• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.198-202
• /
• 1989

The Tolosa-Hunt syndrome is one of the rare disease with facial, especially peri-orbital pain, and ophthalomoplegia associated mostly with granulomatous lesions in cavernous sinus or superior orbital fissure. In addition to ophthalmoplegia by multiple cranial nerve involvement, the sympathetic nervous system may also be involved leading to Horner's syndrome. A typical Tolosa-Hunt syndrome has a neuro-radiologic finding of an increased density in the involved region, and a laboratory finding of an elevated ESR, as well as a dramatic response to systemic corticosteroid therapy. An unusual case of the Tolosa-Hunt syndrome with normal radiologic and laboratory findings, unresponsive to systemic corticosteroid, and some response of pain relief to a stellate ganglion block, is presented.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.35-42
• /
• 2014

Background: Epidural steroid injection (ESI) is one of the most common procedures for patients presenting low back pain and radiculopathy. However, there is no clear consensus on what constitutes appropriate steroid use for ESIs. To investigate optimal steroid injection methods for ESIs, surveys were sent to all academic pain centers and selected private practices in Korea via e-mail. Methods: Among 173 pain centers which requested the public health insurance reimbursements for their ESIs and were enrolled in the Korean Pain Society, 122 completed questionnaires were returned, for a rate of 70.5%; also returned were surveys from 39 academic programs and 85 private practices with response rates of 83.0% and 65.9%, respectively. Results: More than half (55%) of Korean pain physicians used dexamethasone for ESIs. The minimum interval of subsequent ESIs at the academic institutions (3.1 weeks) and the private practices (2.1 weeks) were statistically different (P = 0.01). Conclusions: Although there was a wide range of variation, there were no significant differences between the academic institutions and the private practices in terms of the types and single doses of steroids for ESIs, the annual dose of steroids, or the limitations of doses in the event of diabetes, with the exception of the minimum interval before the subsequent ESI.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.339-352
• /
• 2008

Aims: The aims of this study were to identify the association between cervical muscle pain and TMD by pressure pain response, and to find cervical muscles showing moderate to severe pressure pain that are correlated with masticatory muscle pain. Methods: Patients(n=129, female 65.9%, mean age 28.8 years) answered a TMD questionnaire asking about headache, neck pain, emotional stress, sleep disturbance, parafunction habits, and pain intensity. A clinical examination of the masticatory system was performed. Of the neck muscles, (1) the upper sternocleidomastoid, (2) the middle sternocleidomastoid, (3) the upper trapezius, (4) the splenius capitis, (5) the semispinalis capitis, (6) the scalene medius, and (7) the levator scapulae muscles were examined by palpation. Pressure pain or tenderness of all palpation sites was scored from 0 to 3 according to the pain response. The variables of sum of pressure pain scores were calculated from pressure pain scores and were used for statistical analyses. Results: Eighty patients(62.0%) answered that they suffer from neck pain in the TMD questionnaire. More than 40% of sternocleidomastoid and upper trapezius examination sites showed moderate to severe tenderness in the cervical muscles, and 36% of middle masseter in the masticatory muscles. For the 129 patients, the sum of cervical muscle pain scores(mean=12.88, SD=8.06) and the sum of TMD pain scores(mean=5.36, SD=5.10) were moderately correlated($\rho$ = 0.502, P < 0.001). The sum of TMD pain scores tends to increase as the sum of cervical muscle pain scores increases(Y = 0.395${\cdot}$X, $R^2$ = 0.659, P < 0.001). In the patients with masticatory muscle disorders, the sum of sternocleidomastoid and upper trapezius pain scores(mean = 8.67, SD = 4.95) and the sum of temporalis and masseter pain scores(mean = 3.37, SD = 3.56) showed moderate correlation($\rho$ = 0.375, P < 0.001). Those two variables were in a proportionate relationship(Y = 0.359${\cdot}$X, $R^2$ = 0.538, P < 0.001). In a partial correlation analysis of the sum of unilateral pain scores, the sum of right cervical muscle pain scores and the sum of left cervical muscle pain scores showed the highest correlation(r = 0.802, P < 0.001). The sum of right TMD pain scores and the sum of left TMD pain scores were moderately correlated(r = 0.481, P < 0.001). For the twenty patients with unilateral TMD pain, the partial correlation coefficient between the sum of ipsilateral cervical muscle pain scores and the sum of contralateral cervical muscle pain scores was the largest(r = 0.597, P = 0.009). A partial correlation between the sum of primary TMD side pain scores and the sum of ipsilateral cervical muscle pain scores was 0.564(P = 0.015). Conclusions: TMD is associated with cervical muscle pain on condition of pressure pain response to palpation. Of the cervical muscles, sternocleidomastoid and upper trapezius frequently exhibit moderate to severe pressure pain, and they are closely related to the masticatory muscle pain. The characteristic of symmetric involvement of pain is prominent in cervical muscles; however, TMD can affect the level of cervical muscle pain to modify its symmetric nature.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.22 no.3
• /
• pp.229-233
• /
• 2009

