Assessment and Management of Pain in Patients with Osteoporotic Fragility Fracture
1Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
2University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
3The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang, China
Assessment and Management of Pain in Patients with Osteoporotic Fragility Fracture
Description
As stated by the World Health Organization (WHO), fragility fracture is caused by low energy force which is equivalent to a fall from standing height or less. Risk factors for fragility fracture include postmenopausal females, decreased bone mineral density, increasing age, systemic corticosteroids, and family history of osteoporosis. Fragility fractures most frequently occur in vertebrae, proximal femur, and distal radius.
Although great advances have been achieved in surgical techniques and instruments for treatment of fragility fractures, current information regarding incidences, risk factors, and medical expenses of fragility fracture related pain is quite limited. Additionally, the evaluation and elimination of pain for patients with fragility fractures before and after surgery remain hot topics of research. Moreover, as surgical indications are definite for most patients with fragility fractures and effective anesthesia with or without sedation is the premise for successful surgical interventions, advances of different anesthesia and sedation strategies may be discussed. Nonetheless, a few patients with fragility fractures have surgical contraindications or select conservative treatment; how to alleviate pain, reduce risk of adverse events, and improve life quality is indeed significant. Accurate assessment and successful eradication of pain can enhance life quality and can improve the prognosis of patients with fragility fractures.
This Special Issue aims to cover current concepts regarding clinical characteristics, evaluations and solutions of fragility fracture related pain, and anesthesia and sedation strategies for surgical management of fragility fractures as well. Osteoporotic fragility fractures include but are not limited to the femoral neck fracture, intertrochanteric fracture, vertebral fracture, and distal radius fracture. Clinicians or researchers are encouraged to submit original research within the scope and topics, especially for those with high level of evidence. We also welcome review articles, systematic reviews, and meta-analysis which describe the current state of studies. Moreover, researches based on novel drugs and/or therapies for treatment of fragility fracture associated pain are also encouraged.
Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:
- Epidemiological studies of fragility fracture related pain
- New insights into perioperative pain evaluations and solutions for fragility fracture
- Advances of anesthesia and sedation strategies for surgical treatment of fragility fracture
- Solutions of pain eradication in nonsurgically treated patients with fragility fractures
- Novel pain-related pharmacological therapies and nonpharmacological approaches for fragility fracture