Feature Channels: Pain

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For centuries, acupuncturists have inserted and manipulated needles at prescribed points to achieve therapeutic benefit, such as pain relief. Research reported in The Journal of Pain shows that ancient acupuncture meridians coincide with known myofacial trigger point regions, as described in the Trigger Point Manual, and may provide potential for novel approaches for treating chronic myofacial pain.

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Australian researchers writing in The Journal of Pain reported there is significant improvement in pain management for hospitalized infants undergoing painful procedures, such as heel lances to draw blood.

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Chemical dependency and recovery in patients and physicians are closely examined in a series of articles and editorials in the July 2009 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

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Dr. Steven M. Marcus, executive director of the New Jersey Poison Information & Education System (NJPIES) at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, is available to provide comment on the recommendation by a federal advisory panel that the FDA ban the prescription painkillers Percocet and Vicodin, and reduce the dosage of over-the-counter acetaminophen because of the effects on the liver.

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A study published in the July issue of Anesthesiology offers perhaps the first estimation of how genomic copy number variation (CNV) can influence anesthetic sensitivity and the magnitude of this influence.

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Electrical spinal cord stimulation (SCS) provides an option for military personnel with back pain and other chronic pain conditions"”in appropriate cases, allowing soldiers to return to combat and other strenuous duties, according to a study in the July issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

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Gargling with a licorice solution can help reduce postoperative sore throat"”a common and painful complication of anesthesia in patients undergoing surgery, reports a study in the July issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

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It is well known that chronic pain and clinical depression go together, but a study in The Journal of Pain, published by the American Pain Society, shows that the connection between pain and depression is strongest in middle-age women and African Americans.

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Previous studies have shown that fibromyalgia is associated with reductions in gray matter in parts of the brain, but the exact cause is not known. Using sophisticated brain imaging techniques, researchers from Louisiana State University, writing in The Journal of Pain, found that alterations in levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine might be responsible for gray matter reductions.

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A German study published in The Journal of Pain showed that an external suction technique mainly used outside the U.S., called cupping, is effective for providing temporary relief of pain from carpal tunnel syndrome (CPS).

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This is an announcement regarding healthcare professionals who have successfully passed the American Society of Pain Educator's Certified Pain Educator examination.

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Can a patient be awake and communicating with the anesthesiologist and surgeon during general anesthesia? With a new "cooperative patient" anesthesia technique, the answer is yes, according to a study in the June issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

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An extract of ginkgo biloba shows scientific evidence of effectiveness against one common and hard-to-treat type of pain, according to animal data reported in the June issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

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A pain condition common in people with migraines also has a high prevalence in patients with cluster headache, according to a study conducted by researchers at the Jefferson Headache Center at Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience.

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The American Pain Society (APS), www.ampainsoc.org, today warned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that unintended consequences from proposed Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) governing the use of opioid pain medications could impair physicians' ability to treat patients with severe, persistent pain.

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Breaking new ground in understanding how to treat some of the side effects of opioids and improve their analgesic properties, a study to be published in the June issue of Anesthesiology has shown that a drug metabolite of the opioid morphine may be a key factor in the paradoxical increased sensitivity to pain caused by chronic morphine use.

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New support program is designed to improve treatment outcomes for patients dependent on prescription painkillers or heroin, from Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals.

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A Cochrane review has concluded that women in labor should have the option of using transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) "” a non-drug method of pain management.

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The American Pain Society (APS) has issued a new clinical practice guideline for low back pain that emphasizes the use of non-invasive treatments over interventional procedures, as well as shared decision-making between provider and patient. The findings are published in the current (May 1, 2009) issue of the journal Spine.

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Why would two patients undergoing the same surgery report vastly different levels of post-operative pain and are genetic factors mainly responsible? A leading pain researcher in a plenary address at the American Pain Society (APS) Annual Scientific Conference believes this discrepancy is more understandable if clinicians acknowledge that pain is a variable personal experience that is influenced by genetics but also involves multiple interactive biopsychosocial processes.

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Pain management methods used by US Army doctors on battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan have helped wounded soldiers cope with injuries among the most painful known to medicine. Today, the American Pain Society honored the acute and chronic pain management teams at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center with a special commendation for excellence in pain management for their superior achievements in pain interventions for wounded soldiers.

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The American Pain Society (APS), www.ampainsoc.org, today honored the recipients of its third annual Clinical Centers of Excellence in Pain Management Awards recognizing the nation's outstanding pain care centers.

