Feature Channels: Pain

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

Announcement of contents of the October issue of Neurosurgical Focus: Video

• share
• favorite_border

Networking California for Sickle Cell Care Initiative supports expansion of San Diego’s only adult sickle cell disease clinic at UC San Diego Health which offers child-to-adult transition health services to patients like Vanessa Hughes.

• share
• favorite_border

A team of researchers in the United States and Japan reports that spinal cord stimulation (SCS) measurably decreased pain and reduced motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, both as a singular therapy and as a “salvage therapy” after deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapies were ineffective.

• share
• favorite_border

The NIH has awarded NYU College of Dentistry researchers Nigel Bunnett, PhD, and Brian Schmidt, DDS, MD, PhD, a $3.9 million grant to study targeting endosomal receptors for the treatment of chronic pain. The five-year grant will support Bunnett and Schmidt’s collaborative research, which aims to ultimately yield improved pain management without the need for opioids.

• share
• favorite_border

Sickle cell disease is a lifelong inherited disorder of the red blood cells that poses many challenges for the people and families living with it. Rutgers Cancer Institute expert shares more on the basics of sickle cell disease and how the illness is managed.

• share
• favorite_border

“Can you draw me a picture of your headache?” may sound like an unusual question – but drawings of headache pain provide plastic surgeons with valuable information on which patients are more or less likely to benefit from surgery to alleviate migraine headaches.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) are using a novel MRI technique known as magnetic resonance neurography, or MRN, to study Parsonage-Turner Syndrome (PTS), a painful nerve disorder that can lead to severe weakness and paralysis.

• share
• favorite_border

Opioid use disorder and overdose have reached unprecedented levels around the world. In the United States, remediation of pain is one of the most common reasons American adults seek healthcare. Therefore, it is vital that clinicians practicing in diverse roles and settings have a clinical understanding of pain and substance use disorders as well as knowledge about public health and opioid policy interventions.

• share
• favorite_border

A survey of 607 women who suffer from severe migraine found twenty percent of the respondents are currently avoiding pregnancy because of their migraines.

• share
• favorite_border

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Johns Hopkins Medicine Media Relations is focused on disseminating current, accurate and useful information to the public via the media. As part of that effort, we are distributing our “COVID-19 Tip Sheet: Story Ideas from Johns Hopkins” every other Tuesday.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at the University of Calgary have developed and validated a clinical prediction scale that can be used to determine which patients are more likely to experience inadequate pain control following elective spine surgery.

• share
• favorite_border

During National Chiropractic Health Month (NCHM) this October, the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) and chiropractors nationwide will encourage the public to get “active and adaptive” to maintain their musculoskeletal health and function in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• share
• favorite_border

Studies suggest COVID-19 patients may at first present with atypical neurologic, gastrointestinal, cardiac and musculoskeletal imaging findings, which are more likely to go undiagnosed, according to the paper “Clinical Characteristics and Multisystem Imaging Findings of COVID-19: An Overview for Orthopedic Surgeons,” published August 17 in HHS Journal: the musculoskeletal journal of Hospital for Special Surgery.

• share
• favorite_border

UC San Diego Health is now offering a new minimally invasive approach to provide relief for patients suffering from chronic low back pain (CLBP).The new treatment is called “Intracept,” an outpatient procedure that targets nerves located in the vertebrae or bones of the spine.

• share
• favorite_border

Athletes commonly experience pain in practice and competition. Inadequate or inappropriate pain management in adolescent athletes can lead to a lifetime of consequences including increased risk of opioid misuse. A team physician consensus statement just released by ACSM and 5 other sports medicine organizations shares guidelines to identify and manage pain in athletes ages 10 to 18.

• share
• favorite_border

A study led by Prof. Mike Fainzilber identifies a potential new approach to treating chronic pain: targeting an importin molecule that moves pain messages into nerve cell nuclei. The team can now “conduct screens for new and better drug molecules that can precisely target this chain of events in the sensory neurons.”

• share
• favorite_border

These days, many people stay home to stay safe from the coronavirus. Heidi Wenzel has stayed home for the past six months for another reason: to urinate every 15 minutes — dozens and dozens of daily trips to the bathroom.

• share
• favorite_border

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability. Post-injury distress is common, with many individuals experiencing chronic anxiety and depressive symptoms as well as chronic pain.

• share
• favorite_border

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses demonstrate that opioids fail to achieve important benefits beyond alternative interventions with less harm.

• share
• favorite_border

A study showed that patients receiving messages from a chatbot used a third fewer opioids after fracture surgery, and their overall pain level fell, too

• share
• favorite_border

A press conference on this topic will be held Tuesday, Aug. 17, at 9 a.m. Eastern time online at www.acs.org/fall2020pressconferences.

• share
• favorite_border

University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists have discovered that a majority of back-pain patients they tested who were taking opioid painkillers produced anti-opioid antibodies. These antibodies may contribute to some of the negative side effects of long-term opioid use.

• share
• favorite_border

Opioid users can develop chronic inflammation and heightened pain sensitivity. These side effects might stem from the body’s own immune system, which can make antibodies against the drugs. The researchers will present their results at the American Chemical Society Fall 2020 Virtual Meeting & Expo.

• share
• favorite_border

COVID-19 stay-at-home guidelines have created many lifestyle changes, including new home workout routines and do-it-yourself home improvement projects. Doctors warn, however, that increased activity for those not used to certain exertion levels can lead to strains and pains, including one of the most common nerve conditions, sciatica (sy-at’-ick-uh).

