Feature Channels: Pain

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Findings could lead to new therapeutics for disorders such as fibromyalgia and phantom limb pain.

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How a spine patient obtained almost instant relief after years of severe neck pain.

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A Saint Louis University researcher and colleagues have discovered a way to block a pain pathway in animal models of chronic neuropathic pain suggesting a promising new approach to pain relief.

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Assuring appropriate drug theory is important for effective pain management, and a new study published in The Journal of Pain reported that use of a short compliance checklist by clinicians can best identify individuals most likely to misuse prescription pain medications.

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Researchers are developing a novel prochlorperazine nasal spray formulation as a potential new treatment for migraines.

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Brief usage of the painkiller oxycodone may impair behavioral flexibility even after that use ends, suggesting impaired decision-making as an enduring consequence of exposure, according to a study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and published November 17 in the journal Learning and Memory.

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Inflammation related to synovitis or effusion may drive increased sensitization in knee osteoarthritis, according to new research findings presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Boston.

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Patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis may improve their pain, stiffness and physical function with sustained physical exercise, manual therapy or both, according to new research findings presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Boston.

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A world-first transitional pain program that aims to stop pain from becoming chronic after surgery is being pioneered at Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network.

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Arthritis pain in dogs can be relieved, with no side effects, by a new product based on medicinal plants and dietary supplements that was developed at the University of Montreal’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.

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Commonly prescribed, older drugs for arthritis and pain may increase the risk of death from stroke, according to a study published in the November 5, 2014, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Millions of people with diabetes take medicine to ease shooting, burning nerve pain, and new research suggests that many medicines can offer relief. But since some of those medicines cost nearly 10 times as much as others, cost should be a crucial factor in deciding which medicine to choose for diabetic neuropathy, say University of Michigan experts.

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A new study shows cellular-level changes in nerve structure and function that may contribute to the development of migraine headaches, reports the November issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

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Turns out your mom was right: scratching an itch only makes it worse. New research from scientists at the Center for the Study of Itch at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reveals that scratching causes the brain to release serotonin, which intensifies the itch sensation.

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Statistics show that 75 percent of the population will have at least one episode of back pain in their lifetime.

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The American Migraine Foundation announced today that its website, www.AmericanMigraineFoundation.org, has been thoroughly redesigned and expanded to provide a wealth of consumer-friendly information on preventing, treating and coping with migraine and other headache disorders.

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Pre-treatment pain intensity is an independent survival predictor for patients with head and neck cancer, according to new research published in The Journal of Pain, the peer-reviewed publication of the American Pain Society, http://www.americanpainsociety.org.

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A new study published in The Journal of Pain reports that 39 million people in the United States or 19 percent have persistent pain, and the incidence varies according to age and gender. The Journal of Pain is the peer-reviewed publication of the American Pain Society, www.americanpainsociety.org.

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Pregnant women with low vitamin D levels experience an increased amount of pain during labor, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY™ 2014 annual meeting. Vitamin D deficiency has long been associated with depression and pain, but this is the first study to demonstrate its association with increased consumption of pain medication during childbirth.

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Women seeking pain relief during childbirth should be comforted to know that epidural and spinal anesthesia are extremely safe, suggests a study of more than 80,000 women that reviewed anesthesia complications during obstetrical care. Data on anesthesia adverse events collected through the Anesthesia Quality Institute’s (AQI) National Anesthesia Clinical Outcomes Registry (NACOR) are being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY™ 2014 annual meeting.

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A new study shows that pain severity among post-surgical patients has decreased by 24 percent since 2003. The study, presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY™ 2014 annual meeting, shows vast improvements in the field of pain management for surgical patients.

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Imagine no tears during infant vaccines and no fear of the needle for those old enough to know what’s coming. Such painless injections could be possible with a device that applies pressure and vibration while the needle is inserted in the skin, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY™ 2014 annual meeting.

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More than two-thirds of children from low-income Latino families don’t receive adequate pain control when they go home after surgery, according to a study being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY™ 2014 annual meeting. Obstacles to appropriate pain management include language barriers, misconceptions about pain management and a preference for alternative therapies, the study found.

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More than two-thirds of women who have had mastectomies struggle with persistent pain, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Breast cancer patients who receive a common local anesthetic during surgery are less likely to experience chronic pain following mastectomy, suggests a new study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY™ 2014 annual meeting.

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Patients with a psychological cognitive disorder known as catastrophizing are more likely to develop persistent, chronic pain after surgery, according to new research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY™ 2014 annual meeting. Pain catastrophizing occurs when a patient has an irrational and illogical focus on pain, perceiving that it is worse than it actually is.

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As prescription drug abuse and overdose have escalated nationwide, prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) were implemented in every state, but little is known about the types of clinicians who make the most use of PDMPs. Researchers from Oregon Health and Sciences University examined the differences between prescribers of controlled substances who use PDMPs and those who do not, and reported their findings in The Journal of Pain, the peer-reviewed publication of the American Pain Society, www.americanpainsociety.org.

