Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29440925›Full record

ArticleJournal of pain research2018

Chronic back pain cured by low-dose levodopa: is it a variant of restless legs syndrome?

Zhi-Fen Zeng, Yan-Ran Liang, Ying Chen, Xiu-Na Jing, Su-Dan Peng, En-Xiang Tao

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of pain research, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 30% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Restless head syndrome: A retrospective study.World journal of methodology · 2025
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Restless Back Syndrome: A Case Report and Literature Review.Psychiatry and clinical psychopharmacology · 2022
    Article
  4. Chronic testicular pain cured by low-dose pramipexole: is there an association with restless legs syndrome?Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2022
    Article
  5. Review
  6. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Zhi-Fen ZengDepartment of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Yan-Ran LiangDepartment of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Ying ChenDepartment of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Xiu-Na JingDepartment of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Su-Dan PengDepartment of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
En-Xiang TaoDepartment of Neurology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Sun Yat-sen University · CNSun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Chronic back pain is one of the most common reasons for missed work and visits to the doctor. This report presents 2 interesting cases of chronic back pain that were effectively relieved by low-dose levodopa. These 2 patients showed no sign of anatomical problem of the spine or relative structures, but the discomforts on the back manifested some characteristics resembling those in restless legs syndrome (RLS), and one of them actually developed RLS after many years of back problem. We believe that this type of chronic back pain might be a variant of RLS, which we would like to call "restless back", and it can be effectively treated by dopaminergic drugs.

Indexed as

chronic back painlevodoparestless legs syndrome

Identifiers

PMID29440925
PMCPMC5799854
OpenAlexW2786584198

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.