ABSTRACT
Chronic pain in the elderly is becoming increasingly important and is associated with serious health impacts. Therefore, international guidelines demand that pain therapy for the elderly preferably be a multimodal therapy based on a bio-psycho-social pain model. Specific psychometric tests and interview guidelines are available for the interdisciplinary pain assessment. Evidence for the effectiveness of multimodal pain therapy in the elderly remains limited. However, controlled clinical trials have shown that these patients benefit-especially if the intervention is adapted to their specific needs. The focus of movement therapy is not only muscle strengthening but also coordination exercises. In individual physical therapy and occupational therapy, everyday solutions can be developed for individual physical limitations that are more frequent in old age. In psychological training, pain acceptance, balancing rest and activity, social integration and dealing with aging are particularly important topics. Relaxation and mindfulness techniques can also favorably affect pain and function. Thus, these are popular with patients and are often adopted in everyday pain management. Pain education is considered useful as an adjunctive measure and can also be increasingly supported by digital media in the elderly. Complementary therapy components include confrontational treatment of fear-avoidance beliefs (the German AMIKA scale, Ältere Menschen in körperlicher Aktion, "older people in physical action") and naturopathic applications as an active self-help strategy. Since it is unclear how long the achieved therapeutic effects last, follow-up care is of particular importance in therapy for older patients.
Subject(s)
Chronic Pain , Mindfulness , Humans , Aged , Pain Management , Internet , Chronic Pain/therapy , AgingABSTRACT
Chronic pain in the elderly is becoming increasingly important and is associated with serious health impacts. Therefore, international guidelines demand that pain therapy for the elderly preferably be a multimodal therapy based on a bio-psycho-social pain model. Specific psychometric tests and interview guidelines are available for the interdisciplinary pain assessment. Evidence for the effectiveness of multimodal pain therapy in the elderly remains limited. However, controlled clinical trials have shown that these patients benefit-especially if the intervention is adapted to their specific needs. The focus of movement therapy is not only muscle strengthening but also coordination exercises. In individual physical therapy and occupational therapy, everyday solutions can be developed for individual physical limitations that are more frequent in old age. In psychological training, pain acceptance, balancing rest and activity, social integration and dealing with aging are particularly important topics. Relaxation and mindfulness techniques can also favorably affect pain and function. Thus, these are popular with patients and are often adopted in everyday pain management. Pain education is considered useful as an adjunctive measure and can also be increasingly supported by digital media in the elderly. Complementary therapy components include confrontational treatment of fear-avoidance beliefs (the German AMIKA scale, Ältere Menschen in körperlicher Aktion, "older people in physical action") and naturopathic applications as an active self-help strategy. Since it is unclear how long the achieved therapeutic effects last, follow-up care is of particular importance in therapy for older patients.
Subject(s)
Chronic Pain , Pain Management , Humans , Aged , Internet , Chronic Pain/therapy , Chronic Pain/psychology , Psychotherapy , Exercise TherapyABSTRACT
Summary. Progressive scoliosis with increasing pelvic obliquity in early childhood of patients with SMA type II is a common feature in this disease. Spinal surgery in muscle disorders should be carried out as soon as a progressive curve of more then 20 Celsius Cobb and a preserved FVC of 20-30% is proved. In later stages or severe forms of SMA II spinal stabilization becomes often impossible due to the respiratory insufficiency, the poor general condition and the severity of the scoliosis with marked pelvic obliquity. A special telescope rod was developed in order to enable a lengthening of this instrumentation during growth for children treated in early childhood. In 15 of 20 patients with SMA II in early childhood not satisfactory results after telescope rod implantation were observed. In spite of the telescope technique crankshaft phenomenon appeared and curve progression were observed. So then we stopped telescope rod implantation. This instrumentation could be in principle a good therapeutical tool for this indication, but its technical manufacturing has firstly to be improved decisively. For SMA II patients younger than 10 years with progressive scoliosis our therapeutic recommendation is nowadays a corset until the age of 10-12 years followed by definitive surgical correction using other multisegmental instrumentation like the Isola(R) system.
