• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2012

Low back pain is a common clinical condition with heterogeneous causes and challenges to manage. High prevalence and numerous assessments result in an enormous socioeconomic burden. Clinician must conduct efficient and stepwise evaluation process to rule out serious spinal pathology, neurologic involvement, and identify risk factors for chronicity. The process can be achieved through the focused history taking and physical examination. Certain factors related to serious spinal pathology include age (>50 years), trauma, unexplained fever, recent urinary or skin infection, unrelenting night or rest pain, unexplained weight loss, osteoporosis, immunosuppression, steroid use, and widespread neurological symptoms. In non-specific low back pain, diagnostic imaging and laboratory studies are often unnecessary and can disturb an appropriate management. For the management of acute low back pain, patient education and medication such as acetaminophen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and muscle relaxants are recommended. For chronic low back pain, behavior therapy, back exercise, and spinal manipulation are beneficial. The evidence based approach could improve success rate of management, result in prevention of acute low back pain from being chronic intractable pain.

• CELLMED
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.18.1-18.4
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• 2016

Patients often suffer from continuous pain negatively affecting their daily life despite a surgical operation. Various studies on complementary therapies against pain have been accumulated as patient with pain desires the improvement in quality of life. Massage therapy as a complementary therapy has been applied widely to decrease the pain and promote relaxation. Thermotherapy with massage is also useful for the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. Here, the author reports that VOSKIN 125+^®, a new massage instrument, was designed directly to be adjusted from 38-50 degrees Celsius depending on the individual symptoms by lifting the skin and muscles with a negative compression in illness area for alleviating all pain. It transfers pressure and heat to area of illness and eases the pain. In addition, it has significant anti-inflammatory effects and promotes metabolism activity. VOSKIN 125+^® can be therapeutic for pain of musculoskeletal patients. Therefore, I suggest that VOSKIN 125+^® can be useful for a great number of patients suffering from persisting pain.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.77-80
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• 2014

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system associated with longitudinally extensive myelitis and optic neuritis. It is characterized by relapses that lead to blindness and paralysis sequelaes. But, this is rare disease; therefore high clinical suspicion for a correct diagnosis and proper examinations are not easy. However, early diagnosis is essential to prevent sequelae. We report the case of NMO with headache. A 30-year male patient who suffered headache visited our pain clinic because of aggravated pain despite treatment. The cause of the pain was revealed as NMO by more detailed previous history and examination.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.69-75
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• 2022

Chronic pain is induced by tissue or nerve damage and is accompanied by pain hypersensitivity (i.e., allodynia and hyperalgesia). Previous studies using in vivo two-photon microscopy have shown functional and structural changes in the primary somatosensory (S1) cortex at the cellular and synaptic levels in inflammatory and neuropathic chronic pain. Furthermore, alterations in local cortical circuits were revealed during the development of chronic pain. In this review, we summarize recent findings regarding functional and structural plastic changes of the S1 cortex and alteration of the S1 inhibitory network in chronic pain. Finally, we discuss potential neuromodulators driving modified cortical circuits and suggest further studies to understand the cortical mechanisms that induce pain hypersensitivity.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.199-205
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• 2009

Background: A major ingredient of green tea is epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), and this is known to have many beneficial effects for cancer prevention and also on the cardiovascular system and neurodegenerative diseases through its anti-oxidant, anti-angiogenic, anti-inflammatory, lipid-lowering and neuroprotective properties. Its actions on nociception and the spinal nervous system have been examined in only a few studies, and in these studies EGCG showed an antinociceptive effect on inflammatory and neuropathic pain, and a neuroprotective effect in motor neuron disease. This study was performed to investigate the effect of EGCG on acute thermal pain and the development of morphine tolerance at the spinal level. Methods: The experimental subjects were male Sprague-Dawley rats and the Hot-Box test was employed. A single or double-lumen intrathecal catheter was implanted at the lumbar enlargement for drug administration. An osmotic pump was used to infuse morphine for 7 days for induction of morphine tolerance. EGCG was injected repeatedly for 7 days at twice a day through the intrathecal catheter. Results: Intrathecal EGCG increased the paw withdrawal latency (PWL) after repeated administration for 7 days at twice a day, but this did not happen with administering on single bolus injection of EGCG. In addition, the antinociceptive effect of intrathecal morphine was not affected by co-administration with EGCG. A continuous 7-day infusion of morphine caused a significant decrease of the PWL in the control group (M + S, morphine plus saline). In contrast, intrathecal EGCG injection over 7 days blocked the decrease of the PWL in the experiment group (M + E, morphine plus EGCG). Conclusions: Intrathecal ECGC produced a weak antinociceptive effect for acute thermal pain, but it did not change the morphine's analgesic effect. However, the development of antinociceptive tolerance to morphine was attenuated by administering intrathecal EGCG.

