Classifying patients with lumbar spinal stenosis using painDETECT: a cross-sectional study

Effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation in chronic pain and neurogenic claudication related to lumbar spinal stenosis

OBJECTIVES

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a promising non-invasive brain stimulation technique for treating chronic pain, yet its effectiveness in chronic lower extremity pain due to lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) has not been studied. This research aimed to investigate the impact of tDCS on pain, walking capacity, functional status, and quality of life in LSS patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this prospective, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study, 32 LSS patients received either real or sham tDCS over the motor cortex contralateral to the patient's painful lower extremity for 10 consecutive weekdays (10 sessions). Evaluations were conducted at baseline, post-session, and 1-3 months later. The pain was evaluated by Visual Analog Scale (VAS), walking duration and distance by Treadmill Walking Test, functional status by Modified Oswestry Disability Questionnaire (MODQ) and quality of life by Short Form-36 (SF-36).

RESULTS

In-group comparisons, active tDCS showed sustained analgesic effects for 3-month post-treatment, distinct from sham. After the final session, active group exhibited significantly better asymptomatic walking distance and duration. Active stimulation led to notably lower MOLBDQ scores after 1 month. Significant improvements in SF-36 subscales were seen after 3 months, especially in pain, physical functioning, and general health. Positive tDCS effects on pain, claudication, and some quality of life aspects were evident at 3 months, while functional status improvements were mainly limited to 1 month.

CONCLUSION

tDCS shows potential as a safe, non-invasive technique for alleviating chronic LSS-related pain, enhancing mobility, functionality, and quality of life.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinicaltrials.gov ID: NCT03958526.

Reliability of PainDETECT for Evaluating Low Back Pain Caused by Cluneal Nerve Entrapment

BACKGROUND

Superior/middle cluneal nerve entrapment (CN-E) is an elicitor of low back pain (LBP). The painDETECT questionnaire is used to characterize CN-E symptoms.

METHODS

Nineteen consecutive patients with LBP caused by CN-E (superior CN-E = 7; middle CN-E = 12) participated in a Japanese language painDETECT questionnaire survey before surgery. A score of 12 or lower was recorded as 'neuropathic component unlikely', a score of 19 or higher as 'neuropathic pain likely', and scores between 13 and 18 as 'neuropathic pain possible'. LBP severity was recorded on a numerical rating scale, the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire, and the EuroQol-5 dimension-5 level.

RESULTS

The mean painDETECT score was 11.8 and did not significantly differ between the superior CN-E and middle CN-E groups. We classified low back pain as unlikely to have a neuropathic component in 13 patients, as likely to have a neuropathic component in 2 patients, and as possibly neuropathic in 4 patients. There was no significant difference in the pain level of patients with scores of ≤12 and ≥13 on painDETECT. All patients reported trigger pain; the positive rate was high for electric shock pain, radiating pain, and pain attacks and low for a burning or tingling sensation, pain elicited by a light touch, and pain caused by cold or hot stimulation.

CONCLUSION

The painDETECT questionnaire may not reliably identify LBP caused by superior/middle CN-E as neuropathic pain. A diagnosis of LBP due to CN-E must be made carefully because symptoms resemble nociceptive pain.

Relationship between Nontraumatic Shoulder Disorders and Neuropathic Pain: Retrospective Observational Analyses of Clinical Features and Background Factors

Background

Accurate identification of neuropathic pain is necessary for appropriate treatment; however, the relationship between nontraumatic shoulder disorders and neuropathic pain remains unknown. Therefore, this retrospective observational study aimed to investigate the relationship, features, background factors, and prevalence of neuropathic pain among patients with nontraumatic shoulder disorders.