• share
• favorite_border

A team of researchers led by neuroscientists at Harvard Medical School has successfully used acupuncture to tame cytokine storm in mice with systemic inflammation.

• share
• favorite_border

Penn Medicine researchers found that when an “Enhanced Recovery After Surgery” protocol was employed—which optimizes patients’ surgical care before, during, and after surgery—the majority of patients did not need opioids for pain management at one, three, and six months after elective spinal and peripheral nerve surgery.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

Taking a few minutes to get that periodic cup of joe might not be such a bad idea.

• share
• favorite_border

As several Neandertal genomes of high quality are now available researchers can identify genetic changes that were present in many or all Neandertals, investigate their physiological effects and look into their consequences when they occur in people today.

• share
• favorite_border

Women who do not need pain relief during childbirth may be carriers of a key genetic variant that acts a natural epidural, say scientists at the University of Cambridge.

• share
• favorite_border

Devices commonly implanted for chronic pain could expand patient access to prosthetic arms that "feel."

• share
• favorite_border

Cannabis appears to be a safe and potentially effective treatment for the chronic pain that afflicts people with sickle cell disease, according to a new clinical trial co-led by University of California, Irvine researcher Kalpna Gupta and Dr. Donald Abrams of UC San Francisco. The findings appear in JAMA Network Open.

• share
• favorite_border

A Keck Medicine of USC study reveals that kappa opioids, a significantly less addictive opioid, may preserve cartilage in joints and ease pain

• share
• favorite_border

The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) yesterday urged the New Hampshire Supreme Court to uphold the New Hampshire Medical Board’s decision that health care professionals using the term “anesthesiologist” must be licensed physicians and meet all the requirements to practice medicine in the state, according to an amicus curiae brief filed on behalf of ASA and the American Medical Association (AMA).

• share
• favorite_border

Medical cannabis is finally being put under the microscope, in a first-of-its-kind real world evidence study led by Dr. Hance Clarke, Toronto General Hospital. In the Medical Cannabis Real-World Evidence trial patients using the online portal created by Medical Cannabis by Shoppers, will know exactly what is in their product and its effectiveness.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City reveals that symptomatic lower back pain resolved in 82% of patients after total hip arthroplasty (THA) and identifies which patients are more likely to have their back pain resolved. This study is available online as part of the AAOS 2020 Virtual Education Experience.

• share
• favorite_border

Choice and control are important factors for ensuring a positive childbirth experience, yet until recently, little was known about the impact of alternative administrations of fentanyl – one of the pain relief drugs used during labour– on both mother and baby.

• share
• favorite_border

A Henry Ford Hospital study published in the Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery has found that patients who underwent knee surgery and other types of sports medicine procedures could manage their pain without opioids or a minimal dosage. “This is a large prospective study and our hope is that non-opioid use will gain momentum and that others may tweak our protocol and use it throughout orthopedics, from joint surgery to spine surgery and other surgeries” says Vasilios (Bill) Moutzouros, M.D., chief of Sports Medicine, a division of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and the study’s lead author.

• share
• favorite_border

Nearly 10 percent of patients who are prescribed opioid medications following heart surgery will continue to use opioids more than 90 days after the procedure, according to a new study led by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

• share
• favorite_border

Delta opioid receptors have a built-in mechanism for pain relief and can be precisely targeted with drug-delivering nanoparticles—making them a promising target for treating chronic inflammatory pain with fewer side effects, according to a new study from an international team of researchers. The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), was conducted using cells from humans and mice with inflammatory bowel disease, which can cause chronic pain.

• share
• favorite_border

While botulinum toxin is commonly known as a cosmetic treatment for facial lines and wrinkles, a growing body of evidence suggests that “Botox” can also be an effective treatment for certain sports injuries and chronic pain conditions, according to a review in the June issue of Current Sports Medicine Reports, official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

• share
• favorite_border

Nearly twelve years ago, Michigan voters approved the use of medical cannabis by residents with certain health conditions. A year and a half ago, they voted to approve its use by all adults, for any reason. What happened between those two dates is the focus of a comprehensive new report.

• share
• favorite_border

Digital technology has facilitated continued research operations for a pain research registry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cloud-based systems that allow remote management of research studies and collection of data may signal a new trend for future clinical research endeavors.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers at Uppsala University and Uppsala University Hospital have developed a new method to measure levels of the medication hydroxychloroquine in patients with the rheumatic disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

The Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination at UC San Diego organized the collaborative Psychedelics and Health Research Initiative, which explores the potential for psychedelics to address chronic pain conditions.

• share
• favorite_border

As dentists and their teams across America get back to their regular schedules after a sharp COVID-19-related reduction, a new study shows a key opportunity to reduce the use of opioid painkillers by their patients. The analysis shows that those who had dental procedures on a Friday or a day before a holiday were much more likely to fill a prescription for an opioid than other patients.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers examine the effectiveness of consuming hemp oil extracted from the whole Cannabis plant using a chronic neuropathic pain animal model.

• share
• favorite_border

University of Utah biomedical engineering assistant professor Jan Kubanek has discovered that sound waves of high frequency (ultrasound) can be emitted into a patient’s brain to alter his or her state. It’s a non-invasive treatment that doesn’t involve medications or surgery and has a unique potential to treat mental disorders including depression and anxiety and neurological disorders such as chronic pain and epilepsy.