Severe Back Pain (severe + back_pain)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


CONTROLLED-RELEASE OXYCODONE RELIEVES MODERATE TO SEVERE PAIN IN A 3-MONTH STUDY OF PERSISTENT MODERATE TO SEVERE BACK PAIN

PAIN MEDICINE, Issue 2 2002
Article first published online: 4 JUL 200
Patricia Richards, MD, PhD; Pinggao Zhang, PhD; Michael Friedman, PhD; Rahul Dhanda, PhD. (Purdue Pharma L.P.) Introduction: Opioids are frequently prescribed for management of persistent low back pain, however, efficacy has not been well documented, and concerns are that opioids may impair physical functioning. Objective: To compare controlled-release oxycodone (CRO) with placebo in controlling pain and to observe the effect of CRO on quality of life and functionality. Methods: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study of 3 months duration was conducted in 110 subjects (49 males, 61 females), mean age 48 years (19,80 years). Subjects had a 3- to 12-month history of moderate to severe persistent low back pain and were previously unresponsive to therapeutic doses of NSAIDs, and/or low dose combination opioid analgesics. At baseline 4% of subjects were on opioids, 39% on NSAIDs, and 57% both NSAIDs and opioids. Subjects were treated with 10 mg CRO tablet or 10 mg oral placebo q12h, titrated to stable pain control. Existing treatment regimens of acetaminophen, NSAIDs, or oral steroids were allowed to continue. The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), the Roland Morris Functionality Questionnaire, and the MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) were the measures of pain intensity, functionality, and quality of life. Treatments were compared using repeated measures ANCOVA with baseline value as covariate. Results: CRO treatment was significantly superior to placebo on the BPI average pain intensity and average percent pain relief scores overall (4.6 vs 5.4, P = .03, and 47.2 vs 36.3, P = .05, respectively). Fewer CRO subjects discontinued because of inadequate pain control (P < .001). No significant differences between treatments were observed in either Roland Morris or SF-36 scores. Common adverse events for CRO were nausea, constipation, somnolence, headache, and pruritus, consistent with opioid use. Conclusions: Three-month treatment with CRO provides significant pain relief for subjects with persistent moderate to severe back pain, without significantly impairing functionality and quality of life. The support of Purdue Pharma L.P. for this research project is gratefully acknowledged. [source]


Associations Between Vitamin D Status and Pain in Older Adults: The Invecchiare in Chianti Study

JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 5 2008
Gregory E. Hicks PhD
OBJECTIVES: To examine cross-sectional associations between vitamin D status and musculoskeletal pain and whether they differ by sex. DESIGN: Population-based study of persons living in the Chianti geographic area (Tuscany, Italy). SETTING: Community. PARTICIPANTS: Nine hundred fifty-eight persons (aged ,65) selected from city registries of Greve and Bagno a Ripoli. MEASUREMENTS: Pain was categorized as mild or no pain in the lower extremities and back; moderate to severe back pain, no lower extremity pain; moderate to severe lower extremity pain, no back pain; and moderate to severe lower extremity and back pain (dual region). Vitamin D was measured according to radioimmunoassay, and deficiency was defined as 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) less than 25 nmol/L. RESULTS: The mean age±standard deviation was 75.1±7.3 for women and 73.9±6.8 for men. Fifty-eight percent of women had at least moderate pain in some location, compared with 27% of men. After adjusting for potential confounders, vitamin D deficiency was not associated with lower extremity pain or dual-region pain, although it was associated with a significantly higher prevalence of at least moderate back pain without lower extremity pain in women (odds ratio=1.96, 95% confidence interval=1.01,3.59) but not in men. CONCLUSION: Lower concentrations of 25(OH)D are associated with significant back pain in older women but not men. Because vitamin D deficiency and chronic pain are fairly prevalent in older adults, these findings suggest it may be worthwhile to query older adults about their pain and screen older women with significant back pain for vitamin D deficiency. [source]


CONTROLLED-RELEASE OXYCODONE RELIEVES MODERATE TO SEVERE PAIN IN A 3-MONTH STUDY OF PERSISTENT MODERATE TO SEVERE BACK PAIN

