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Increasing practitioner skepticism about the long-term safety of opioid pain medications for treating chronic pain and compelling evidence showing the benefits of cognitive-based therapies are convincing more and more physicians to consider referring their pain patients for psychological care. In a symposium titled “Pain Psychology 101,” hosted by the American Pain Society (APS) www.americanpainsociety.org today at its annual scientific conference, leading pain psychologists presented compelling clinical evidence showing that cognitive therapies are safer and often more effective than opioids in fostering chronic pain relief.

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The American Pain Society (APS), www.americanpainsociety.org, today honored recipients of its annual Clinical Centers of Excellence in Pain Management Awards recognizing the nation’s outstanding pain care centers. Two multidisciplinary pain programs were recognized. They are: Community-based Program Cancer Treatment Centers of America® Southeastern Regional Medical Center, Atlanta University-based Program Division of Pain Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston

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The American Pain Society (APS), www.americanpainsociety.org, today announced recipients of its prestigious achievement awards during the organization’s annual scientific meeting. APS recognizes excellence in pain management with awards for career achievement, pain scholarship, education and public service, advocacy on behalf of children, outstanding service to APS, early career achievements, and journalism.

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The National Pain Strategy, released this year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, places strong emphasis on self management and patient education as critical pathways for improving treatment of chronic pain, especially the leading malady, back pain. Today at the American Pain Society’s Annual Scientific Meeting, www.americanpainsociety.org, researchers representing the VA and North American Spine Foundation discussed implications of the National Pain Strategy for improving pain management and reducing disability.

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Although policy issues may change, the debate on how to treat people with chronic pain has been a decades-long battleground in the ongoing liberal-conservative tug of war in American politics, according to author and medical historian Keith Wailoo, Ph.D., keynote speaker today at the American Pain Society Annual Scientific Conference, www.americanpainsociety.org

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The American Pain Society (APS) today announced a new collaboration with Pfizer Independent Grants for Learning and Change (IGLC) to allocate up to $2 million to fund research grants focused on solutions to improve care for individuals with chronic pain.

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The American Pain Society (APS) today endorsed the federal government’s National Pain Strategy for its recommendations to better educate primary care physicians about pain and pain treatments, reduce stigma by increasing public awareness about pain and its overall impact on society, and expanding access to personalized multimodal and multidisciplinary pain care.

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The American Pain Society (APS), www.americanpainsociety.org, will host its 35th annual scientific meeting May 11-14 at the Austin Convention Center. APS is the leading multidisciplinary professional society in the United States dedicated to advancing pain-related research, education, treatment and team-oriented professional practice.

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The American Pain Society has released a new evidence-based clinical practice guideline, appearing in The Journal of Pain, with 32 recommendations to help clinicians achieve optimal pain management following surgery. According to numerous studies, the majority of surgical patients receive inadequate pain relief, which can heighten the risk for prolonged post-surgical pain, mood disorders and physical impairment.

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New research on opioid prescribing in Washington State reports that a health plan initiative to change shared expectations of physicians regarding clinically appropriate drug levels for long-term management of chronic pain achieved significantly greater reductions in opioid dosing. The study appears in The Journal of Pain, the peer reviewed publication of the American Pain Society.

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Children who still have moderate to severe post-operative pain one month after a surgical procedure are at risk for deterioration of their health-related quality of life, according to research reported in The Journal of Pain, the peer-reviewed publication of the American Pain Society, www.americanpainsociety.org.

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Affective, anxiety and behavioral disorders in adolescents are early risk factors for eventual development of chronic pain, according to research reported in The Journal of Pain, the peer-review publication of the American Pain Society.

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Results of a randomized clinical trial, published in The Journal of Pain, showed that surgery and manual physical therapies were similarly effective in improving pain and function for patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). The Journal of Pain is the peer-review publication of the American Pain Society www.americanpainsociety.org

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Nearly 50 million American adults have significant chronic pain or severe pain, according to a new study prepared by National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), which appears this month in The Journal of Pain, http://www.jpain.org, published by the American Pain Society, http://www.americanpainsociety.org.

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New research reported in The Journal of Pain, published by the American Pain Society (www.americanpainsociety.org, shows that inhaled cannabis reduces diabetic neuropathy and the analgesic effect is dose-dependent.

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A study conducted in the state of Washington and reported in The Journal of Pain showed that almost half of deaths attributed to prescription opioids were Medicaid recipients, and using multiple pharmacies to fill prescriptions is linked with opioid overdoses. The Journal of Pain is published by the American Pain Society, www.americanpainsociety.org.

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Sleep disruption appears to be associated with altered pain processing and central sensitization, according to research reported in The Journal of Pain, published by the American Pain Society, wwwamericanpainsociety.org.

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Fibromyalgia is the second most common rheumatic disorder behind osteoarthritis and, though still widely misunderstood, is now considered to be a lifelong central nervous system disorder, which is responsible for amplified pain that shoots through the body in those who suffer from it. Daniel Clauw, M.D., professor of anesthesiology, University of Michigan, analyzed the neurological basis for fibromyalgia in a plenary session address today at the American Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting, www.amercianpainsociety.org.

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With increasing numbers of chronic pain patients experimenting with marijuana to get relief, physicians need to learn more about the plant and its constituents to counsel patients appropriately about its safety and possible analgesic benefits, according to a leading medical marijuana researcher speaking today in a plenary session at the American Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting, www.americanpainsociety.org.

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Chronic pain is known to cause brain anatomy changes and impairments, but yoga can be an important tool for preventing or even reversing the effects of chronic pain on the brain, according to a National Institutes of Health (NIH) official speaking at the American Pain Society’s annual meeting today, www.americanpainsociety.org.