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ronic pain in adolescents is $19.5 billion a year. The Journal of Pain is the peer-reviewed publication of the American Pain Society, www.americanpainsociety.org.

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Most chronic pain is caused by damage to the discs in the lumbar region. And much of that damage is caused by poor body mechanics – the way people stand, walk, lift, carry, reach, bend, sit and sleep – in which the back is too often flat, not arched.

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Among patients older than 50 years with moderate to severe chronic knee pain, neither laser nor needle acupuncture provided greater benefit on pain or function compared to sham laser acupuncture, according to a study in the October 1 issue of JAMA.

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According to a new position statement from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), the risk of death, overdose, addiction or serious side effects with prescription opioids outweigh the benefits in chronic, non-cancer conditions such as headache, fibromyalgia and chronic low back pain. The position paper is published in the September 30, 2014, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Whether recovering from an injury or dealing with everyday aches, tight muscles can be a pain in the neck. Functional dry needling is a new therapeutic treatment that stimulates twitches to provide pain relief.

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A new study led by University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers is the first large scale effort to longitudinally evaluate health outcomes after sexual assault.

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Pain can make it difficult for some patients to get a good night’s rest while recovering in the hospital following certain surgical procedures, often resulting in longer hospital stays, according to researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

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People living in lower-income neighborhoods have worse musculoskeletal pain outcomes over time after stressful events such as motor vehicle collisions than people from higher-income neighborhoods, a new study finds.

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A new study suggests that people who experience migraine in middle age may be more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease, or other movement disorders later in life. Those who have migraine with aura may be at double the risk of developing Parkinson’s, according to the study published in the September 17, 2014, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Migraine suffers may be at greater risk for developing Parkinson’s disease or other movement disorders later in life, according to a new study published in the Sept. 17, 2014, online issue of Neurology ®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Those who have migraine with aura may be at double the risk for developing these disorders.

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Using a pain clinic as a testing ground, researchers at Johns Hopkins have shown that a management process first popularized by Toyota in Japan can substantially reduce patient wait times and possibly improve the teaching of interns and residents.

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Adding a common epilepsy drug to a morphine regimen can result in better pain control, fewer side effects and reduced morphine dosage, according to research by Fletcher White and colleagues at Indiana University.

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Meditation might be a path to migraine relief, according to a new study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

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A study linking sex hormone levels in the blood to the risk of sudden cardiac arrest is just one of the story ideas included in the Sept. tip sheet from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. To pursue any of these stories, please contact the respective individual listed.

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A study using motion capture technology provides new information on the spinal strain produced by various sexual positions—suggesting that one position commonly recommended for all men with low back pain is not actually the best choice, reports a study in the journal Spine. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

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A research team, led by Dr Kang Lifeng of the Department of Pharmacy at the NUS Faculty of Science, has successfully developed a simple technique to encapsulate lidocaine, a common painkiller, or collagen in the tiny needles attached to an adhesive patch. When applied to the skin, the microneedles deliver the drug or collagen rapidly into the skin without any discomfort to the user.

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An interdisciplinary research team in the Cedars-Sinai Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Regenerative Medicine Institute and Department of Surgery received a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop the first imaging technique used to identify biomarkers that could indicate patients have a painful, degenerative back condition.

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For patients who need surgery for facial pain caused by trigeminal neuralgia, the most cost-effective procedure is the least often used, reports a study in the September issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

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University of Adelaide researchers have discovered that the immune system is defective in people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, which is a major reason why sufferers have ongoing issues with pain.

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People taking prescription opioids to treat moderate to severe pain may be able to breathe a little easier, literally. A study published in the September issue of Anesthesiology, the official medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists® (ASA®), found that a new therapeutic drug, GAL-021, may reverse or prevent respiratory depression, or inadequate breathing, in patients taking opioid medication without compromising pain relief or increasing sedation.

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Antidepressants are known to provide effective pain relief for various chronic pain conditions; however, the jury is still out on their use in treating the millions of patients who suffer from acute or chronic pain following surgery. A first-of-its-kind literature review published in the September issue of Anesthesiology, the official medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists® (ASA®), suggests although a majority of studies report positive outcomes, there is currently insufficient evidence to support the clinical use of antidepressants for the treatment of postoperative pain.

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In a new paper, published this week in the online early edition of PNAS, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine conclude that aspirin has a second effect: Not only does it kill cyclooxygenase, thus preventing production of the prostaglandins that cause inflammation and pain, it also prompts the enzyme to generate another compound that hastens the end of inflammation, returning the affected cells to homeostatic health.

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More than 40 percent of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) recipients take opioid pain relievers, while the prevalence of chronic opioid use is over 20 percent and rising, reports a study in the September issue of Medical Care. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

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Researchers at Loyola University Health System (LUHS) have a study under way to determine if an injectable anti-inflammatory medication and physical therapy can more effectively treat pregnancy-related pelvic pain than physical therapy alone. They are looking for English-speaking pregnant women between the ages of 21 and 50 who develop certain forms of pelvic girdle pain in their second trimester and who are not currently receiving treatment.