• Journal of Korean society of Dental Hygiene
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.911-919
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• 2017

Objectives: The baobab tree is a multipurpose, widely-used species with medicinal properties and numerous food uses. The aim of study was to evaluate the effect of oral administration of baobab on the formalin-induced inflammatory pain in rat model injected into the orofacial regions. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 260-280 g were used. Pain in the orofacial region was induced using two models, 5% formalin was injected $50{\mu}l$ subcutaneously or $30{\mu}l$ in temporomandibular joint (TMJ), respectively. Rats were divided into 4 groups (n=6); formalin, formalin after distilled water (vehicle) or baobab (150, 300 mg/kg). The number of noxious behavioral responses with scratching the facial region was recorded for 9 successive 5-min intervals following formalin injection. Results:There was no significant difference in the first response to the pain between the formalin induced group and the drug administration group. However, in the secondary infusion group, all of the pain medication were responded (Bao 150, 300 mg/kg) (p<0.05). Conclusions:The results showed analgesic effect of baobab on formalin-induced orofacial inflammatory pain. This suggests that the natural product is an effective alternative to the postinflammatory pain control.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2016

Most dental pain is caused by an organic problem such as dental caries, periodontitis, pulpitis, or trauma. Diagnosis and treatment of these symptoms are relatively straightforward. However, patients often also complain of abnormal dental pain that has a non-dental origin, whose diagnosis is challenging. Such abnormal dental pain can be categorized on the basis of its cause as referred pain, neuromodulatory pain, and neuropathic pain. When it is difficult to diagnose a patient's dental pain, these potential alternate causes should be considered. In this clinical review, we have presented a case of referred pain from the digastric muscle (Patient 1), of pulpectomized (Patient 2), and of pulpectomized pain (Patient 3) to illustrate referred, neuromodulatory, and neuropathic pain, respectively. The Patient 1 was advised muscle stretching and gentle massage of the trigger points, as well as pain relief using a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory and the tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline. The pain in Patient 2 was relieved completely by the tricyclic antidepressant amitriptyline. In Patient 3, the pain was controlled using either a continuous drip infusion of adenosine triphosphate or intravenous Mg2+ and lidocaine administered every 2 weeks. In each case of abnormal dental pain, the patient's diagnostic chart was used (Fig.2 and 3). Pain was satisfactorily relieved in all cases.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.487-493
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• 2017

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is known for its role in perception of nociceptive signals and the associated emotional responses. Recent optogenetic studies, involving modulation of neuronal activity in the ACC, show that the ACC can modulate mechanical hyperalgesia. In the present study, we used optogenetic techniques to selectively modulate excitatory pyramidal neurons and inhibitory interneurons in the ACC in a model of chronic inflammatory pain to assess their motivational effect in the conditioned place preference (CPP) test. Selective inhibition of pyramidal neurons induced preference during the CPP test, while activation of parvalbumin (PV)-specific neurons did not. Moreover, chemogenetic inhibition of the excitatory pyramidal neurons alleviated mechanical hyperalgesia, consistent with our previous result. Our results provide evidence for the analgesic effect of inhibition of ACC excitatory pyramidal neurons and a prospective treatment for chronic pain.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.1032-1035
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• 2006

Angelicas Tenuissimae Radix (ATR) has traditionally been used for flu-like symptoms, limb-ache and disability, and even for toothache. In the present study, the effect of ATR on carrageenan-induced edema, acetic acid-induced abdominal pain, and heat-induced hyperalgesia were investigated using rats and mice. In the present results, ATR reduced carrageenan-induced edema in rats and inhibited acetic acid-induced abdominal pain in mice. Here in this study, we have shown that ATR possesses anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.127-129
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• 2018

Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome (FHCS) is characterized by inflammation of the perihepatic capsules associated with the pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). FHCS is not a serious disease, but if not treated properly, it can result in increased medical costs, prolonged treatment, and dissatisfaction with treatment. However, early recognition of FHCS in the emergency department can be difficult because its symptoms or physical findings may mimic many other diseases. Although contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) is the useful imaging modality for recognition of FHCS, it is available only when a high suspicion is established. We performed point-of-care ultrasonography in an 18-year-old woman who had a sharp right upper quadrant (RUQ) abdominal pain without PID symptoms and found a thickened or three-layer hepatic capsule. These findings coincided with areas showing increased hepatic capsular enhancement in the arterial phase of CECT. These results show that if the thickened or three-layer hepatic capsule without evidence of a common cause of RUQ pain is observed on ultrasonography in women of childbearing age with RUQ abdominal pain, the physician can consider the possibility of FHCS.