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More than half of all cancer patients experience pain, most often associated with the malignancy type, body location and disease progression. Pain researchers participating in a symposium at the American Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting, www.americanpainsociety.org, today reported that the relationship between tumors and nerves drives persistent and breakthrough pain and tumor progression in certain types of cancers.

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People suffering chronic pain have valuable information to share about their condition and overall health that can help pain researchers and physicians in treatment planning, according to the head of the Patient Centered Outcomes Institute (PCORI) speaking at the American Pain Society annual scientific meeting.

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

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The American Pain Society (APS), www.americanpainsociety.org, today announced the recipients of its prestigious achievement awards during the organization’s annual scientific meeting. Every year, APS rewards excellence in pain research, advocacy and clinical care with awards for career achievement, pain scholarship, education and public service, advocacy on behalf of children, outstanding service to APS, early career achievements and journalism.

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Psychosocial risk factors, such as sleep duration, anxiety and parental fears, can be important predictors for identifying children most likely to experience higher pain intensity, delayed recovery and impaired quality of life following surgery, according to research reported in The Journal of Pain published by the American Pain Society.

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The American Pain Society (APS), www.americanpainsociety.org, will host its 34th annual scientific meeting May 13-16 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. Pain research is a major focus of the meeting, and the nation’s leading pain scientists will present their latest discoveries during the conference.

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A study published in The Journal of Pain showed that just 2 of 3 accredited physical therapy (PT) schools surveyed believe their students receive adequate education in pain management.

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Meditation might be an effective treatment for reducing chronic neck pain, according to research reported in The Journal of Pain.

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A new study published in The Journal of Pain reports an association between a broad range of pre-existing mental disorders and subsequent onset of severe or frequent headaches.

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Research reported in The Journal of Pain showed there is significant linkage between non-opioid substance abuse disorders, such as misuse of alcohol and illegal drugs, and therapeutic opioid abuse.

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Some 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, according to the Institute of Medicine, but funding to support scientific research that could lead to effective new therapies for pain remains inadequate. Recognizing this dilemma, the American Pain Society (APS) today released its Pain Research Agenda for the 21st Century, which identifies promising but underfunded approaches to develop new treatments and to help make currently used pain medications safer and more effective.

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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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Methadone safety in pain management and treatment of drug addiction is becoming a serious concern in the wake of steep increases in methadone-associated overdose deaths. Safer prescribing can be achieved by improving physician and patient education about methadone safety. The American Pain Society (APS), www.americanpainsociety.org, today sponsors a free webinar for clinicians covering its recent methadone safety clinical practice guideline on at 1:00 p.m. EST.

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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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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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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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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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The American Pain Society (www.americanpainsociety.org) announced today it has begun a collaboration with the Pain Research Forum (www.painresearchforum.org) in which APS will provide grant support for PRF’s “Papers of the Week” website postings of new papers in pain research, which are published in peer-reviewed journals covering pain, neuroscience and related discipline

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Gregory W. Terman, MD, PhD, professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle has begun a two-year term as president of the American Pain Society (APS, www.amercianpainsociety.org). He succeeds Roger Fillingim, PhD in the organization’s top leadership role.

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Results of an Australian study published in The Journal of Pain showed that after controlling for depression internalized stigma is negatively associated with lower levels of self-esteem and personal control of pain.

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Positive activities, such as increasing supportive emotions, can reduce body discomfort in adults with mild to moderate chronic pain, according to research reported in The Journal of Pain, the peer-reviewed publication of the American Pain Society, www.amercianpainsociety.org.

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Many cancer patients endure severe pain and, by far, one of the most excruciating pain conditions is caused by oral cancer, for which even the strongest available pain medications are largely ineffective. One of the nation’s leading oral cancer treating clinicians, speaking at the American Pain Society’s annual meeting, said he believes that while prospects for major treatment advances remain bleak, a new cannabinoid-based medication may have some promise for providing meaningful pain relief.

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Mobile medicine is helping chronic pain patients cope with and manage their condition thanks to new smartphone apps, which can track patients from a distance and monitor pain, mood, physical activity, drug side effects, and treatment compliance.

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The American Pain Society today urged private donors to step forward to help fill the pain research grant allocation void caused by federal government cuts by contributing to the new American Pain Society Pain Research Fund, which was announced today at the organization’s annual scientific conference.

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Improved physician education and patient counseling about methadone safety and ECG monitoring to identify patients at high risk for cardiac problems will lead to safer use of the medication, according to the American Pain Society’s Clinical Practice Guideline on Methadone Safety, published this week in The Journal of Pain.

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To help primary care physicians treat chronic pain more safely and effectively, the American Pain Society will host “Pain Care for Primary Care,” in collaboration with the Journal of Family Practice. The three-day educational conference will be held in Orlando, July 17-19.

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The 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society (APS) will convene April 30 through May 3 at the Tampa Convention Center. APS is 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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The lessening of pain sensitivity achieved with spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) occurs as a result of the treatment and not as much from a placebo effect caused by the expectation of receiving SMT, according to a study published in The Journal of Pain.

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Tempromandibular pain disorders (TMDs) are characterized by a dysfunction of the TMD joint and cause orofacial pain, masticatory dysfunction or both. A new study published in The Journal of Pain showed that standard treatment approaches yield modest to large improvement in pain, but the addition of cognitive behavioral therapy may be helpful.

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There is strong evidence showing that individuals who experienced chronic pain during childhood have chronic pain as adults, but few studies have evaluated the characteristics of pain that persists from childhood through adult years. Researchers from the University of Michigan found that one in six adult pain patients had pain as children or adolescents, and their pain was widespread and neuropathic with psychological comorbidities and decreased function.