Up to 62% of patients report chronic pain at the injury site 6-12 months after blunt trauma, with pain from lower extremity fractures exceeding that from other sites. High pain intensity at time of injury is a risk factor for chronic pain, but it is not clear what patient characteristics influence the pain intensity level during the immediate hospitalization following injury. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the feasibility of collecting pain scores from medical records to calculate pain trajectories and to determine whether it is possible to examine patient characteristics by classifying them into those whose pain improved and those whose pain did not improve.

The potential benefit of nonpharmacological adjunctive therapy is not well-studied following major abdominal surgery. The aim of the present study was to investigate transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) as a complementary nonpharmacological analgesia intervention during weaning from epidural analgesia (EDA) after open lower abdominal surgery. Patients were randomized to TENS and sham TENS during weaning from EDA. The effects on pain at rest, following short walk, and after deep breath were assessed by visual analog scale (VAS) grading.

The American Society for Pain Management Nursing (ASPMN) recently held its 25th annual conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Anniversaries often are a time to look back, and ASPMN is no different. We celebrated our journey, recognized those responsible for our success, and even chuckled at some of the obstacles we encountered along the way. We are, after all, nurses, and everyone knows no one can tell a story like a nurse.