PAIN MEDICINE, Issue 2 2002
Article first published online: 4 JUL 200
Patricia Richards, MD, PhD; Pinggao Zhang, PhD; Michael Friedman, PhD; Rahul Dhanda, PhD. (Purdue Pharma L.P.) Introduction: Opioids are frequently prescribed for management of persistent low back pain, however, efficacy has not been well documented, and concerns are that opioids may impair physical functioning. Objective: To compare controlled-release oxycodone (CRO) with placebo in controlling pain and to observe the effect of CRO on quality of life and functionality. Methods: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study of 3 months duration was conducted in 110 subjects (49 males, 61 females), mean age 48 years (19,80 years). Subjects had a 3- to 12-month history of moderate to severe persistent low back pain and were previously unresponsive to therapeutic doses of NSAIDs, and/or low dose combination opioid analgesics. At baseline 4% of subjects were on opioids, 39% on NSAIDs, and 57% both NSAIDs and opioids. Subjects were treated with 10 mg CRO tablet or 10 mg oral placebo q12h, titrated to stable pain control. Existing treatment regimens of acetaminophen, NSAIDs, or oral steroids were allowed to continue. The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), the Roland Morris Functionality Questionnaire, and the MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) were the measures of pain intensity, functionality, and quality of life. Treatments were compared using repeated measures ANCOVA with baseline value as covariate. Results: CRO treatment was significantly superior to placebo on the BPI average pain intensity and average percent pain relief scores overall (4.6 vs 5.4, P = .03, and 47.2 vs 36.3, P = .05, respectively). Fewer CRO subjects discontinued because of inadequate pain control (P < .001). No significant differences between treatments were observed in either Roland Morris or SF-36 scores. Common adverse events for CRO were nausea, constipation, somnolence, headache, and pruritus, consistent with opioid use. Conclusions: Three-month treatment with CRO provides significant pain relief for subjects with persistent moderate to severe back pain, without significantly impairing functionality and quality of life. The support of Purdue Pharma L.P. for this research project is gratefully acknowledged. [source]


Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia presenting with spinal cord compression: A case report

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 12 2006
Hani Al-Halabi
Abstract Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM) is a rare lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma characterized by a wide range of clinical presentations related to direct tumor infiltration and the production of IgM. Most commonly it presents with cytopenia, hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, constitutional symptoms, and hyperviscosity syndrome. We report a case of WM in an 81-year-old man who initially presented with severe back pain. The patient had no peripheral lymphadenopathy or hepatosplenomegaly and his peripheral blood smear was normal. MRI of the spine revealed an epidural mass causing spinal cord compression at T9. Surgical decompression was performed and pathological analysis of the mass revealed a lymphoproliferative B-cell process. The diagnosis of WM was established after cytomorphologic and immunohistochemical analysis of the patient's bone marrow revealed the presence of a lymphoid/lymphoplasmacytoid-like bone marrow infiltrate along with an elevated serum IgM level. The patient responded both clinically and serologically to local radiotherapy. This case is unusual because the patient lacked all common clinical features of WM. This is the first reported case of epidural spinal cord compression as the initial manifestation of WM, adding to the spectrum of clinical presentations seen in this disease. Am. J. Hematol., 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Poster 2, Acne fulminans: part of the spectrum of SAPHO

BRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY, Issue 6 2007
S.L. Chua
A 13-year-old boy was admitted to hospital with severe back pain and systemic upset. He had commenced isotretinoin 25 mg (0·5 mg kg,1) daily 17 days previously for severe acne unresponsive to oral erythromycin. Isotretinoin was stopped after 4 days due to severe lower back pain. On admission, he was unable to mobilize and the pain was uncontrolled with oral morphine sulphate. Investigations showed leucocytosis and neutrophilia. Magnetic resonance imaging of the vertebrae showed multiple areas of high signal consistent with an inflammatory process such as osteomyelitis. Oral prednisolone 40 mg daily and ibuprofen controlled the pain within 2 days. Sulfasalazine (1 g twice daily) was commenced 10 days later. The re-introduction of isotretinoin 5 mg daily 12 days after admission precipitated severe back pain, necessitating 3 days of intravenous methylprednisolone. The oral prednisolone dose has been reduced over 6 weeks and stopped. The acne is currently controlled with clindamycin, although there is marked scarring. Acne fulminans is a rare condition characterized by sudden onset of severe acne and systemic features such as fever, leucocytosis and arthralgia.1 Osteomyelitic lesions are a recognized feature. In 1987, the term SAPHO (synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, osteitis) syndrome was proposed to describe a clinical entity with skin, joint and bone manifestations. Associated skin conditions include severe acne, psoriasis and palmoplantar pustulosis. Reported sites of osteoarticular involvement include the anterior chest wall, vertebrae, pelvis and mandible.2 Our patient clearly has acne fulminans and fulfils the criteria for SAPHO syndrome. We believe this condition will be increasingly recognized by dermatologists. References 1 Karvonen S. Acne fulminans: report of clinical findings and treatment of twenty-four patients. J Am Acad Dermatol 1993; 28:572,9. 2 Hayem G, Bouchaud-Chabot A, Benali K et al. SAPHO syndrome: a long-term follow-up study of 120 cases. Semin Arthritis Rheum 1999; 29:159,71. [source]