Chronic pain sufferers who learn to dwell less on their ailments may sleep better and experience less day-to-day pain, according to results of research conducted on 214 people with chronic face and jaw pain.
Dr. Mark Green, director of the Headache Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, provides insight into new guidelines released by the American Academy of Neurology on migraine treatments.
Although botulinum toxin A ("Botox") injections are U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved for preventive treatment for chronic migraines, a review and analysis of previous studies finds a small to modest benefit for patients with chronic migraine headaches and chronic daily headaches, although botox injections were not associated with greater benefit than placebo for preventing episodic migraine or chronic tension-type headaches, according to an article in the April 25 issue of JAMA.
Research shows that many treatments can help prevent migraine in certain people, yet few people with migraine who are candidates for these preventive treatments actually use them, according to new guidelines issued by the American Academy of Neurology. The guidelines, which were co-developed with the American Headache Society, will be announced at the American Academy of Neurology’s 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans and published in the April 24, 2012, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill describe how exploiting the molecular mechanism behind acupuncture resulted in six-day pain relief in animal models. They call this new therapeutic approach PAPupuncture.
Patients with addictive disorders who take methadone or other opioid medications for pain will experience heightened sensitivity to pain, known as hyperalgesia, and new research published in The Journal of Pain shows that the condition does not improve over the course of treatment.
Patients coping with the complex pain disorder fibromyalgia often have difficulty sleeping, and a new study published in The Journal of Pain reports that despite the negative quality of life implications, poor sleep is not a significant predictor of fibromyalgia pain intensity and duration.
Findings may eventually lead to new treatments for other types of headache.
Pure oxygen for limited period provides benefits
Despite the great promise that injecting a new type of anti-inflammatory pain medicine into the spine could relieve the severe leg and lower back pain of sciatica, a Johns Hopkins-led study has found that the current standard of care with steroid injections still does better.
More than one third of patients with invasive cancer are undertreated for their pain, with minorities twice as likely to not receive analgesics, according to research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Researchers at the University of Montreal’s Sainte-Justine Hospital have identified how neural cells are able to build up resistance to opioid pain drugs within hours.
An international team of researchers involving the University of Adelaide and University of Colorado has made a major discovery that could lead to more effective treatment of severe pain using morphine.
Adverse events associated with taking opioid pain medications increase in patients who concurrently use sedatives and alcohol. A study in The Journal of Pain, published by the American Pain Society, www.ampainsoc.org, advises physicians to use caution in prescribing sedatives for patients taking opioids, even if there is no history of substance abuse
Hard facts about hard hits: What athletes and parents need to know about concussions.
Gene that encodes crucial pain receptor may be key to individualizing therapy for major health problem.
An peripheral nerve stimulation technique may be a valuable new approach for relief of severe neuropathic (nerve-related) pain in injured soldiers, reports an article in the March issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).
National findings suggest better understanding and support may empower people to seek help early for fibromyalgia symptoms.
A University of Michigan study shows young adults living in poor neighborhoods had more severe pain, disability and were more likely to experience anxiety and depression. The study suggests doctors may need to be more aware of a patient's life circumstances and resources when treating their chronic pain.
More than one million people are diagnosed and treated each year in the United States for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), a condition that occurs from the narrowing of the spinal canal. Peter Staats, M.D., in conjunction with Riverview Medical Center, is offering LSS patients a groundbreaking new procedure, mild® (minimally invasive spinal decompression) that safely and therapeutically reduces pain and improves mobility.
Women age 50 and older who experience worsening pain with aging also have a higher risk for depression, obesity and declining physical function, according to research reported in The Journal of Pain, the peer-review publication of the American Pain Society.
Patients taking opioid analgesics for chronic pain who are not substance-dependent or addicted can frequently experience cravings to take more medication, but this behavior is not associated with pain levels or spikes in pain intensity, according to research reported in The Journal of Pain, the peer-review journal of the American Pain Society
New approaches to electrical stimulation—using an implanted device with three columns of electrodes—may increase the effectiveness of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for severe back pain, suggests a study in the March 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.
A pilot study led by University of Kentucky researchers shows that the gene expression analysis of urine sediment could provide a noninvasive way to analyze interstitial cystitis in some patients.
Anesthetic application eases pediatric patients’ discomfort in seconds, reducing fear and time required for IV procedures.
New research suggests women who have migraine or have had them in the past are at an increased risk for developing depression compared to women who have never had migraine. The study was released today and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans April 21 to April 28, 2012.
New research suggests that mothers who experience migraine may be more likely to have a baby with colic than mothers without a history of migraine. Colic is defined as excessive crying in an otherwise healthy infant. The research was released today and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans April 21 to April 28, 2012.