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The American Pain Society (APS), www.ampainsoc.org, today announced the winners of its prestigious annual achievement awards at a gala held during the organization's annual scientific meeting. Every year, APS rewards excellence in the field of pain management by presenting six separate awards for career achievement, pain scholarship, education and public service, advocacy on behalf of children, outstanding service to APS, and early career achievements.

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What does an English professor have to say to a group of pain management specialists? Plenty. Noted writer, teacher and scholar, David Morris, PhD, addressed a plenary session of the American Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting here and urged his audience to become proficient at using narrative skills. He emphasized that narrative skills should be learned just like other medical abilities, and outcomes from an unskilled approach to narrative can adversely impact both pain treatment and research.

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A new study reveals that demand for pain relief is almost completely dependent on pain experienced in the recent past and the available cash on hand. That is, the participants were willing to pay more money to avoid pain if that pain was more intense compared to previous trials.

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Journalists are invited to cover proceedings of the 28th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society to be held May 7- 9 at the San Diego Convention Center.

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Morphine and other opioids are widely used to treat both acute and chronic pain "“ yet their benefits are often limited because some people experience side effects or do not respond to them efficiently.

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British researchers writing in The Journal of Pain, the peer-review publication of the American Pain Society, found that individuals with high levels of anxiety due to chronic pain exhibit more emotional distress and disability, but the use of pain coping strategies can mediate this effect.

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Distraction through virtual-reality technology was found to reduce pain perceptions after repeated exposures in a University of Maryland study published in The Journal of Pain.

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A new study from Mount Sinai School of Medicine finds that deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a safe and effective treatment for patients with primary generalized dystonia (PGD). The study appears in the April 13 issue of Archives of Neurology, and was supported in part by a grant from the Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia and Parkinson Foundation.

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National conference on pain for frontline practitioners convened annually at Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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The painkiller oxycodone is effective at treating the acute pain of shingles, an illness that often causes severe pain which can become long-lasting and sometimes even permanent. Good treatment is crucial. It's possible that the pain of shingles is more likely to become a long-term problem if the pain is not adequately treated initially.

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Patients with chronic pain who took part in a collaborative care intervention that included patient and clinician education and symptom monitoring and feedback to the primary care physician had improvements in pain-related disability and intensity, compared to usual care, according to a study in the March 25 issue of JAMA.

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Mayo Clinic research shows a correlation between inadequate vitamin D levels and the amount of narcotic medication taken by patients who have chronic pain. This correlation is an important finding as researchers discover new ways to treat chronic pain.

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You are invited to cover proceedings of the 28th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society, the leading multidisciplinary professional organization in the United States dedicated to advancing pain-related research, education, treatment and team-oriented professional practice.

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Use of opioid pain medications may contribute to an increase in sensitivity to some types of pain, according to an Australian study published in The Journal of Pain.

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Surprisingly, there is little understanding about the pain experience in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) other than measurements of pain intensity. A team of Canadian researchers addressed this knowledge gap in a study of 60 RA patients to assess their pain experiences, determine satisfaction with pain control, and explore barriers that may inhibit optimal pain management.

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According to an evidence review from Pain Treatment Topics, opioid antagonists like naloxone and naltrexone -- which block opioid drugs from activating their receptors -- may be surprisingly helpful for relieving difficult-to-treat pain conditions.

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High levels of a protein linked to the way pain signals are sent to the brain led to a decrease in abdominal pain in a recent study in mice. Researchers say the finding suggests the protein might someday serve as the basis of new treatments for chronic pain associated with a number of bowel disorders.

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Many patients may benefit more from non-invasive treatments.

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As a growing body of evidence suggests that aggressive treatment of pain, by either intravenous or neuraxial opioids may be associated with respiratory depression, the American Society of Anesthesiologists has released updated Practice Guidelines for the Prevention, Detection and Management of Respiratory Depression Associated with Neuraxial Opioid Administration. The updated guidelines can be found in the February 2009 journal Anesthesiology.

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According to a review from Pain Treatment Topics (Pain-Topics.org), establishing medical policies or practices in pain management based on a presumption of high rates of opioid analgesic abuse or addiction could be misguided, resulting in added costs for healthcare delivery and the undertreatment of pain.

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According to an evidence-based review at Pain-Topics.org, healthcare providers and others need to be more skeptical about what they read, hear at conferences, or see on the Internet regarding the validity of research on pain management practices.