Chronic pain and the PAG 2022

Inspired by Xu et al 2022.[1] Photo by TBS 44 on Unsplash. PAG – periaqueductal grayFC – functional connectivityMRI – magnetic resonance imagingfMRI – functional magnetic resonance imagingCNSP – chronic neck and shoulder painHC – healthy controlMA – manual acupunctureMC – metacarpalBOLD – blood oxygen level dependantpIns – posterior insulaPCS – pain catastrophising scalekey to … Continue reading Chronic pain and the PAG 2022 →

MSK pain and COVID-19

Inspired by César and his prolific output of papers.[1–7] Photo Tim De Pauw on Unsplash. This is intended to represent fatigue, the most common of the post-COVID symptoms. MSK – musculoskeletalCOVID – all contemporary readers are aware of what this is, but if you have found this page from somewhere in the distant future, it … Continue reading MSK pain and COVID-19 →

Guidelines for acupuncture RCTs

Inspired by He et al 2022 and Gang et al 2022.[1,2] Photo Kerry Hu on Unsplash. A panda in Chengdu. RCTs – randomised controlled trialsSR – systematic reviewCAM – complementary and alternative medicineCAIM – complementary alternative and integrative medicineLBP – low back painkey to acronyms I rarely refer to protocols on this blog. One exception … Continue reading Guidelines for acupuncture RCTs →

EA for surgical ToP

Inspired by Ng et al 2021.[1] Photo by Andy Wang on Unsplash. EA – electroacupunctureToP – termination of pregnancyIVF – invitro fertilisationRCT – randomised controlled trialSE – suction evacuationIM – intramuscularAA – auricular acupuncturekey to acronyms This paper was published online in Acupuncture in Medicine last month and comes from a well-known research group led … Continue reading EA for surgical ToP →

MPS in patients with CA 2022

Inspired by Hasuo et al 2021a&b and Ishiki et al 2021.[1–3] Graphic by MC shows characteristic referred pain patterns from the most common trigger points in trapezius on the right and other possible sites of trapezius trigger points on the left. MPS – myofascial pain syndromeCA – cancer (in this case ‘incurable’ cancer) aka ‘the … Continue reading MPS in patients with CA 2022 →