MD Anderson research shows promise for patients suffering from chronic pain.
A team of researchers led by McGill neuroscientist Terence Coderre, who is also affiliated with the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, has found the key to understanding how memories of pain are stored in the brain. More importantly, the researchers are also able to suggest how these memories can be erased, making it possible to ease chronic pain.
Riverview Medical Center, part of Meridian Neuroscience, today announced it is the only hospital in the state of New Jersey to offer patients the TESSYS® surgery method, a minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of herniated discs.
Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center, who teamed with colleagues at five universities around the United States, analyzed past studies of cancer-related pain reduction and found that psychosocial interventions can have a beneficial effect on cancer patients’ pain severity.
Pain is generally under-treated in the U.S., but low-income and minority patients are even less likely to receive guideline-recommended pain treatment in virtually all healthcare settings in the U.S., according to the authors of a new paper from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, even though minority patients often suffer more severe pain and physical impairments than non-minority patients and are more likely to perform potentially harmful physical work.
– A clear association between obesity and pain – with higher rates of pain identified in the heaviest individuals – was found in a study of more than one million Americans published January 19 in the online edition of Obesity. In “Obesity and Pain Are Associated in the United States,” Stony Brook University researchers Arthur A. Stone, PhD., and Joan E. Broderick, Ph.D. report this finding based on their analysis of 1,010,762 respondents surveyed via telephone interview by the Gallop Organization between 2008 and 2010.
Many athletes know the frustration of being sidelined by tendon disorders, like Achilles tendinitis and tennis elbow. In recent years, doctors have begun treating overused tendons with regenerative therapies that jump-start the body’s own healing process. One technique, a tenotomy, uses repeated needlesticks to break up scar tissue in the tendon, prompting the body’s own cells to begin the rebuilding process.
Distraction is a proven pain reliever, and a new study reported in The Journal of Pain concludes that listening to music can be effective for reducing pain in high-anxiety persons who can easily become absorbed in cognitive activities.
Even though pain is by far the leading reason people seek medical care, pain education at North American medical schools is limited, variable and often fragmentary, according to a Johns Hopkins University study published in The Journal of Pain.
New approaches to early management of whiplash injuries are needed to reduce the high percentage of patients who go on to develop chronic neck pain and disability, according to a special article in Spine. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.
Johns Hopkins-led research suggests that routine MRI imaging does nothing to improve the treatment of patients who need injections of steroids into their spinal columns to relieve pain. Moreover, MRI plays only a small role in a doctor’s decision to give these epidural steroid injections (ESIs), the most common procedure performed at pain clinics in the United States.
• Women who had both ovaries removed before age 45 had lower bone mineral density, an important predictor of osteoporosis, than women with intact ovaries. • These women were also more likely to report a diagnosis of arthritis. • Few other studies have measured bone mineral density among women who underwent oophorectomy.
A UCSF study suggests patients with chronic pain may experience greater relief if their doctors add cannabinoids – the main ingredient in cannabis or medical marijuana – to an opiates-only treatment. The findings, from a small-scale study, also suggest that a combined therapy could result in reduced opiate dosages.
A study of headaches among HIV patients, which shows that HIV/AIDS patients have a 13-fold increased risk of suffering chronic migraines, is being hailed as a critical step to improving treatment and reducing unnecessary medical costs among sufferers.
Headaches more frequent in youth three months after mild traumatic head injuries compared to those with arm injuries.
Chronic pain suffered by one spouse can affect marital communication and influence the partner’s ability to cope with a chronic pain condition, according research reported in The Journal of Pain.
Health information is plentiful on the Internet and many Web surfers consider medical advice they find online to be a cheaper alternative to visiting a doctor, according to some studies. However, the risk of obtaining useless or even harmful medical information from some websites is high for patients with postherpetic neuralgia, a common complication of shingles, according to new research reported in The Journal of Pain.
Some recipients of artificial hips and knees develop painful inflammation that can lead to bone destruction and loosening of the new joint. A new study led by researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and published by the Journal of Immunology suggests that tiny titanium particles that flake away from the artificial joints through normal wear and tear may play a direct role in that inflammation.
Examining venom from a variety of poisonous snakes, a group of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco has discovered why the bite of one small black, yellow and red serpent called the Texas coral snake can be so painful.
A study by UNC researchers finds that people 75 years old or older are less likely to receive any pain medication in hospital emergency departments than people between 35 and 54 years old.
People with TMJD are more sensitive than those without it on parts of the body aside from the jaw.
Anti-inflammatory pain relievers can slow the progression of ankylosing spondylitis, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago.
Falls and fractures among senior citizens have increased since rofecoxib (Vioxx®) was removed from the market in 2004, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago.
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