Methods

We evaluated 198 patients who visited our outpatient clinic, which specializes in shoulder disorders, from April 2015 to March 2016. The patients' age, sex, affected side, diagnosis, and pain duration were recorded, and the results of physical examination, including passive range of motion, impingement sign, and muscular strength assessments, were analyzed. The presence of neuropathic pain was assessed using the painDETECT questionnaire. Participants were divided into two groups according to the presence of neuropathic pain. Pain intensity was assessed using a visual analog scale, and the patient's mental status was assessed using the short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The scores were compared between the groups.

Results

Neuropathic pain was observed in 7.6% of patients. The visual analog scale score for pain, short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire score, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score were significantly associated with the presence of neuropathic pain in the univariate analysis. Patient background factors and physical function were not associated with the presence of neuropathic pain. The prevalence of neuropathic pain in patients with frozen shoulder was 33.3%, which was significantly higher than that in patients with other shoulder disorders.

Conclusion

The occurrence of neuropathic pain may aggravate pain in patients with nontraumatic shoulder disorders. Neuropathic pain was not a rare condition in patients with nontraumatic shoulder disorders, particularly in those with frozen shoulder. The coexistence of neuropathic pain cannot be determined from background factors or physical function. Accurate diagnosis of neuropathic pain is essential in patients with nontraumatic shoulder disorders.

Neuropathic Pain Was Associated with Central Sensitivity Syndrome in Patients with Preoperative Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Using the painDETECT and Central Sensitization Inventory Questionnaires: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) patients have been reported to have neuropathic pain and central sensitivity syndrome (CSS). These associations have been reported in other diseases but are unknown in preoperative LSS patients. We aimed to investigate the association between neuropathic pain and CSS in preoperative LSS patients using the painDETECT and the Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI) questionnaires.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2021 to March 2022. The data were collected regarding demographics and pain, including neuropathic pain, numbness, LSS severity, physical function, quality of life, and CSS. Patients were divided into two groups, patients with acute and chronic pain, and further classified into three categories based on the clinical phenotype of patients in each group. Independent variables included age, gender, type of LSS (bilateral or unilateral symptoms), Numerical Rating Scale of leg pain, CSI, and the Zurich Claudication Questionnaire (ZCQ) for symptom severity and physical function. The dependent variable was painDETECT. Multiple regression analysis using the forced entry method examined the association between painDETECT and CSI.

Results

Of the 119 patients with preoperative LSS, 106 were included. The mean age of the participants was 69.9 years, and 45.3% were female. Neuropathic pain was present in 19.8%, and CSS was present in 10.4%. The CSI (β = 0.468, p < 0.001) and ZCQ for symptom severity (β = 0.304, p < 0.01) were significantly associated with the painDETECT, explaining 47.8% of the variance in the painDETECT score.

Conclusions

There is an association between neuropathic pain and CSS in patients with preoperative LSS using the painDETECT and CSI questionnaires.

A targeted literature review of the burden of illness for spine-related neuropathic pain in Japan

BACKGROUND

Neuropathic pain (NeP) is pain provoked by damage or disease in the nervous system and about one in three Japanese patients with spinal disorders are highly likely to have NeP. The humanistic and economic burden of illness (BOI) of spine-related NeP represents unmet medical needs that should be addressed. The purpose of this targeted literature review was to synthesize the available evidence on the BOI of spine-related NeP in Japanese patients.

METHODS

PubMed and ICHUSHI were searched for relevant studies published between January 2010 and December 2020, in English or Japanese. The population included patients with one or more of prespecified spinal disorders and NeP, and outcomes of interest were data related to humanistic or economic burden.

RESULTS

Out of 32 studies that assessed the BOI of spine-related disorders in Japan, only six specifically assessed spine-related NeP. Among these studies, five different validated questionnaires were used to measure humanistic burden. Spine-related NeP was consistently shown to be related with a poorer health-related quality of life and higher levels of anxiety and depression compared to the general population as well as patients with nociceptive pain. No articles directly evaluating economic burden were identified in this search, so an exploratory analysis was conducted. Reduction in work productivity by people experiencing spine-related NeP in the whole of Japan were estimated to total JPY 172,266,780,480 per year.

