Pain
- Nociplastic pain: A practical guide to chronic pain management in the primary care setting
Nociplastic pain is characterized by amplification of pain transmission and pain perception and does not involve visible tissue injury or damage, which makes it difficult to understand and manage.
- A practical guide for buprenorphine initiation in the primary care setting
The authors review changes in prescribing laws and outline buprenorphine induction protocols that can be adopted in the primary care setting.
- Guidelines for the management of trigeminal neuralgia
Care pathways for patients with trigeminal neuralgia vary widely. The most recent UK guidelines emphasize the need for evidence-based care plans for multidisciplinary management.
- Chronic centralized pain syndromes: A rheumatologist’s perspective
Centralized pain syndromes are vexing for patients and clinicians. In this issue, Volcheck and colleagues present a framework for understanding chronic centralized pain and for developing an actionable treatment plan for patients.
- Central sensitization, chronic pain, and other symptoms: Better understanding, better management
Clinicians have a pivotal role by providing patient education, which can affect perception, management, functional status, and quality of life.
- How do I interpret and use quantitative buprenorphine and norbuprenorphine urine levels?
Confirmatory testing of urine samples can be useful in outpatient settings where buprenorphine dosing is not directly observed. But retaining and engaging the patient in effective treatment should be the ultimate goals of testing.
- Psychogenic nonepileptic seizure: An empathetic, practical approach
Barriers to care include clinician misperceptions, lack of acceptance of the diagnosis, poor patient engagement with treatment, and lack of access to care.
- Psychogenic nonepileptic seizure: A neurologist’s perspective
Confirming the diagnosis is only the start of the journey. The greater challenge and opportunity lie in how physicians present the diagnosis to the patient and family.
- We have a greater understanding of ‘cardiac syndrome X,’ but questions remain
A better understanding of angina due to ischemia and no obstructive coronary artery disease has led to recognition of coronary microvascular dysfunction in many of these patients.
- Promoting physical activity in older women to maximize health
The optimal type, intensity, and level required to achieve specific health outcomes depend on the disease the patient and clinician are trying to prevent or manage.