Bandolier's Little Book of Pain

Reviews
'Don't be put off by the title. Though concise and compact this is far from a 'little book' in every other respect. Moreover, its design arguably sets the standard... the brief text still delivers a punch... as truly pocket sized it has the advantage of being a mobile reference... this book is 5 star quality.' -Palliative Medicine 18 (3)
'This is an excellent reference. The authors arranged the book in such a way that it is easy for the reader to find a specific topic... This book will be useful as a resource for all physicians.' -Doody's Journal

Description
A pocket sized edition of the bestselling 'Evidence-based resource for pain relief'
Provides fully evidence-based information on both acute and chronic pain, with a clinical bottom line
Written and compiled by the team who produce the highly regarded on-line journal -'Bandolier'

Acute and chronic pain place a huge burden on our society. Approximately 10% of the population in Western countries report suffering from chronic pain, and both chronic and acute pain are responsible for high absenteeism in the workplace. It is therefore crucial that we have effective ways of treating pain. Unfortunately though, we have no objective measures of pain - no blood tests, no urine dipsticks. We have to rely on what the patient tells us. So how then do we know what are and what are not effective pain treatments? It is here that the principles of evidence-based medicine have been of great value - helping us to understand the most effective forms of pain treatment.

Bandolier's Little Book of Pain is a unique portable guide to evidence-based pain treatments. For each possible treatment, the book provides the evidence supporting the efficacy of the treatment, along with a clinical bottom line, for those requiring immediate information. Written by world leaders in the field of evidenced-based pain treatments, the book will be indispensable for the multi-disciplinary professionals managing acute and chronic pain in primary and secondary care.

Readership: GPs, clinicians, nurses, therapists, psychologists and any health professional with an interest in pain.

Contents
Section 1: Understanding EBM
1.1 Pain - there's a lot of it about
1.2 Measuring pain
1.3 Outcomes
1.4 Clinical trial methods
1.5 Systematic review and meta-analysis
1.6 Size
1.7 Outputs and utility
1.8 Adverse events
1.9 Placebo
1.10 Being sure of a result
Section 2: Acute Pain
2.1 Introduction
2.2 League table of analgesics in acute pain
2.3 Aspirin in postoperative pain
2.4 Ibuprofen in postoperative pain
2.5 Paracetamol (acetaminophen) in acute postoperative pain
2.6 Paracetamol (acetaminophen) with codeine in acute postoperative pain
2.7 Diclofenac in postoperative pain
2.8 Injected morphine in postoperative pain
2.9 Dihydrocodeine in postoperative pain
2.10 Oral codeine in acute postoperative pain
2.11 Dextropropoxyphene alone and with paracetamol in postoperative pain
2.12 Intramuscular pethidine in postoperative pain
2.13 Naproxen in postoperative pain
2.14 Oral tramadol in postoperative pain
2.15 Paracetamol plus tramadol for acute pain
2.16 Oral rofexcoxib in postoperative pain
2.17 Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in acute postoperative pain and labour pain
2.18 Topically applied non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in acute pain
2.19 Analgesics for dysmenorrhoea
2.20 Other acute pain interventions with evidence of efficacy
2.21 Other acute pain interventions without evidence of efficacy
2.22 Do NSAIDS inhibit bone healing?
Section 3: Migraine and Headache
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Diagnosing headache and migraine
3.3 Migraine: league tables of relative efficacy
3.4 Aspirin plus metoclopramide for acute migraine
3.5 Paracetamol for acute migraine
3.6 Ibuprofen for acute migraine
3.7 Sumatriptan for acute migraine
3.8 Oral naratriptan for acute migraine
3.9 Oral rizatriptan for acute migraine
3.10 Oral zolmitriptan for acute migraine
3.11 Oral eletriptan for acute migraine
3.12 Which migraine treatment strategy is most effective?
3.13 Prophylaxis for migraine
Section 4: Chronic Pain
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Antidepressants for diabetic neuropathy and postherpetic neuralgia
4.3 Anticonvulsants for diabetic neuropathy and postherpetic neuralgia
4.4 Topical capsaicin for pain relief
4.5 TENS for chronic pain
4.6 Fibromyalgia
4.7 Back Pain
4.8 Epidural corticosteroids for back pain
4.9 Steroid injections for shoulder and elbow disorders
4.10 Systemic local anaesthetic-type drugs in chronic pain
4.11 Cognitive behaviour therapy and behaviour therapy for chronic pain
4.12 Intravenous regional sympathetic blockade for reflex sympathetic dystrophy
4.13 Treatments for intermittent claudication
4.14 Cannabis for pain relief and for spasticity
Section 5: Arthritis
5.1 Arthritis and joints
5.2 Lifestyle and exercise
5.3 NSAIDs for treating Osteoarthritis
5.4 Topical applied NSAIDs for chronic pain
5.5 Coxibs for treating rheumatoid and osteoarthritis
5.6 Adverse effects of NSAIDs and coxibs
5.7 Paracetamol (acetaminophen) for osteoarthritis
5.8 TNF antibodies and rheumatoid arthritis
5.9 Fish Oil for rheumatoid arthritis
5.10 Sulfasalazine for rheumatoid arthritis
Section 6: Complementary and Alternative Therapies
6.1 Complementary and alternative therapies
6.2 Supplements and herbal remedies
6.3 Acupuncture
6.4 Homeopathy
6.5 Other complementary or alternative therapies for pain
Section 7: Cancer and Palliative Care
7.1 Cancer and palliative care
7.2 Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for cancer pain
7.3 Radiotherapy for painful bone metastases
7.4 Strontium 89 therapy for painful bony metastases
7.5 Intracerebroventricular opioid therapy compared with epidural and subarachnoid opioids for intractable cancer pain
7.6 Neurolytic coeliac plexus block (NCPB) for cancer pain
7.7 Nilutamide plus orchidectomy for metastatic prostatic cancer
7.8 Complementary therapy at the end of Life
7.9 Palliative care delivery system
Section 8: Management Issues
8.1 Easy targets are not always the right ones
8.2 Better prescribing of NSAIDs
8.3 Quality improvement by audit: Pain relief after day surgery
8.4 Improving oral postoperative analgesia
8.5 Do-it-yourself pain control
Section 9: Appendices
9.1 Glossary
9.2 Using the Oxman and Guyatt scoring system for reviews
9.3 Bandolier's 10 tips for healthy living
9.4 Cochrane Collaboration and Pain
9.5 Evidence based organisations, websites and resources

Authors, editors, and contributors

Andrew Moore, Pain Research Unit, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, Jayne Edwards, Pain Research Unit, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, Jodie Barden, Pain Research Unit, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, and Henry McQuay, Professor of Pain Relief, University of Oxford, and Pain Research Unit, Churchill Hospital, Oxford