Background: Sacroiliac (SI) joint pain is a challenging condition that causes lower back or buttock pain; however, there is no universally accepted long-term treatment. There have been several reports of ligament prolotherapy for SI joint pain, but these have had inconsistent results, probably due to the lack of a specific diagnosis for patient selection and variability in the volume, number and sites of injection. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the efficacy of intraarticular prolotherapy for relieving SI joint pain diagnosed by local anesthetic intraarticular injection. Methods: Twenty-two patients with SI joint pain confirmed by 50% or more improvement in response to local anesthetic block underwent intraarticular prolotherapy with 25% dextrose water every other week three times. The numeric rating scale (NRS) for pain and Oswestry disability index (ODI) were assessed at the initial visit and after completion of a series of prolotherapy and the NRS was checked during monthly follow-up sessions to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of this technique. Results: Twenty patients completed prolotherapy and followed up as scheduled. The NRS and ODI were significantly improved from 6 (4-8) and $34.1{\pm}15.5$ to 1 (0-3) and $12.6{\pm}9.8$ (P < 0.01), respectively, at 1 month after prolotherapy. The mean duration of pain relief of 50% or more was 12.2 months (95% CI, 10.0-14.3) as determined by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Conclusions: Intraarticular prolotherapy provided long-term relief of sacroiliac joint pain and may have more benefits than ligament prolotherapy or neurolysis.

• Child Health Nursing Research
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.140-148
• /
• 2003

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the nurses' knowledge and attitude to pain management in children and explore the status of pain management in clinical practice. Method: The subjects were 131 nurses enrolled in 3 university affiliated hospitals. Questionnaire method was utilized for data collection. Data was analyzed by SPSS statistical program. Result: The result was as follows: 1. The overall mean score of the pain knowledge was 16.88 (58.2％). The percentages of correct response in test subsections were pain assessment 45.5, choice of medication and drug action 48.7, and pain statement 79.6 respectively. 2. 70.3％ of the nurses agreed or strongly agreed that the procedural pain should always be eliminated. And, 44.3％ of the nurses agreed or strongly agreed that post-operative treatment of pain in children should always aim at eliminating the pain completely. 3. There was a significant relationship between pain attitude and knowledge related facts about pain(r=.217, p<.01). 4. When asked to identify the point of self-reported pain on a 0-10 scale at which the nurse would give medication, point 7 was mostly identified (29％). 5. Only 19.8％ of the nurses utilized pain rating scale to assess children's pain. 6. The nonpharmacologic interventions nurses used most were position change, emotional support, and massage. 7. 68.7％ of the nurses indicated that they learned about pain management from their current working environment. Also, Mostly helpful resource identified in increasing their pain management knowledge and skills was the continuing education program. Conclusion: The findings showed that there was a need to develop educational program for adequate pain management for children. Further research study is recommended to examine the effectiveness of the intervention methods for children's pain.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
• /
• v.40 no.2
• /
• pp.47-54
• /
• 2015

Purpose: Besides depression and anxiety, recently pain catastrophizing has been emphasized for an important psychological factor explaining pain response in various pain conditions including temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). The aims of this study were to evaluate pain catastrophizing of TMD patients and to investigate how the level of pain catastrophizing related with clinical variables and psychometric morbidity. Methods: Inclusion criterion was all new TMD patients ${\geq}18$ years old attending the Department of Orofacial Pain and Oral Medicine of Dankook University Dental Hospital (Cheonan, Korea) over three-month period in 2014, who completed questionnaires. The questionnaires included the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), and Symptom Check List- 90-Revised (SCL-90-R). All of them were examined clinically and diagnosed. Results: One hundred fifty five patients diagnosed as TMDs were participated in this study (mean age of $38.7{\pm}15.2$ years, male:female=1:2.5). Mean PCS score of the patients was 17.3 with standard deviation of 12.6. By the median of the PCS score (i.e., 15), the subjects were categorized into the high (${\geq}15$) and low catastrophizers (<15). Increased pain severity and interference and increased score of psychological features of SCL-90-R were found in the TMD patients with higher level of catastrophizing (p<0.001) and there was weak to moderate correlation between those factors (p<0.05). Difference in catastrophizing level was not found for other variables such as age, gender, duration of pain, education level and types of TMDs. Conclusions: Conclusively, pain catastrophizing of TMD patients relates positively to pain severity and pain interference. In addition to depression and anxiety, pain catastrophizing is positively correlated with variable other psychological morbidity such as somatization, obsessive- compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, paranoid ideation and psychoticism. Types of TMD diagnosis do not seem to affect catastrophizing level. The results of this study suggest that pain catastrophizing should be emphasized and assessed in the TMD patients.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.190-194
• /
• 2007

