examine how their own biases and values may influence pain judgements.     

Pain behaviors in infants and toddlers

The purposes of this qualitative study were to describe behaviors of infants and toddlers when in acute pain and to describe changes in those behaviors across the 3-yr span. With the use of naturalistic observation, 32 children, birth to 36 mo of age, were observed following surgery, fractures, or burns. Purposeful sampling of children, who were inpatients of a private midwestern hospital, was used. Data sources included child observations, parent interviews, and patient records. The research method used was grounded theory. Three pain behavior categories were developed, and characteristics of each category were identified. Pain categories included motor movement, communication, and facial expression. Theoretic implications were proposed. It is concluded that predictable changes in pain behaviors occur within infancy and toddlerhood. A matrix of pain behavior is presented.     

Pain,Perceived Injustice,and Pain Catastrophizing in Chronic Pain Patients in Ireland

Chronic pain is a public health concern affecting 20% to 30% of the population of Western countries. Psychological risk factors can worsen chronic pain patients. Themes of perceived injustice (PI) and pain catastrophizing are related to poor clinical outcomes. Particularly, perceived injustice has not been assessed systematically in patients at their first presentation in chronic pain clinics in Ireland. This study aims to assess the Injustice Experience Questionnaire (IEQ)'s internal consistency in the Irish population, assess PI in patients attending a chronic pain clinic in Ireland using the IEQ, investigate pain catastrophizing through the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) and its relationship with IEQ scores, and explore their relationships with self‐reported Numeric Pain Rating Scale. One hundred adult patients were randomly selected from those attending the clinic for the first time. Eighty completed the IEQ (mean age 49 years, ranged 22 to 90 years; 59% female). The internal consistency of the IEQ was excellent (Cronbach's alpha = 0.93). Twenty‐six patients (33%) had IEQ scores classified as severe. Patients whose cause of pain was trauma or road traffic accidents were more likely to have clinically severe scores than all other causes of pain (47% vs. 23%, P = 0.03). This has clinical consequences and may have legal implications. Pain catastrophizing scores were strongly correlated with IEQ (r = 0.60, P < 0.001). The correlation between IEQ and the Numeric Pain Rating Scale was weak (r = 0.25, P = 0.048). The results suggest that the IEQ may provide an additional tool to assess psychological contributors in problematic chronic pain patients and to institute targeted therapies to improve clinical outcomes.     

Postoperative Pain Trajectories in Chronic Pain Patients Undergoing Surgery: The Effects of Chronic Opioid Pharmacotherapy on Acute Pain

For 2 weeks following surgery, 55 patients with preexisting chronic pain (CP) reported daily postoperative pain with movement and at rest. Of these, 30 CP patients used opioid pharmacotherapy for CP management and 25 did not. We modeled pain resolution in each patient using a linear fit so that each patient yielded 2 scores for each pain rating: 1) an intercept, or initial level of pain, immediately after surgery; and 2) a slope, or rate of pain resolution. The patients not using opioid pharmacotherapy had a mean pain with movement intercept of 5.4 and a slope of −.20, while the patients using opioid pharmacotherapy had a significantly higher mean intercept of 7.68 (P = .001) and a slope of −.21, sustaining higher pain levels over days. The opioid pharmacotherapy patients had the same rate of pain resolution as the other CP patients, and both groups resolved their pain more slowly than normal surgery patients. Preexisting CP may predispose a patient undergoing surgery to a slower rate of postoperative pain resolution. Chronic pain patients who use opioids share this predisposition but in addition, they are at risk for markedly higher postoperative pain across the entire pain resolution trajectory.

Perspective

This is an observational rather than a randomized controlled study, and as such is less definitive. Nonetheless, these findings are consistent with those of animal studies showing that prolonged exposure to opioids can produce opioid-induced hyperalgesia. Patients with opioid pharmacotherapy for chronic pain who undergo surgery merit special attention for acute pain management.     

Reliability of a Continuous Pain Score Meter: Real Time Pain Measurement

We present a newly developed continuous pain score meter (CPSM). The CPSM is based on the principles of the visual analog score (VAS), and electronically measures pain score in a continuous, instead of a single, manner. In this study, we determine the test–retest reliability of this meter. Thirty-two healthy volunteers received a reproducible pain stimulus on the right thumbnail and forearm. After a 1-minute interval the procedure was repeated. During the stimulus, pain was continuously measured with the CPSM, providing values of peak continuous pain score (CPS) and area under the CPS curve (AUC CPS). The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and the 95% limits of agreement were used to assess the agreement between measurements. ICC of peak CPS (0.89 and 0.83) and AUC CPS (0.79 and 0.86) for nail and arm showed a good reproducibility. This study has successfully established the test–retest reliability of the CPSM. The real-time continuous pain measurement may provide more detailed information on a subjects' pain perception compared to a single VAS, in particular during an interval of pain stimuli.     

颈肩痛患者颈肩部肌肉的表面肌电图特征

背景：颈肩痛是由颈肩部软组织（主要是肌肉）的慢性劳损所引起的常见临床症状.表面肌电图是一种新型、无创的肌肉活动检查手段,能测量肌肉的活动和功能.目的：评价颈肩疼痛患者颈肩部肌肉功能,为表面肌电图的应用和颈肩疼痛患者合理防治与康复提供理论依据.方法：应用表面肌电图对32例单侧颈肩疼痛的办公室工作人员在站立下,进行低头、头后伸、双手上举时颈竖脊肌、斜方肌上支的表面肌电测试.在测试前,对患者的颈肩疼痛进行目测类比评分.然后根据收集的数据,比较受试者颈肩部疼痛侧与非疼痛侧测试肌肉的肌电活动.结果与结论：测试前,受试者颈肩疼痛目测类比评分（平均分）为5.03分;受试者在低头、头后伸、双手上举过程中,其疼痛侧的颈竖脊肌、斜方肌上支的肌电原始信号较非疼痛侧的颈竖脊肌、斜方肌上支的肌电原始信号弱;疼痛侧颈竖脊肌、斜方肌上支肌电的平均振幅值与非疼痛侧相比差异有显著性意义（P＜0.05）;疼痛侧颈竖脊肌、斜方肌上支肌电的平均频率斜率值与非疼痛侧相比差异无显著性意义（P＞0.05）.提示颈肩疼痛患者疼痛侧的颈肩肌肉的活动能力下降,长期坐位作业的办公室人员要定时进行颈肩部肌肉锻炼.