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Introduction: Chronic pain (CP) negatively impacts the lives of almost 2 billion people worldwide, including approximately 37% of adults in Portugal. As most of these patients are followed by a general practitioner, identifying the prevalence and characterizing the pain of patients who visit primary care units will provide valuable insights into the CP landscape in Portugal.Methods: To achieve this goal, an observational, cross-sectional study was conducted in 58 primary care units of mainland Portugal between June 2017 and March 2018. Interviews were conducted with 8445 patients, and 578 CP patients were characterized. Results: We observed that one third of patients suffered from CP, and of these, approximately one third felt that their pain management was insufficient. Most of the population was 55 years old or older, retired, and had more than three comorbidities. However, age and the number and type of comorbidities were not predictors of pain intensity. Additionally, most of the population had pain or discomfort that hindered their mobility and the performance of their everyday activities. This decrease in the quality of life led to feelings of anxiety and depression, which were associated with pain intensity. Conclusion: Given the high prevalence of CP, strategies to improve the quality of life of these patients and decrease the negative impacts, as well as awareness campaigns to increase the populations' knowledge of this condition, are essential for the suitable and timely treatment of CP.

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Notalgia paresthetica (NP) is a rarely reported T2-T6 sensory neuropathy whose etiology and treatment are not fully established. Although it is believed to be common in dermatological practice, it remains under-recognized, under-diagnosed, and therefore under-reported. This case-report provides a physical medicine and rehabilitation (PMR) perspective on NP diagnosis and treatment. This article presents a case report of a 39-year-old woman with pain, pruritus, and a hyperpigmented area in the right dorsal infra scapular region. The diagnosis of NP was established. She was successfully treated with topical anesthetics, postural corrective exercises, scapular muscle strengthening and pectoral muscle stretching. In this context, different treatment options were reviewed. A small set of pharmacological and non-pharmacological techniques were identified. Several of these modalities belong to the PMR field of action.

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) type I is a neuropathic pain condition, commonly affecting a limb extremity after a traumatic event and/or a period of immobilization, in the absence of nerve injury. Besides pain, the clinical features include regional vasomotor alterations and usually a decreased range of motion in the affected extremity. Its actual cause remains somewhat obscure and there are few agreements on optimal treatment. The mirror box is a therapeutic approach based on visual feedback as a way to achieve a new mental imagery of the affected limb by promoting cortical reorganization. This approach has been used for the motor recovery or pain relief in conditions such as stroke or type-I CRPS.