CONCLUSIONS

The humanistic burden of spine-related NeP on Japanese patients is considerable, not only physically but also mentally. Exploratory analysis of the economic burden illustrates the possibility of substantial societal costs associated with NeP. In order to better understand the depth of BOI and the unmet medical need caused by spine-related NeP, further studies on real-world outcomes are recommended.

Risk Factors for Neuropathic Pain in Middle-Aged and Elderly People: A Five-Year Longitudinal Cohort in the Yakumo Study

OBJECTIVE

To determine the risk factors for new neuropathic pain (NeP) after five years in healthy middle-aged and elderly volunteers.

DESIGN

Prospective longitudinal cohort study (Yakumo study).

SETTING

Clinical evaluation in a health checkup.

SUBJECTS

A total of 366 people (male N = 146, female N = 220, average age = 63.5 years) who did not have NeP in 2013 were examined.

METHODS

NeP was diagnosed based on a painDETECT questionnaire score ≥13. Body mass index (BMI), comorbidity, low back pain (LBP), sciatica, physical ability, grip and back muscle strength, osteoporosis, sarcopenia, frailty, spinal alignment, and quality of life (QOL) with the SF36 in 2013 were compared between NeP(+) and NeP(-) subjects in 2018 using multivariate logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

The NeP(+) rate in 2018 was 5.2%, with no significant differences in age and gender. NeP(+) subjects had significantly lower BMI, severe sciatica, poor gait ability, higher rates of osteoporosis and sarcopenia, greater lumbar kyphosis and spinal inclination, and poorer mental health in 2013. Poor gait ability (odds ratio [OR] = 8.05), low BMI (OR = 2.31), lumbar kyphosis (OR = 1.38), low percentage of the young adult mean (OR = 1.15), and low mental QOL (OR = 1.06) were identified as significant and independent risk factors for new NeP after five years.

CONCLUSIONS

This longitudinal cohort study identified five independent risk factors for development of new NeP after five years, with related factors of spinal inclination, sarcopenia, and sciatica. New NeP may be prevented by intervention or treatment of these factors at an early stage in relatively healthy middle-aged and elderly people.

Assessment of health-related quality of life and patient's knowledge in chronic non-specific low back pain

BACKGROUND

Chronic non-specific low back pain syndrome (cnsLBP) is a severe health problem in developed countries, which has an important effect on patients' quality of life and is highly determined by socio-demographic factors and low back pain specific knowledge. We examined patients' health-related quality of life according to the results of the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), low back pain knowledge (LBPKQ) and the social determinants of the participants.

METHODS

We carried out our research in the first half of 2015 in Southern Transdanubia, Hungary. The examination included 1155 respondents living with chronic non-specific low back pain. The confidence interval of 95% was used, and the level of. significance was p < 0.05 using SPSS 22.0 software.

RESULTS

The SF-36 questionnaire is suitable for the examination of patients' health-related quality of life (Cronbach's Alpha> 0.76), as the LBPKQ's Cronbach's Alpha was 0.726 also, which showed good validity. Longer-term disease meant a lower health-related quality of life (p < 0.05). A greater decrease of function (Roland Morris scores (RM)) accounts for a lower HRQoL and higher knowledge level. We found significant differences in LBPKQ scores according to sociodemographic parameters. The general health status was positively correlated with LBPKQ (p = 0.024) adjusted for demographic and pain and functional status.

CONCLUSION

The negative effect of the symptoms on patients' quality of life is proved, which is determined by different socio-demographic parameters furthermore by knowledge. Above all could be useful information for professionals to adopt the right interventions.

