People in chronic pain are some of the most difficult patients to treat. They have complex circumstances that medicine can’t always remedy. Pain can be amplified by depression, anxiety, genetics, and quality of life. Genetics can also play a role in how people experience pain. Physicians are less prone these days to prescribe opioid medication… Continue reading Online Assessment Tool to Guide Doctors in Treating Those with Chronic Pain
Category: Pain Management
Pain management is key for ongoing pain control, particularly if you suffer from chronic pain. Pain brings not only discomfort, but can also cause stress.
3 Things to Understand About America’s Opioid Crisis and Pain Pill Addiction
Each time the American people think the nation’s opioid crisis can’t get any worse – it gets worse. In 2016, 42,249 people died from opioid overdoses, which comes to 116 deaths every day, according to the United States Department of Health and Human Services. In addition, 11.5 million people misused opioids. But, in a nation… Continue reading 3 Things to Understand About America’s Opioid Crisis and Pain Pill Addiction
A Pain in the Butt: Piriformis Syndrome
I experienced my first prolonged pain in the butt after moving to Delray Beach, Florida, and immersing myself in an intense barre exercise class – guaranteed to firm the butt and slim the waist. Healing a broken heart after my 35-year marriage blew up, the idea was to challenge myself with such a strenuous workout… Continue reading A Pain in the Butt: Piriformis Syndrome
Patients Who Live Alone Can Safely Be Sent Home After Joint Replacement
Most patients who live alone can be safely discharged home from the hospital to recover after hip or knee replacement surgery, suggests a study in the January 17, 2018 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. The journal is published in partnership with Wolters Kluwer. A release from the publishers notes that the… Continue reading Patients Who Live Alone Can Safely Be Sent Home After Joint Replacement
Scientists Take a Big Step Toward Building a Better Opioid
For the first time, scientists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and collaborators solved the crystal structure of the activated kappa opioid receptor bound to a morphine derivative. They then created a new drug-like compound that activates only that receptor, a key step in the development of new pain medications. A release… Continue reading Scientists Take a Big Step Toward Building a Better Opioid
A Non-Surgical Option for Back Pain
A new image-guided pulsed radiofrequency treatment for low back pain and sciatica appears to be making most patients pain-free, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Low back pain is an extremely common problem that affects at least 80 percent of the population at some… Continue reading A Non-Surgical Option for Back Pain
The Unexpected Force Driving Medical Marijuana Legalization in the USA
When you envision the movement to legalize marijuana, what do you see? Is it a band of hippies or college students? Free spirits of the American West with long hair and peace symbol bumper stickers? If so, you aren’t alone in your thinking. Though public perception of marijuana and marijuana users has shifted with the… Continue reading The Unexpected Force Driving Medical Marijuana Legalization in the USA
Fewer Hip and Knee Replacement Patients Are Relying on Opioids Alone
Opioid use in patients recovering from hip and knee replacement decreased by one-third between 2006 and 2014, reflecting success in efforts to promote several methods of managing pain rather than opioids alone, according to research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2017 annual meeting. The study of more than 1 million hip and knee replacement patients is… Continue reading Fewer Hip and Knee Replacement Patients Are Relying on Opioids Alone
Bone Marrow Concentrate Improves Joint Transplants
Biologic joint restoration using donor tissue instead of traditional metal and plastic may be an option for active patients with joint defects. Although recovery from a biologic joint repair is typically longer than traditional replacement, successful biologic restoration allows patients to return to full activity. However, in some cases, the transplanted bone does not heal… Continue reading Bone Marrow Concentrate Improves Joint Transplants
Mind-Body Therapies Immediately Reduce Unmanageable Pain in Hospital Patients
Mindfulness training and hypnotic suggestion significantly reduced acute pain experienced by hospital patients, according to a study done at the University of Utah and published in July 2017 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. A release from the university notes that after participating in a single, 15-minute session of one of these mind-body therapies,… Continue reading Mind-Body Therapies Immediately Reduce Unmanageable Pain in Hospital Patients
People Who Have Painful Conditions Fare Better Over Time When Spouses Are Empathetic
The dynamics of spouses’ daily interactions may influence whether an ill partner’s physical functioning improves over time, according to findings published June 12TH 2017 in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. A release from the association quotes Ohio State researcher Stephanie J. Wilson, lead author on the study who completed the… Continue reading People Who Have Painful Conditions Fare Better Over Time When Spouses Are Empathetic
Hospitalized Seniors Resist Medical Marijuana, but Opiates Prescribed for Nonsurgical Conditions Result in Poor Outcomes
In one of the first studies of its kind, nearly one-third of 10,000 older adults were prescribed opiate pain medications such as morphine, Percocet and OxyContin while hospitalized for non-surgical conditions. This course of care was significantly linked to poor outcomes such as being restrained and requiring bladder catheterization, according to research done in May… Continue reading Hospitalized Seniors Resist Medical Marijuana, but Opiates Prescribed for Nonsurgical Conditions Result in Poor Outcomes
Sex Differences in Brain Activity Alter Pain Therapies
A female brain’s resident immune cells are more active in regions involved in pain processing relative to males, according to a March 2017 study by Georgia State University researchers. A release from the university explains that the study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, found that when microglia — the brain’s resident immune cells —… Continue reading Sex Differences in Brain Activity Alter Pain Therapies
New Guidelines for Treating Back Pain
A physicians’ group has recommended that doctors and patients should treat acute or sub-acute low back pain with non-drug therapies. The American College of Physicians (ACP) said that the non-drug therapies included superficial heat, massage, acupuncture or spinal manipulation. Drug therapy, if desired, should consist of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) or skeletal muscle relaxants. The… Continue reading New Guidelines for Treating Back Pain
Caring for Elders: Tips for Managing Pain
Older adults are more likely to experience pain than the general population but they may be less likely to be treated for it. The most common reason that pain in elders is under treated is that it is under reported. Many elders consider pain a natural consequence of aging – something they just have to… Continue reading Caring for Elders: Tips for Managing Pain
A Non-Addictive Pain Treatment?
Researchers are drawing closer to developing chronic-pain treatments that keep the medicinal properties of marijuana without the possibility of addiction. The study, by experts at Oregon Health and Science University, was conducted in a rodent model. It provides additional rationale for the development of therapeutics using cannabinoid receptors to treat chronic pain, which afflicts about… Continue reading A Non-Addictive Pain Treatment?
Surgery for Back Pain Reduces Pain During Sex
For patients with degenerative spinal disease, surgery is more effective in reducing pain that interferes with sexual activity, compared to nonsurgical treatment, according to a study in the November 15th 2016 issue of Spine, published by Wolters Kluwer. “Sex life is a relevant consideration for the majority of patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis and spinal stenosis,”… Continue reading Surgery for Back Pain Reduces Pain During Sex
Pain and Your Brain
Scientists at The University of Manchester, UK, have shown for the first time that if the brain is ‘tuned-in’ to a particular frequency, pain can be alleviated. Chronic pain- pain which lasts for more than six months – is a real problem for many people, with 20-50 % of the general population estimated to suffer… Continue reading Pain and Your Brain