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), which is a syndrome that is defined by pain and sudomotor and/or vasomotor instability, is usually resistant to conventional treatment. Here, a case involving a 30-year-old male patient with CRPS type I who showed severe intractable right shoulder pain with allodynia and hyperalgesia despite being treated with oral medications, nerve blocks including thoracic sympathetic neurolysis, and spinal cord stimulation is described. The patient frequently visited the emergency room due to severe uncontrollable breakthrough pain. Although a favorable effect was observed in response to intermittent ketamine infusion therapies that were performed on an outpatient basis, acute exacerbation of pain occurred frequently during the night and could not be controlled. Therefore, subcutaneous ketamine infusion therapy using a patient-controlled analgesic system was attempted and found to effectively control acute exacerbation of pain during 6 weeks of infusion without serious complications.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.96-100
• /
• 1998

Bakground: At our institution, We have controlled pain during vaginal delivery with epidural block since 1986. We designed a questionaire for parturients to analyze the degree of satisfaction of epidural block. Method: The self-questionaire were sent to parturients(N=200), who had epidural block to control labor pain during vaginal delivery. The questionaire covered topics dealing with motivation, fear, satisfaction and complications, of epidural block. Results: Motivation by an experienced person was 72.5%(145 parturients), fear of epidural block was 66%(132 parturients), and satisfactory response was 84%(168 parturients). Parturients who knew the role of anesthesiologist numbered 105(52.5%). Scarcely, 46 parturients displayed confidence for safety of fetus; 111 parturients experienced more than one complications. But special therapy for complications were not necessary. Conclusions: Publicity through mass-media and direct contact will improve the recognition and merit of epidural block by parturients as well as the role of the department of anesthesiology.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.79-90
• /
• 1987

The present experiment was performed in 35 normal male volunteers to evaluate the effect of electroacupuncture on the human nociception more clearly and to demonstrate the effect of different parameters of electrical stimulation through acupuncture needles. The threshold of the pain(Tp) and the nociceptive flexion reflex(Tr), the threshold for intolerable pain(Tip) and that for obtaining maximal reflex response(Tmr) were studied before and after electroacupuncture performed on the acupoints of tsusanli and hsuanchung. 1) For the pricking pain, electroacupuncture with intermittent stimulation induced a significant decrease in Tp which recovered after removal of the needles. There was no significant change in other thresholds. 2) For the dull pain, electroacupuncture with intermittent stimulation produced a significant increase in Tp which continued after removal of the needles. But there was no signifcant change in Tip. Electroacupuncture with continuous stimulation induced a slight increase in Tp. 3) After resting without electroacupuncture, Tp and Tip of the dull pain were slightly decreased. These results suggest that electroacupuncture had no significant analgesic effect on the pricking pain induced by electrical stimulation of the foot skin. However, electroacupuncture with intermittent stimulation had significant analgesic effect on the weak dull pain and it had slightly greater analgesic effect than electroacupuncture with continuous stimulation.

• Child Health Nursing Research
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.215-221
• /
• 2011

Purpose: Newborns routinely experience pain associated with invasive procedures such as blood sampling, venipuncture, heelstick, or venous cannulation. This study was done to provide data for a nursing intervention to alleviate newborn pain clinically by investigating the effect of local anesthetic cream during venipuncture. Methods: Participants were 70 newborns hospitalized in the nursery. Informed Consent was obtained from parents of the newborns. Venipuncture for regular blood sampling was carried out for a test on 2 groups; the experimental, placebo group. The neonatal infant pain scale (NIPS), and duration of crying were measured to assess pain reaction. All neonatal behaviors were recorded on videotape. Results: There were significant differences in pain behavior during venipuncture (t=-4.752, p<.001), immediately after sampling (t=-5.591, p<.001), 3 minutes after puncture (t=-2.469, p=.017), and in duration of crying (t=-3.005, p=.004). Conclusion: Results show that local administration of EMLA cream before venipuncture causes a reduction in neonatal pain response, indicating that the EMLA cream has the effect of pain relief.