Evaluation of the Neuropathic Component of Chronic Low Back Pain

OBJECTIVES

Assessment of neuropathic pain in chronic low back syndromes is important. However, there is currently no gold standard for its diagnosis. The aim of this observational cross-sectional study was to assess the neuropathic component of pain in various chronic low back pain syndromes using a range of diagnostic tests.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Included in this study were 63 patients with chronic axial low back pain (ALBP), 48 patients with chronic radicular syndromes (CRS) comprising 23 with discogenic compression (CDRS) and 25 with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), and 74 controls. PainDETECT questionnaire (PDQ), quantitative sensory testing (QST), and skin biopsy with evaluation of intraepidermal nerve fiber density (IENFD) were used to assess the neuropathic pain component.

RESULTS

Positive PDQ (≥19) was obtained more frequently in patients with CDRS and LSS (26.1% and 12.0%, respectively) compared with patients with ALBP (1.6%, P<0.001). The proportion of patients with sensory loss confirmed by QST was lowest in the ALBP subgroup (23.8%) compared with CDRS (47.8%), and LSS (68.0%) subgroups (P<0.001). A reduction in IENFD was disclosed in a proportion of up to 52.0% of affected roots in patients with CRS.

DISCUSSION

Neuropathic pain is quite frequent in CRS, and QST reveals sensory loss as a frequent abnormality in patients with CRS. Using a cut-off value of 19, PDQ identified a neuropathic component in a relatively low proportion of patients with CRS. CRS may be associated with a reduction in IENFD.

Musculoskeletal Factors and Geriatric Syndromes Related to the Absence of Musculoskeletal Degenerative Disease in Elderly People Aged over 70 Years

Purpose

To investigate factors with a significant relationship with the absence of musculoskeletal disease (MSD: osteoporosis, knee osteoarthritis (K-OA), and lumbar spondylosis (L-OA)) in elderly people ≥70 years old.

Methods

The subjects were 279 people (134 males, 145 females, mean age: 75.2 years) who attended an annual health checkup and were prospectively included in the study. Osteoporosis was defined as %YAM ≤70%, K-OA as Kellgren–Lawrence grade ≥2, and L-OA as osteophytes of Nathan class ≥3. Subjects were divided into those with (group D) and without (group N) any MSD. Clinical variables including locomotive syndrome (LS), frailty, sarcopenia, and QOL (SF-36) were compared between the groups.

Results

There was no significant difference in age or gender between group N (n = 54) and group D (n = 225). Lower BMI and pain, including neuropathic pain; greater back muscle strength, physical ability, and balance with eyes closed; larger lumbar lordosis, sacral inclination, and lumbar ROM; and smaller spinal inclination were found in group N. The rates of LS and sarcopenia were significantly lower and QOL was significantly higher in group N.

Conclusions

This study firstly revealed the significant musculoskeletal factors and geriatric syndromes related to an absence of MSD, which may form the basis of interventions to improve QOL in elderly people ≥70 years old.

Current understanding of the mixed pain concept: a brief narrative review

Despite having been referenced in the literature for over a decade, the term "mixed pain" has never been formally defined. The strict binary classification of pain as being either purely neuropathic or nociceptive once left a good proportion of patients unclassified; even the recent adoption of "nociplastic pain" in the IASP Terminology leaves out patients who present clinically with a substantial overlap of nociceptive and neuropathic symptoms. For these patients, the term "mixed pain" is increasingly recognized and accepted by clinicians. Thus, an independent group of international multidisciplinary clinicians convened a series of informal discussions to consolidate knowledge and articulate all that is known (or, more accurately, thought to be known) and all that is not known about mixed pain. To inform the group's discussions, a Medline search for the Medical Subject Heading "mixed pain" was performed via PubMed. The search strategy encompassed clinical trial articles and reviews from January 1990 to the present. Clinically relevant articles were selected and reviewed. This paper summarizes the group's consensus on several key aspects of the mixed pain concept, to serve as a foundation for future attempts at generating a mechanistic and/or clinical definition of mixed pain. A definition would have important implications for the development of recommendations or guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of mixed pain.